1984 | Mercedes-Benz 280 SL

A very pretty R107 280SL in Classic White with Navy MB Tex, a manual gearbox with only 66k miles.

The specification is unusual, primarily because it has the 5-speed manual gearbox, but combined with factory air conditioning, rear seats and electric windows.

While most SLs sold in the UK were automatic, the combination of the revvy six-cylinder engine and five gears creates a significantly sportier driving experience. It’s a fun-to-drive car with a nice, tall fifth for cruising. It would suit someone who wanted a more involving SL to drive for touring, or possibly the odd classic rally.

Sometimes the paperwork a classic car comes with tells a great story. In this case, the first owner kept every piece of paper from his initial search to eventual purchase of this particular car. He bought the car through diplomatic & tourist sales of Piccadilly as he was working in Saudi Arabia at the time. Initially he was after a Thistle Green 280SL with light brown trim, but there seemed to be some difficulty in finding a suitable car, primarily because he insisted on a manual gearbox! There are several letters detailing various cars that could be found, but evidently none were suitable, until a letter on the 15th August offered this car, located in Zeebrugge.

Since 1984 there have been five owners, although the second was the wife of the first, then the third was a family friend who kept the car from 2005 until 2016. After a year with a gentleman in Chichester, we supplied the car to its last owners in 2017.

The body is in very good condition, with a rust-free bulkhead and an excellent chassis thanks to recent works by ourselves totalling over £5000. The paintwork is very nice, the wheels wear the original colour-coded stainless wheel trims and are shod with matching Michelin tyres.

Inside the blue MB Tex trim is generally in good condition, though there is a split to the driver’s seat base you can see on the photos. The dark blue convertible roof is still the car’s original, although it is starting to show its 41 years and has a split in it.

Drives very well and all accessories appear to work as intended with the exception of the A/C which is not currently blowing cold.

This car has a great history file, with plenty of aforementioned paperwork from the first owner, service book and a folder full of receipts, old MoTs going back many years. It was last serviced in 2024 at 66023 miles by H A Lock and has covered very few miles since. New battery just fitted.

Note that this SL is immediately eligible for change of tax class to ‘historic’. This can be carried out at point of sale and will mean this car is tax, ULEZ and MoT exempt.

For sale on behalf of the owner, this is a very rare 5-speed manual 280SL with low miles, low owners and a very good history. A fun car to drive that has great potential.