Mercedes-Benz 280SL (R107)

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Bullet-proof reliability, bahn-storming performance and timeless good looks – if any car can be called an instant classic, then this is surely it.

Produced from 1971 to 1989, the Mercedes-Benz W107 SL series was a massive hit when new and continues to be highly sought after to this day. Made in the days when Mercedes still deserved its reputation for outstanding build quality, the cars came in a wide range of engine sizes from 2.8-litre sixes to 5-litre V8s.

It may have been the baby of the SL range, but the 280 was still a supremely capable motorcar with an excellent blend of performance and economy from its smooth straight-six engine. Top speed was 125mph with the 0-60 dash being covered in a respectable 9.6 seconds.

This 1982 RHD 280SL was sold new through Mercedes-Benz Brussels, although soon found its way to the UK where it was maintained for several years by Alan Day Mercedes in London. The service book shows 18 stamps in total, the most recent dated 2004 by which time the car had covered 105,000 miles.

Further work and servicing (including a new mohair hood in 1998) has been done, the odometer creeping up to 127,985 miles when the head-unit was replaced by Merc Tech of Swansea in 2014. Since then, just about another 500 miles have been added.

The current V5C shows its transferable private number as DDZ 5147 and flying through its MOT in October with no advisories recorded, and complete with factory hard top, leather interior and ‘plus two’ rear seats, it just needs a new owner to drive it and enjoy.