Mercedes-Benz SL500 Roadster

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Mercedes-Benz launched the SL class as the sporting pinnacle of its product range way back in 1954 with the introduction of the legendary 300SL Gullwing. 

Since then the name has been attached to an increasingly powerful, complex and luxurious range of sports tourers that have always appealed to a well-heeled aristocracy of motorists who like their iron fist to be clothed in a suitably velvet glove.

The W129 Series of SL cars ran from 1989 until 2001. Low, sharp and aggressive, they combined bank vault solidity with effortless performance and that subdued cabin opulence that the Germans do so well. A wide range of engines was available but this particular car has the magnificent 5-litre V8 which was designed specially for the model and is perhaps the most desirable engine in the SL range.

With dual-overhead cams and variable valve timing, this unstressed lump was credited with 326bhp and 332lbft of torque and has won an enviable reputation for bullet-proof reliability. Giving the SL500 a top speed of over 150mph and a 0-60mph time of just 6.3 seconds, it was nevertheless a paragon of refinement.

First registered in June 1995, M221 MYM was supplied by Normand Mercedes of Mayfair and cost its first owner £80,000 as the original bill of sale in the history file confirms. He was to keep the car for the next 15 years and it has only had another two owners since.

Clearly a much cherished machine, it has covered less than 72,000 miles and while there are only 9 stamps in the service book up to 71,514 miles in August 2013, there is a large history file with the car which records at least 18 services to date, the majority of them at Mercedes main agents, with around £4,000 spent in the last three years.

Finished in striking Azurite Blue with a cream hide interior, it is said to be in very good condition throughout with all the luxuries you would expect for £80k including air conditioning and an electrically operated soft top. With an MOT until August 2014, this well-maintained luxury roadster has many years of useful life ahead of it and looks like a huge amount of car at the guide price suggested.