1988 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL

What a special car. This 1988 R107 300SL has covered just 31,283 km from new (19,438 in miles) in the hands of just two owners.

It is left-hand drive with the unusual option (for the UK market at least) of having a five-speed manual transmission. In addition, it has factory air conditioning, leather upholstery, outside temperature gauge, underbody protection, illuminated vanity mirrors and heated seats. The body is finished in the elegant shade of Pajett Red metallic with matching hard top, contrasting Mushroom beige interior and dark brown convertible roof.

From the history file, we can see that the car was initially ordered in Monaco, but collected from Hamburg and driven directly to London where taxes were paid, and it was registered. We have all correspondence letters and bill of sale; we even have the ferry ticket from when arrived in Dover, in the September of 1988. The first owner lived in Belgrave Mews, SW1 and kept the car until 2003. The second owner of Ealing, West London also used the car sparingly and kept it garaged until he moved away for work in 2010. The car was then kept in storage until this year when we acquired it following the owner’s passing.

We have carried out a recommissioning service, replacing fluids and filters as necessary; the brakes have been serviced along with the cooling system and air conditioning.

The car is in quite outstanding, original condition as we hope the photos convey. Having always been garaged, covered a tiny mileage and in London away from road salt, the underside is in exceptional condition with zero corrosion or previous repairs. The paintwork is exceptional, as is the brightwork. The wheels are still in their factory finish and wear matching Michelin tyres.

The fabric roof is the original and remains in incredible condition – it’s hard to believe it’s ever been used. The hard top is umarked too.

The interior is, as the pictures show, outstanding with no fading or wear whatsoever. The leather has not been restored and retains its original finish.

The car is extremely original and as per factory specification apart from the stereo system, which looks to have been upgraded 20 years ago.

The car comes with all its original books, service book with seven entries, previous MoT certificates and original bill of sale plus import paperwork as detailed above.

While the five-speed manual transmission is almost unheard of on UK suppled SLs, it was much more common on the continent. It suits the sporting nature of the car and the high-revving character of the M103 six-cylinder engine. It certainly makes the R107 much more fun to drive and more of a sports car.

Without question, one of the best R107 SLs we have had the pleasure of finding and offering for sale.