Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
At the other end of the gray market scale from the 500SL we featured a few days ago sits this car, the 280SL. For most of its lifespan, European customers were able to specify a six cylinder variant of the popular R107 roadster, the first examples having the engine we see here, the twin cam M110 inline-6. This example for sale in Wisconsin has remarkably low mileage and features a few nice options like alloy wheels, heated seats and the rear “kinder†seat.
Beginning in the 1970s, the split between US and Euro market vehicles of foreign manufacturers became more pronounced, leading some US customers to import more and more non-US market vehicles. Oftentimes these imports would be more powerful, have features unavailable on US models or, in an era of changing safety rules, have slimmer, lighter bumpers. Such was the case with the R107 Mercedes-Benz SL. Before the 560SL arrived on the scene for the 1986 model year, the holy grail of forbidden SL fruit was the 500SL, with the 240 horsepower V8. This was considerably more than the 155 horsepower offered from the 3.8 liter V8 in the 380SL sold in the US at the time. This 500SL for sale in New York offers the SL enthusiast a chance at an R107 in one of its ultimate forms.
The 1997 Mercedes-Benz SL320 we featured earlier in the month is back up for sale once more, just in time for someone seeking a looker for the summer months.
“They don’t make ‘em like they used to.” How many times do we hear this in passing? Perhaps in this age of instant communication and mass produced goods, it rings more true than ever. For the most part, new cars are more reliable and offer technology one could have only dreamed of a scant ten years ago. For some, new cars have lost a bit of that special feeling that came with design driven by passion rather than committee and accountant. Step into a car today and even the most extravagant models will have some parts from a central supplier or share switchgear with lesser models in the parent company portfolio.
This nicely presented 560SL comes to us from our friends at Sun Valley Auto Club in Idaho and is a stunning example of one of the most iconic Mercedes designs of the last few decades.
I remember the days when you could buy a vintage Mercedes-Benz 190SL for pennies on the dollar. Sure, they weren’t the fastest thing from Stuttgart, but one quick glance and you might mistake one for its larger sibling, the 300SL. But between the original Gullwing and it’s open roofed stable mate and the Pagoda SL that followed, the 190SL was a bit forgotten. Today, however, it’s almost impossible to get into a 190SL on a budget, with the best examples bringing healthy six figure sums at auction. Fast forward a few more years though, and its descendant, the 560SL, can still be a relatively affordable proposition. This white on blue R107 for sale in Florida has just the right look to blend right in at the local yacht club.