Vehicle Description
The Mercedes Benz SL class has represented their renowned touring
line for more than 60 years, but it was when their designers set
about to create a sturdier, better equipped and more aggressive
looking car in the '70s that it really captured the interest of
affluent American performance car enthusiasts. The R107 version of
the SL, such as this one, received such enthusiastic support that
Mercedes, known for continually striving to improve their
offerings, saw fit to leave the design almost entirely intact for
nearly 17 years, knowing they had an undisputed winner on their
hands. As the SL flagship of its day, this 1988 Mercedes 500SL will
afford its next lucky owner the chance to own a truly timeless
vintage convertible, decked out in a great color and possessing
excellent power.
Diamond Metallic Blue is a great, understated shade for this model,
and with a very skillfully done repaint, it sports a nice even hue
from front to back underneath a great clearcoat. Despite its nearly
30 years of service, this is a very vital, capable looking car with
a thoroughly road ready appearance. The windshield and door glass
remain very clear, and the bumpers both fore and aft are undented
and level, with fresh rubber on the bumper guards. While it's
likely your first inclination would be to picture yourself motoring
down the road on an open air outing, the navy blue manual
convertible top is in fine shape, with an impressively clear
plastic window in back, raising without incident for more
challenging weather. There's also a fiberglass hard top included to
further cut down on wind noise, whose light weight makes for very
easy installation and removal.
Climb inside and you'll see an interior whose vitality belies its
age. Benefiting from a recent freshening, the interior,
particularly the blue bucket seats are very comfortable and show
almost no perceptible wear, while to the front, the original stock
cluster sits securely in the burl-patterned dash, its gauges very
easily readable through their clear lenses. The dash pad as well
carries no splits and remains nice and straight. Unlike many of its
counterparts, this open air roadster came factory equipped with air
conditioning and it remains every bit up to the challenge of
keeping you and your passenger comfortable, blowing as cold or hot
as any situation could warrant through the four well-placed
registers on the dash. A Kenwood AM/FM/CD system sits just below in
the center console, ready to provide your motoring soundtrack as
you hit the highway. On each side, you'll find that the power
windows roll up and down smoothly and sit inside doors whose panels
also remain in impressive condition.
Carrying the most displacement of any of the SL engines of its
time, a 5.6 liter, fuel-injected V8 sits under the hood. Offering
abundant power, it's in fine form - firing right up and running
smoothly, no doubt a result of proper maintenance throughout its
life as evidenced by the ample amount of receipts with it. Paired
with a very smooth shifting 4-speed automatic overdrive
transmission, you'll not only have all the acceleration capability
you could want, but gas-saving low RPMs on the highway as well. And
when called on to do so, the four-wheel power disc brake system
will bring this SL to a stop in short order. This fine example of
'80s German automotive engineering sits on a set of stock 15"
Mercedes rims, outfitted with Goodyear radials.
Looking for a classic European droptop with timeless looks and
power to spare? You have to check out this 1988 Mercedes Benz
560SL. Call today!