1979 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL
This 450 SL was a gorgeous driver-condition convertible. I bought this car in 2004 and kept it for a few seasons. It didn't cost much at the time - they weren't really considered collectible yet. I really liked it but I didn't drive it as much as I would have liked because I didn't have as much space back then and really didn't have a good place to store the hardtop.
Red on red is something you see a lot in Corvettes, not so much in Mercedes. It was in great shape though and everything worked well.
Here I am trying to figure out how to open the hood. Some aspects of this cars condition were near perfect. All in all though I would classify it as a very original driver with some minor restoration work like the paint. If you could get past a few flaws (like the faulty hood latch) it was a magnificent example of a classic German convertible.
The originality and condition of this car would make it pretty valuable today. This is certainly one that I wish I still had.
Sadly, this is how it spent much of its time - right here with some of my other albatrosses. I was thrilled with the car, other than not using it enough. These have become quite collectible in the last few years. They're great driver-collectors because you can actually use them. They're mechanically sound and very comfortable. The interesting thing is, you may not have missed the boat on getting a cheap one. I see these R107 cars sell for crazy money but I still see them offered cheap as well. That's primarily because they built so many and a large percentage of them survive.
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