The day has finally arrived. It is now the year where R107s of all kinds are legal for entry into the US, no matter where they came from. For me, this has my eyes set squarely on one very specific model: the 1989 300SL with the 5-speed manual gearbox. The final years of the R107 SL saw but one model in the US market, the 560SL with the 5.6 liter V8 engine. Those that have driven them know these are competent cruisers but aren’t the most all out sporting of machines. For 1986, Mercedes revived a storied name when it dropped the M103 inline-6 under the hood: 300SL. For those not in need of the power (or fuel economy) of a V8, this was an attractive option and was offered with another feature not available on US-bound R107s: a 5-speed manual gearbox.
As a preview to our week of celebrating 1989 vehicles eligible for importation stateside, here is a very low mileage 1989 300SL for sale just south of Cologne, Germany that is equipped with a 5-speed manual. It also has a few other options like heated front seats and the rear Kinder seat that you don’t normally see on the US market 560SL model.
