Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
It’s no secret that the Mercedes-Benz R107 SL is riding a popularity wave at the present time. With an almost 20 year production run, there’s a version for pretty much everyone. But which to choose? Today we’ll look at four very different R107s, from a mid-seventies example right up to the final 560SL that appeared on these shores. We’ll start with this low mileage 560SL for sale in Florida.
While values rise on the R107 Mercedes-Benz SLs, their successor, the R129, has stayed rather stagnant in the market. This isn’t all too surprising, as it is still riding borderline classic status. But as the years press on and the styling cues continue to evolve, the R129 will certainly establish its place as a desirable classic. This 1997 SL500 is one of the rare 40th Anniversary Editions, which featured six spoke Evo II alloy wheels, Crimson Metallic exterior over parchment leather and chestnut wood trim. With just under 40,000 miles on the clock, this is a good way to stand out from the rest of the R129 crowd.
It seems as if the R107 SL is fast becoming the next hot classic from Mercedes-Benz, with values increasing steadily, if not quickly, over the last couple of years. The most preferred models in the US tend to be the late production 560SLs, manufactured from 1986 through 1989, bringing to a close one of the longest production runs in Mercedes-Benz history. This Smoke Silver 1989 560SL is one of the nicest I’ve seen in quite some time, complimenting that impressively presented 300TD we featured earlier today for Wagon Week.
When BMW upped its game in the E36 chassis with the introduction of the M3, specialty tuner Alpina answered with the B3 3.0 and later 3.2 in step with BMW. The successor of the slightly less powerful B6 model, the B3 kept many of the same improvements to the E36 chassis – unique stabilizers, springs and shocks, and larger brakes. Inside the B3 received the normal Alpina-style shift knob, steering wheel and seats, and in their typical style Alpina provided unique front and rear spoilers along with their own badging. Of course, the package was rounded out by some of the best looking wheels ever fitted to a BMW. While the B3 was down on power to the European M3 3.2, it wasn’t really much slower – again in typical Alpina fashion, the car was tuned to make the most of the power that was available rather than just provide a shockingly high output number. A reported 1,000 of these ultra-exclusive B3s were produced, with about 2/3rds of those being the earlier 3.0 model. With only 342 of the 3.2 produced, the pool is already very exclusive on these. Add a manual transmission when most are automatic, special order Dakar Yellow paint and a cabriolet model, and this is among the most exclusive Alpinas ever made.
When it comes to Porsche exclusivity for your dollar, you would be hard pressed to find a better value than the 944S2 Cabriolet. Less than 2,000 examples made it stateside for one model year, 1990. As of late, values have been creeping up, following the trend of the front-engine, water-cooled set. Boxster a bit too mainstream for your tastes? Here’s a good way to stand out with this fully documented 944S2 Cabriolet for sale in Connecticut.