Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Even after all these years which I’ve been involved with GCFSB, a car will come across sometimes which I had no idea existed. Such is the case with this 1986 300SL with an AMG tuned 3.2 liter inline-6. First off, the 300SL is rare on US shores, as we only got the 560SL in our market from 1986 through 1989. Secondly, someone went to the trouble of optioning an R107 with an AMG engine and not much more to denote its bump in horsepower. The ultimate sleeper, then? You decide…
You could say that the Mercedes-Benz R107 has finally attained classic status. This was the Mercedes to aspire to for two decades and spanned a period of great change in automotive performance, safety and technology. Through it all, the R107 kept going on and on and on. Towards the end, we in the US market had but one model to choose from, the 560SL. Only Japan and Australia would see this model sold new. The rest of the world could chose from two V8 models, the 500SL and 420SL and the car we see here, the six-cylinder 300SL. For a car with such a storied number on its boot lid, few here in the US know about it. For the more spirited driver, you could even spec one with a 5-speed manual. This car is so equipped, showing less than 40,000 miles on the clock.
While running errands the other day, I came across a 560SL in signal red, parked, with its top down. These late model R107 roadsters are finally getting their due in the marketplace, which isn’t surprising. Classic lines combined with features that still make this roadster feel modern are the usual hallmarks of Mercedes-Benzes from the 1980s. This 560SL for sale in Illinois comes to us by way of our friends at Evolve Motors. This car represents the first year of the 560SL, with barely over 40,000 miles on the odometer.
The Mercedes-Benz R107 SL is one of those cars that will always capture my imagination. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve lusted after one of these roadsters. Some friends of mine never liked these SLs but others loved them. Whatever your thoughts might be, these cars certainly made their fair share of appearances in television and movies over the past several decades, amplifying their star power. They also had one of the longest production runs in Mercedes-Benz history, giving prospective buyers lots of choice when it comes to specific years and models. This 380SL for sale in Portland, Oregon represents the end of the 380SL run, right before the introduction of the 560SL, the final version we would see in the US market.
While for a few generations it’s been fairly predictable that newer used Mercedes-Benz models are cheaper than the older, well kept models, there’s been an interesting turn in the market over the past 6 months. We are witnessing a trend of ever increasing prices on all the 1980s iron, but really specifically in the Mercedes-Benz world the R107 is on the rise fastest of all. In a 5 month period, Hagerty has re-assessed its evaluation of the model’s worth, with most models doubling or tripling in value seemingly overnight. What was, in 2014, a $10,000 – $15,000 example will be on the market for double that today, or more. Is the R107 the next E30, or is this simply a demand spike that recognizes some of the best built and engineered Benz models produced? Well, it certainly does beg the question – if you were going to spend $30,000 on a R107, what other classic Mercedes-Benz models would fall into that range. For comparison, I lined up a lovely W111 coupe to consider – nearly the same miles, condition and asking price, and both are Euro-spec manuals. Which would be your choice?
