Vehicle Description
Desirable color combination. Two tops included. New tires. Runs and
drives great! The late-production 560 is the R107 to own and this
one combines condition and price to put it within easy reach.This
handsome 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SL is a fantastic combination of
affordable price and A-list celebrity status. The Diamond Blue over
blue leather combination is elegant yet sporting, the perfect
choice for the top-of-the-line SL. It looks like the sheetmetal was
shrink-wrapped over the mechanicals and the chiseled character
lines along the bodywork really stand out. This car has never been
hit or rusty, and we believe that's original 1986 paint, which
means there are no nasty surprises waiting for you underneath.
Build quality is exemplary, which you'd expect from a car whose
engineers referred to as 'der Panzerwagon,' or 'The Tank.' It feels
incredibly robust, and this is a 35-year-old machine! The US-spec
rubber bumpers have become so familiar that they're not really a
demerit today and they remain in excellent condition with no UV
damage or cracks. There's still quite a bit of chrome and it's all
excellent, from the grille to the windshield surround to the
wonderfully heavy-feeling bright trim on the trunk lid. Like most
SLs, this car has led an easy life as a summertime toy.The blue
leather interior is more evidence that someone has loved this car
all its life. With the 560, leather upholstery was now standard,
wrapped around supportive seats that hold you in place without
feeling tight or restrictive. There's some wear on the outer
bolster of the driver's seat, which is to be expected, but the rest
looks fantastic. Carpets, door panels, and the real burled walnut
on the console are all in good shape, although there's some very
minor checking on the wood trim. There's a correct Becker Grand
Prix AM/FM/cassette stereo which sounds great and still triggers
the power antenna properly. The trunk is beautifully upholstered
using the same plush carpets as the interior, and you'll find the
original spare and tool kit tucked underneath. All SLs came
standard with both a folding cloth top and a removable hardtop, and
this car has a blue canvas top to match the interior. But the
biggest improvements to the 560 came under the skin, starting with
the big 5.6 liter OHC V8 engine. Performance is impressive, even
bearing in mind that the transmission usually starts in 2nd gear.
It's impeccably smooth at all times, even when you're running hard,
and it has proven itself over the decades as one of the toughest
machines ever to come out of the Mercedes-Benz factory. Mileage on
these cars seems to be a non-issue, as they'll seemingly run for
hundreds of thousands of miles without any diminution in
performance or reliability as long as they're properly maintained.
Don't let the mileage fool you-this is still a grand touring car in
the finest sense of the word.All 560SLs received a 4-speed
automatic transmission with a deep overdrive gear, so it's an
effortless high-speed cruiser, especially with 2.65 gears out back
(remember this car was born to run the Autobahn). For smoothness,
it is programmed to start in 2nd gear, which makes it feel a little
sleepy, but a quick prod of the throttle will drop it into 1st and
the car takes off like a rocket. Otherwise, shifts are smooth and
unobtrusive, and only Mercedes-Benz seems to have mastered the
ride/handling compromise that makes the SL so much fun. Drive
gently, and it feels luxury car smooth, with bumps feeling far away
and never upsetting the rock-solid platform. Drive it aggressively
and it is happy to run with you, with good reflexes and a
surprisingly amount of grip. Powerful 4-wheel disc brakes are
augmented by ABS (another 560-only feature), and there's a
wonderful V8 burble from the tailpipes out back. This car sits on a
set of unmarked OEM alloys as well as fresh 205/65/15 Michelin
radials, so it's ready to drive this summer.We've sold quite a few
of these and their enduring appeal surely comes down to their
awesome build quality and fun-to-drive road manners. This is a lot
of car for the money, and if you've been watching R107 prices
lately, you know that these are on the move in a big way. We can't
promise this one will make you rich overnight, but we can promise
that you'll be having too much fun to worry about it. Call
today!Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes personal or
professional inspections of any vehicle in our inventory prior to
purchase.
