Vehicle Description
It's time to look retro, sophisticated, cool, and unique - all for
a value price. This 1972 Mercedes-Benz 350SL has been carefully
restored to be a beautiful and luxurious drop-top that will get
your attention immediately upon arrival.
This car keeps a very vintage style, and that's for a very good
reason. This was the first model year for the R107 model SLs. This
car defined an entire generation at Mercedes because they were an
impressive balance of sophistication and power, and this is the one
that started it all. This example not only respects its history,
but it also stays quite vintage because of a passion project
restoration. The consignor/restorer was married in 1972, and so he
wanted to celebrate the half-century anniversary for both the car
and himself. You can see the level of care all around the car. The
factory-correct Light Ivory was given a professional respray that
was color-sanded to be exceptionally smooth. So the sunlight loves
to give a radiant glow to those precision-fit panels. And the
ivory-painted one-piece hubcaps also offer a great vintage
appearance. These were the wheels that came on most of the
legendary post-WWII Mercedes-Benzs, but unfortunately, not too many
feature them today. This has the color-matched hardtop, but the
newer coco folding roof looks so tasteful against the ivory paint
that you may just want to use it as your primary top. And speaking
of great appearances, 1972 was one of the final years before the
largest bumper laws were enacted. So these chrome pieces hug the
SL's contours better than later US-bound cars.
While we like how both roofs look, the best way to enjoy an SL is
with no roof at all. The full black interior is another
sharp-looking color combo against the ivory exterior. And because
this is a detail-oriented restoration, you can appreciate the level
of quality. It's seen everywhere from the correctly sourced leather
bucket seats to the re-dyed trunk carpet. While the style is
impressive, it also has the substance to be a true cruiser. This
means luxurious features like air conditioning, power windows, and
cruise control. And Mercedes fans will be quite happy that the
Becker AM/FM radio is still in place and cranking out the
tunes.
Under the hood is the proper 4.5-liter V8 motor. For those who know
Mercedes-Benz history, this is a cool little detail. After all, the
usual nomenclature would have a 3.5-liter motor for a 350 SL, but
the earliest R107s came over from Germany as 350SLs with this
4.5-liter motor. The rear even has the 450SL badge upgrade. It was
something often done at the dealers because even when new, most
people knew there was something a little off about the factory's
jargon. Just like the rest of the car, you can tell there was time,
money, and passion invested in the engine bay. So this
fuel-injected powerhouse fires up eagerly and feels terrific out on
the road. This torque-filled V8 fully works with the fully
independent chassis for a supple but confident driver. Power
steering, a three-speed automatic transmission, and four-wheel
power disc brakes for the best all-around control.
The sale comes complete with the owner's manual packet and
maintenance records. This is an impressively restored first-year
R107 SL, and so it's already quite attractive to true enthusiasts.
And at an affordable price like this, this classic Benz is
absolutely irresistible. Call today!!!
