1981 | Mercedes-Benz 380 SL

This is an online-only auction by Bonhams|Cars OnlineThis car auction is on www.bonhamscarsonline.com. The price shown is the lower estimate. To see more details, read the full description and see 200+ photographs & video please visit our www.bonhamscarsonline.com. It is free to Register an account and bid. There is no Buy it Now or part-exchange. Here is a brief excerpt taken from the auction description;

First supplied by Neyland Motors of Swansea in South Wales in January 1981, it left the showroom with a Signal Red body and a black hard top. The change in colour came about because a previous owner used the car in Spain for ten years, which might have preserved the metalwork but faded the red paintwork.

Its return to the UK saw a change of colour to the silver you see today – and while opinion varies as to the exact shade - some think it’s Mercedes-Benz Anthracite Grey Metallic, with others insist it’s a Range Rover paint code – few would quibble with the choice of hue. 

We also understand that conversion to the US-style quad headlamps was done around that time and, as you’d hope, both the hood and the interior are finished in black, with the latter being the two-seat option and trimmed with hide.

The previous owner fitted a new soft-top in at a cost of around £1,000 in January 2023 and four new Bilstein dampers plus a whole host of other bits and bobs including new window seals, and a new battery four months later.

It is also being offered with no reserve so will sell no matter how derisory the bidding, which means this 380SL may well offer the canny buyer an opportunity to get a very usable example for what’s likely to be a below-average price.

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