1975 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

GT Coupe

4.5 liter V8

Automatic

Clear

Gasoline

Excuse my wall of text, but this story - and this car - is worth it. I bought this car about a year ago from an acclaimed Los Angeles poet, who sold it because he was on his way to Berlin for a fellowship. He bought the car from the heirs of the original owner, who had kept it at a vacation home since it was new, driving it less than 1,000 miles a year. When the original owner passed away, the car apparently sat unused for years because his widow just wouldn't sell her husband's treasure. The odometer now has just over 30,000 miles -- a barn find if there ever was one! In the past year, my long-time certified Mercedes mechanic has brought this fine motor car roaring back to life: new ignition, fuel injectors, distributor cables; new brakes (master cylinder, calipers, pads, etc); new coolant reservoir and exhaust system. And because of its year, it doesn't require a smog certificate, ever. Remember, this is the SLC coupe --a foot longer than the SL, complete with a real back seat, hard top, and a sun roof, too. A guy told me that they made only about 6,000/yr from 1972-1981--and only a fraction of them ever made it to the US. And Mercedes made only one SLC for every four SL models they made, so it's a relatively scarce item. The SLC is also often mentioned as one of the most expensive Mercedes production models of its era to be sold in the United States, and 38 years later there can't be many left on the road with such low mileage. It purrs and growls and creaks a bit at times, but it's one heck of a specimen, and lots of fun to drive. Other features include recently re-painted original hubcaps and reupholstered seats, though the driver's seat has a small tear in the left-side seam. There's a little 1" x 1" patch of damaged paint on the left door, and a tiny ding in a satin chrome strip that runs above the right door handle. If you like a car that starts conversations, and you appreciate fine character and pedigree, this is the car for you. One other thing: The SLC model has a great racing history, with rally wins in Kenya, New Zealand, Portugal, Ivory Coast and elsewhere. We hear there's a resurgence of SLC rally racing going on now in Europe, so international buyers take note. With a little bit of an investment, this car could easily be restored to showroom condition!