Mercedes-Benz 350SLC Coupe

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About the only car ever to be adapted from a roadster into a tin-top, the SLC was essentially a W107 Series convertible stretched by ten inches to give room for two rear seats and given a fixed steel roof.

Launched in 1972 and remaining in production until 1980, it came in four engine sizes, the car you see here being the mid-range 3.5-litre V8. With 200bhp and 211lb/ft of torque on tap, it was a superb grand tourer and was good for a top speed of 128mph.

“The SLC was surely never intended as a sports car. It is so elegant, so superbly balanced in line and form, so exquisitely contoured to look beautiful from any viewpoint that to subject it to the gross indignities of any kind of track would be sheer vandalism. And yet the car begs to be driven in a sporting way, positively solicits the fast corner, the fine balancing of foot and hand, of centripetal and centrifugal accelerations. It is surely the best Mercedes-Benz ever to have been built for common sale.” wrote ‘hard to impress’ motoring writer, LJK Setright who as you can see was a huge fan of the Mercedes-Benz SLC.

Fantastically strong and stable at speed, the SLC made a surprisingly good long distance rally car, winning the South America Rally in 1978 and coming second on the East Africa Safari.

This pale metallic green Mercedes-Benz 350SLC has had just two owners from new and has covered 100,234 miles having spent much of its life in Southern France.

The accompanying service book shows regular servicing by Norman Cruikshank Mercedes-Benz in Bristol from 1983 until 1988 by which time it had covered 53,500 miles. The history file also includes 14 old MOTs which show that it has covered just a few hundred miles since 2002, a new ticket having just been obtained which expires in February 2017.

Looking nicely preserved, no doubt thanks to the kinder French climate and being correctly maintained whilst in the UK and France, this elegant Mercedes-Benz coupe still has great mile munching potential and just begs to be given the use it so richly deserves.