Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
You know what, maybe the weather in England isn’t so bad after all. Of course I am saying that solely because of today’s car, a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300SL up for sale in Southern England. It is finished in the rare Willow Green with a brown soft top over tan MB-Tex. What I would give if this one was left-hand drive.
I have to give it to Mercedes, they milked as much as they could from the C190 AMG GT chassis. Launched for the 2015 model year, the lineup includes the GT, GT S, GT C, GT R, GT R Pro, GT and GT C Roadster, GT Black Series, and the track-only GT Track Series. Missing from that list is today’s car, the GT R Roadster. Production was limited to just 750 units – probably because they wanted people to just go buy the SL63 AMG.
When someone says “engine swap” on an old car, my mind automatically goes to a big V8 swap in an American muscle car. It certainly doesn’t go to today’s car.
What we have is a 1980 Mercedes-Benz 450SL with a Toyota 1JZ-GTE turbocharged inline-six. Talk about an odd couple. The R107 is so far from the tuner-culture 1JZ that I’m really struggling to see who this appeals to. Toyota fans who want something classy? Or R107 fans who want easy power? Either way, I am extremely impressed with this build. Something I don’t say often.
Last week I laid out why I think right now the R230 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class is probably the best value in the Mercedes-Benz world. It has the perfect combination of very high production numbers and the perfect timing of too old to be modern but too young to be a classic. Today, we have the previous generation that had a similar production run, which means it can still be had for very little money given how many are out there floating around. Of course I’m talking about the trusty R129, and more specifically an early 500SL.
This example up for sale in New Jersey is finished in one of my favorite colors of Spruce Green and just has shy of 51,000 miles. The best part? The asking price is only $10,900. Of course there is a catch.
For me, right now, there is no better value in the Mercedes-Benz world than the R230 generation SL-Class. A nearly $90,000 car new back when it first launched almost 20 years ago has probably reached its floor for the well-loved models. If you want in on one, now is the time. Thankfully just like the previous generation, the R230 had a long production run with no less than five different engine choices including a V12. Of course, the real value is with the classic M113 5.0-liter V8 with the nearly indestructible 722.6 five-speed automatic. Today’s example, an Amber Red Metallic example up for sale in Nevada, is looking to be a real deal even in today’s thirst for everything cool in the automotive world.
