1981 Mercedes-Benz 280SL R107
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
England
City:
This R107 Mercedes-Benz SL is a cherished long-termer. It was with its first owner until 2006, having been in dry storage between 1994 and 2001. When he sold it, it had covered around 55,000 miles; since then it has only put on an extra 5000 or so.
With service history dating back to its early days, there’s no evidence of this car ever having been restored.
Its condition is remarkable. The bright and shiny Signal Red paintwork is in excellent order, and stonechips are minimal; some have been touched up, but you need to look carefully to find them. The most obvious blemish is the edge of the driver’s door which has lost some paint, but this has been nicely touched up too. The chromework is similarly fine and the colour-coded aluminium wheel trims are undamaged. The tyres are Kumho Solus KH17 195/70 R14 91H items all around, dated 2013, with plenty of tread left. The black hood is still very taut, with its three plastic windows unclouded. The Cream Beige Sports Check interior is clean, with minimal wear. The carpets, protected by over-mats, display little marking, and even areas such as the door pulls on the spotless door cards show no discolouring. There is a small mark on the right-hand side of the driver’s seat, which looks like it might have been made by a pen. The wood veneer has only a few tiny areas where the finish is beginning to lift, mainly around switches. A modern Caliber retro-styled radio/CD player is fitted; with its old Becker-style looks, it suits the car well. Electrics and dials function as they should, although the oil pressure gauge doesn’t always give a reading. The engine bay has been well-detailed, and even the cam covers have escaped the usual mottling. Everything looks standard, with a lot of the original stickers still in place. The engine starts on the first turn of the key and runs smoothly and strongly, with no disconcerting noises. Beneath the car, the chassis has been thoroughly undersealed, and aside from one area in front of the offside rear wheelarch where the protection has cracked and allowed some surface rust to break out, there’s only sporadic cosmetic corrosion to be found. Thanks to religious servicing, according to the service history, there is little to fault with the driving experience. There’s no roughness when cold, and the car behaves exactly as it should, pulling strongly with no hesitation. For a convertible, there’s very little flimsiness – even on rough roads, scuttle shake is practically non-existent. The four-speed automatic gearbox, rebuilt a few years back, does its job perfectly, and this SL is lively and responsive throughout its range. Kickdown gives a nice injection of zest, if needed, while the steering is sharp and direct, and the brakes highly effective. It’s a very easy classic to drive. This is an excellent specimen that drives superbly, with its originality and low mileage adding bonus points. Although the price is hefty, it feels justified for such a prime example of one of Mercedes-Benz’s most enduring and popular classics.
CHOOSE YOUR MERCEDES-BENZ SL (R107)
Launched in 1971, the V8-engined 3.5-litre 350SL marked the European debut of the third generation ‘Super-Leicht’ Mercedes-Benz, alongside its C107 coupé SLC counterpart.
The six-cylinder 280SL gave more frugality from 1973, but was joined by the 450SL. The range was mildly revamped during 1980, with the 350 and 450 variants replaced by the 380SL and 500SL.
The 280SL disappeared during 1985, replaced by the 300SL which revived a hallowed MB title. Elsewhere in the range, the 380SL metamorphosed into the 420SL, and there was a new V8 flagship: the 560SL.
After total production of 237,287 cars, the final R107 was built in August 1989.
1981 Mercedes-Benz 280SL R107
Price £29,995 Contact Greenside Cars, Holt, Norfolk (01263 713362, greensidecars.com)
Engine 2746cc 6-cylinder, dohc, Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection
Max Power 182bhp @ 6000rpm
Max Torque 177lb ft @ 4500rpm
0-60mph 9.5sec
Top speed 129mph Fuel consumption 19-33mpg Width 4630mm
Length 1791mm
Apart from a few touched-in paint chips, the body seems excellent Straight-six engine is in rude health Very tidy, with only minor flaws.
Factory Specification:
Model 280 SL
Order Number 0 1 537 73044
Order Location GREAT BRITAIN
Interior MB-TEX – BEIGE (135)
Paint 1 581 Inca Red
Paint 2 581 Inca Red
320 ADDITIONAL PLATE AND REAR SEAT BENCH STOP FOR GREAT BRITAIN
420 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 4-GEAR
467 CENTRAL LOCKING MECHANISM AND INSTRUMENTS WITH ENGLISH LETTERING
503 OUTSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR, ON THE LEFT
524 PAINTWORK – PRESERVATION
533 INTERFERENCE SUPPRESSION WITHOUT RADIO SET
583 ELECTRIC WINDOW LIFTERS (FRONT DOORS)
592 HEAT-INSULATING GLASS, ALL-AROUND, HEATED REAR WINDOW PANE, BAND FILTER
613 HEADLAMP LEFT-HAND TRAFFIC
656 MICHELIN TIRES
666 10 LITERS OF FUEL AND MODE OF PACKING VE III
682 FIRE EXTINGUISHER
746 FOLDING TOP FABRIC 8023, DARK BROWN
With service history dating back to its early days, there’s no evidence of this car ever having been restored.
Its condition is remarkable. The bright and shiny Signal Red paintwork is in excellent order, and stonechips are minimal; some have been touched up, but you need to look carefully to find them. The most obvious blemish is the edge of the driver’s door which has lost some paint, but this has been nicely touched up too. The chromework is similarly fine and the colour-coded aluminium wheel trims are undamaged. The tyres are Kumho Solus KH17 195/70 R14 91H items all around, dated 2013, with plenty of tread left. The black hood is still very taut, with its three plastic windows unclouded. The Cream Beige Sports Check interior is clean, with minimal wear. The carpets, protected by over-mats, display little marking, and even areas such as the door pulls on the spotless door cards show no discolouring. There is a small mark on the right-hand side of the driver’s seat, which looks like it might have been made by a pen. The wood veneer has only a few tiny areas where the finish is beginning to lift, mainly around switches. A modern Caliber retro-styled radio/CD player is fitted; with its old Becker-style looks, it suits the car well. Electrics and dials function as they should, although the oil pressure gauge doesn’t always give a reading. The engine bay has been well-detailed, and even the cam covers have escaped the usual mottling. Everything looks standard, with a lot of the original stickers still in place. The engine starts on the first turn of the key and runs smoothly and strongly, with no disconcerting noises. Beneath the car, the chassis has been thoroughly undersealed, and aside from one area in front of the offside rear wheelarch where the protection has cracked and allowed some surface rust to break out, there’s only sporadic cosmetic corrosion to be found. Thanks to religious servicing, according to the service history, there is little to fault with the driving experience. There’s no roughness when cold, and the car behaves exactly as it should, pulling strongly with no hesitation. For a convertible, there’s very little flimsiness – even on rough roads, scuttle shake is practically non-existent. The four-speed automatic gearbox, rebuilt a few years back, does its job perfectly, and this SL is lively and responsive throughout its range. Kickdown gives a nice injection of zest, if needed, while the steering is sharp and direct, and the brakes highly effective. It’s a very easy classic to drive. This is an excellent specimen that drives superbly, with its originality and low mileage adding bonus points. Although the price is hefty, it feels justified for such a prime example of one of Mercedes-Benz’s most enduring and popular classics.
CHOOSE YOUR MERCEDES-BENZ SL (R107)
Launched in 1971, the V8-engined 3.5-litre 350SL marked the European debut of the third generation ‘Super-Leicht’ Mercedes-Benz, alongside its C107 coupé SLC counterpart.
The six-cylinder 280SL gave more frugality from 1973, but was joined by the 450SL. The range was mildly revamped during 1980, with the 350 and 450 variants replaced by the 380SL and 500SL.
The 280SL disappeared during 1985, replaced by the 300SL which revived a hallowed MB title. Elsewhere in the range, the 380SL metamorphosed into the 420SL, and there was a new V8 flagship: the 560SL.
After total production of 237,287 cars, the final R107 was built in August 1989.
1981 Mercedes-Benz 280SL R107
Price £29,995 Contact Greenside Cars, Holt, Norfolk (01263 713362, greensidecars.com)
Engine 2746cc 6-cylinder, dohc, Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection
Max Power 182bhp @ 6000rpm
Max Torque 177lb ft @ 4500rpm
0-60mph 9.5sec
Top speed 129mph Fuel consumption 19-33mpg Width 4630mm
Length 1791mm
Apart from a few touched-in paint chips, the body seems excellent Straight-six engine is in rude health Very tidy, with only minor flaws.
Factory Specification:
Model 280 SL
Order Number 0 1 537 73044
Order Location GREAT BRITAIN
Interior MB-TEX – BEIGE (135)
Paint 1 581 Inca Red
Paint 2 581 Inca Red
320 ADDITIONAL PLATE AND REAR SEAT BENCH STOP FOR GREAT BRITAIN
420 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 4-GEAR
467 CENTRAL LOCKING MECHANISM AND INSTRUMENTS WITH ENGLISH LETTERING
503 OUTSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR, ON THE LEFT
524 PAINTWORK – PRESERVATION
533 INTERFERENCE SUPPRESSION WITHOUT RADIO SET
583 ELECTRIC WINDOW LIFTERS (FRONT DOORS)
592 HEAT-INSULATING GLASS, ALL-AROUND, HEATED REAR WINDOW PANE, BAND FILTER
613 HEADLAMP LEFT-HAND TRAFFIC
656 MICHELIN TIRES
666 10 LITERS OF FUEL AND MODE OF PACKING VE III
682 FIRE EXTINGUISHER
746 FOLDING TOP FABRIC 8023, DARK BROWN
| Power | 182 bhp |
| Torque | 177 lb ft |
| Year | 1981 |
| Airbags | Yes |
| A/C | Yes |
| ABS | Yes |
| Color | |
| Displacement | 2.8 |
| Complectation | Super |
| Doors | 2 |
| Mileage | 129 366 Miles |
| Fuel | Petrol |
| Transmission | Automatic |
| Body Types | Roadster |