1967 | Mercedes-Benz 250 SL

To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Cliveden House event, 8 July 2025.
£70,000 - £90,000 GBP

• Offered for sale directly from the private collection of award-winning Dire Straits bassist John Illsley; retained by its consigning owner for over 10 years
• A mainstay of Mercedes-Benz’s 1960s sports car line-up, with its svelte roadster shape penned by Paul Bracq
• Powered by a 2.5-litre inline-six engine that is paired with a four-speed automatic transmission
• Finished in its factory-correct Silver Gray Metallic
• Benefits from recommissioning work by Templar Classics in December 2024, with the workshop bill exceeding £10,000; new soft-top roof installed in 2020
• Accompanied by its colour-matching ‘Pagoda’ removable hard-top

The fully modern successor to the 190 SL, the new unitary-construction W113 series of SLs debuted as the 230 SL in 1964 and continued until 1971 with the larger-engined 250 SL and 280 SL successors. Its Paul Bracq lines, with crisply tailored wings, tall headlights, and an innovative removable ‘Pagoda’ hard-top became classic in their own time, as did the car’s superior road manners thanks to fully independent suspension with a low-pivot swing axle. It was a fine highway automobile that was also a lot of fun to pilot, and it had excellent durability typical of Mercedes-Benz’s superb engineering.

The Sindelfingen factory made just 5,196 examples of the 250 SL over a short production run, with 99 per cent of cars built exclusively in 1967. It is believed that 1,388 of those were constructed in right-hand drive, including the example offered here. Per its fitted data plate, the 250 SL was finished new in Silver Gray Metallic with options including power steering and no fitted left-hand wing mirror. The car was equipped with a 2.5-litre inline-six engine, making 148 horsepower, paired with a four-speed automatic transmission.

The car’s earlier ownership is not documented, but its registration history notes a long-term owner from 1981 to 2013. It had one further keeper before its consigning owner—multi-award-winning musician John Illsley, one of two remaining active founder members of the world-renowned rock band Dire Straits—acquired the 250 SL at auction in September 2014. Under Mr Illsley’s ownership, the Mercedes-Benz has been enjoyed on the road and cared for in the workshop in equal measure. Invoices on file note continued maintenance with Templar Classics of Buckinghamshire, with the most recent recommissioning bill noted in December 2024 totalling £10,202. The workshop bills add up to some £73,402 in current ownership.

In 2020, the 250 SL was converted from a “California Coupé” (with a fold-down rear seat taking the place of the folding roof mechanism) as a soft-top convertible roof was installed. At the same time, the matching-colour hard-top roof was restored, and it accompanies the car as it is presented today.

A well-worn but equally much loved and well-maintained 250 SL, this example comes with great owner provenance and would be an ideal companion for sunny summer motoring.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/ch25/.