1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SL - $24,900 - Orange Village, OH - Exceptional 2-owner Arizona car with full maintenance records. One of only 50 in this color combination. Two tops, new leather seat covers, everything works.
With just two owners, including the most recent owner who purchased it in 1981 with just 12,700 miles on the clock, this spectacular Arizona-bred silver-over-red 1979 450SL is the one to own. Not only is it beautiful, but with complete service records of just about everything ever done to it in the past three decades, you can own and drive it with confidence. Only 50 examples were built in this particular color combination, which is seemingly too flashy for staid Mercedes-Benz, but just about perfect for the SL’s personality, which definitely has two sides to it. The sliver bodywork has aged quite well, still looking contemporary after all these years. it and finish are, of course, exemplary as these cars definitely earned their nickname “Der Panzerwagon,” with legendary solidity and robust construction. The paint is original to the car and shows no signs of repairs or rust (it’s an Arizona car, remember), and the quality is evident everywhere you look.
The red interior is the highlight of this SL. The seat covers themselves are brand new reproductions that were installed just a few months ago to correct some sun-fading (Arizona car, remember?), but the rest looks fantastic. The dense, deep-pile carpets feel great under your shoes and keep things hushed inside, and that’s real burled walnut on the dash and center console. Everything inside is fully functional, including the clock, original Becker Mexico AM/FM/cassette stereo, power antenna, and A/C, which has been recently serviced and upgraded to R134a refrigerant. The only notable issue is that the odometer has stopped working and we now estimate the car’s mileage at approximately 60,000 (56,283 is indicated). There’s a new black canvas convertible top stowed under the rear deck, and the trunk is fitted with more plush carpets, its original spare wheel and Dunlop tire, as well as a complete tool roll.
Mechanically, there are few machines more reliable than the SL’s 4.5 liter SOHC V8. With decades of service records (amounting to nearly $26,000 just in MAINTENANCE!), this one runs and drives superbly. The suspension is the perfect blend of supple and sporting, neither jarring nor clumsy, and powerful 4-wheel disc brakes ensure reliable stops, time after time. A bubbly V8 exhaust note and a wonderfully elastic torque curve mean it’s happy bopping around town, yet it’s geared for the Autobahn, so it will gleefully charge along at speeds that will earn you a night in jail in 43 states. The lone modifications are the later 15-inch alloy wheels and trunk-mounted CHMSL (stop light) which give it an updated look without losing its classic SL profile. Newer 205/65/15 Bridgestone radials have been fitted, so it’s ready to go today.
Complete with extensive receipts, invoices, dealer paperwork, manuals, and other paperwork, this is one of those cars that impress you just by how much it was loved. It also includes the standard folding hardtop rack, which you are sure to use next summer when top-down motoring is the highlight of your day.
These cars are still A-list celebrities, and nobody has to know how affordable they’ve become. Exceptionally well maintained and finished in a spectacular color combination, this SL stands out among a fairly crowded field, but you’ll quickly learn that the premium is worth it because cheap SLs are the most expensive cars in the world to own. Buy the right one the first time instead.
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