1978 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

450 SL 107 -

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

10704412044296

Gasoline

~~oo00oo~~ ~~oo00oo~~ Mercedes 450 SL 1978 The right look! This is a great condition 450 SL finished in Signal red with black interior. Sporting low mileage for its age this SL is a little beauty and ideal for a well priced summer driver. It looks a little different to regular 450SLs as it has the correct factory design EUROPEAN headlights fitted. Not the ugly 4 round headlights designed for the North American market which look like after-market add-ons. The “Euro” headlights make the front of the car sleek and stream-lined. The car also has a professionally fitted “560” front spoiler/air-dam and 3rd brake light mounted on the deck-lid which finishes the car off nicely. The car is mostly original in paint which will please the purist. You can best tell this by looking at the car "ID" and stickers on the front radiator support panel and the ID panel and stickers attached to driver side door jam. You can see these are original without ever being "masked-off" for repaint (see pictures below). Some top surface areas of the paint has some early signs of paint aging (primarily the trunk-lid - my body shop quoted $500 for the repair). I simply mention this out of clear, honest disclosure as it is hard to see in the photos. Please do not be mistaken, the paint is not ugly by any means - the car still looks shiny overall (as you can see in the pics) and as an everyday driver looks fantastic! For the purist, only, you should not expect to win shows with it. The body is very straight and the paint is generally in good presentable condition for its age. There are some small scratches just aft the convertible top cover – it looks like someone scratched the car whilst removing/installing the hard-top. It is not objectionable. The interior of the car is excellent. Finished in MBtex black, the seats, door panels, carpets are excellent. The ORIGINAL dash does not have cracks in it – quite rare for these SLs. Most SLs have sun damaged dash-boards and after market “caps” are fitted which are quite ugly. The wood is original and in reasonably good condition. The interior is all original including the factory fitment Becker – Mexico radio cassette. It is currently not working and I have not looked into it but it appears there is no power to the unit. The unit otherwise appears to be in excellent condition. The steering wheel is excellent without the heavy wear normally seen and clearly in a condition conducive of a low mileage example. Mechanically the car is generally very good. A well maintained car by 2 enthusiasts for the last 15 years it drives tight and firm. None of the silly “rattles” and “looseness” quite normally experienced with SLs. This one is great – with the roof off, you can drive it down the roughest of roads and it feels nice and tight. It brakes true and sure and accelerates strong and hard. Exhaust is good (relatively new rear muffler) and the whitewall tyres are brand new with 100% tread. The wheels were repainted in correct Mercedes wheel silver (tyres removed and rims sand blasted). The soft top is less than 5 years old (so the clear rear screen is “clear”) and the original hard top in red with black and tan interior lining is in good condition. All the lights, signals, and interior illumination work as they should. The car comes with its factory hard-top which is in good matching condition. Tool for roof included with operating manual. This SL makes for an excellent summer driver. Please understand, although a high rated “driver” car, it would not be the purists idea of concours quality. Having said that, one could achieve that if desired. I love driving these 70s SLs during the summer months and in the recent warm weather I have been overwhelmed by the compliments! Unfortunately, this one has to go to make way for a big restoration project I have in mind. ** Please note: This is a “nice weather daily driver” so mileage may vary at time of sale. The photos of this car say it all so take the time to have a look at the photo link below. If you have high speed internet, I highly recommend you use the “slideshow” feature. Click HERE to see additional photos! ~~oo00oo~~ ~~oo00oo~~ This Mercedes is part of my private collection. I am not a broker or retail car dealer; I am a professional car collector of some 25 years with considerable experience and knowledge in English and German cars. I take a lot of pride in my cars and have fun in collecting and restoring them. However, auctions are not a game so when you place a bid or offer, and you are the winning bidder, please understand you have entered a binding contract. You cannot bid and win the auction and expect not to meet the terms and conditions. Bidding and/or winning does not mean you are expecting me to “hold” the car until you have the opportunity to inspect it. Any inspection contemplated should be undertaken BEFORE you bid of make an offer. You are bidding and/or making offers to buy WITHOUT conditions. A $2000.00 deposit (non-refundable) will be required within 24 hours of the close of the auction and payable by PayPal. The balance of funds are required within 7 days of the close of the auction and must be provided by cashier’s check or bank wire. I cannot accept PayPal for the balance unless you are willing to meet the cost of transfer fees. Full payment must be made (and payments cleared) before the title and/or the vehicle is released. If all the funds are not received as indicated above, I reserve the right the keep the deposit and resell the vehicle by re-listing or to another bidder. I am happy to assist with shipping arrangements on a worldwide basis but the winning bidder takes full responsibility for pickup and/or shipping and at his cost. As a collector I make every effort to keep or bring my cars to a very high standard but the very nature of classic cars is such that it is not always possible to attend to every single item, or perhaps I may have inadvertently overlooked an item. Further, a feature or function that is working perfectly one moment, may decide to play-up the next. For this reason it is necessary for the following condition: The vehicle is being sold "as-is/where-is" with no warranty expressed, written or implied. Any descriptions or representations are made with reasonable judgment and all efforts are made to ensure fair assessment and accuracy but they are for descriptive and identification purposes only and are not to be construed as a warranty of any type. The seller shall not be responsible for errors in description, authenticity, genuineness, or defects herein and makes no warranty in connection therewith. No allowance or set aside will be made on account of any incorrectness, unforeseen imperfection, defect or damage. It is the responsibility of the buyer to have satisfied himself as to the condition and value and to bid based upon that judgment solely. The seller shall and will make every reasonable effort to disclose any known defects at the buyer’s request prior to the close of the auction. Seller assumes no responsibility for any repairs regardless of any oral statements about the vehicle. I can hold the vehicle up to 30 days while you arrange shipping but you must immediately insure it. I will not bear any responsibility for any costs including storage, transportation, or repair after the close of the auction. Also, you must remember that this is a classic +/-30 year old vehicle, and while it is up to you, I do not recommend that you just “hop in and drive it across the country”. At least, I have never done that. I have always professionally transported the cars from where I bought them to my home. PLEASE; IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ABIDE BY THESE TERMS, DO NOT BID. ~~oo00oo~~