1979 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

450 SL Convertible

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

10704412056588

Gasoline

One cool 1979 Mercedes 450SL. This is a classic old gray market Mercedes with a clear North Carolina title ready for a winter project or just a unique old cruiser. Like many of these, this car sat for some time with the previous owner and I picked it up earlier this summer as a fun car to drive and enjoy. Went over the basic systems, changed fluids etc. and she runs and drives great. The SL has new tires, a new fuel sending unit, a new battery, new wipers and runs great. I flushed the fuel tank and changed the fuel filter as well. I also replaced the engine cradle mounts (all four) which are notoriously prone to failure on these cars and can drastically affect the handling and safety. These were shot, but all are new now. A fairly major job for those who've done it - my second time on one of these. The car has both tops and they are basically in good shape. The soft top has a few wear areas and tears, but nothing major. Also have the original hard top caddy. The interior is good other than the carpet and some cracks on the dash. The car has retro Enkei aluminum wheels and a corded Cellular One telephone - which doesn't work of course but adds some old school nostalgic charm. The color is an unusual Moss Green, and I don't know that I've ever seen another like it. I like it, different. Someone along the line added an AMG spoiler kit on the front and trunk. She has the original owner's manual. The car has an older Blaupunkt cassette stereo that works great with a speaker system like nothing I've ever seen. Some kind of old school multi speaker system with tweeters, midrange and bass speakers. Sounds ok with the ipod on the tunebase. The major issue with this car is rust. She has some minor rust popping out along the rear wheel wells, but nothing significant. The floor has considerable rust in the pans, and I stripped the old carpet out to expose it and keep it dry. I anticipated cutting these spots out if I kept it and repairing. Just don't have the time or patience. As you can see in the pics, there are several holes, however none are so bad as to compromise the integrity of the car and could be repaired fairly easily by someone with some mechanical savvy and time. Note that these things are called panzerwagens for a reason - very well built and solid. So the problem is correctable just something to deal with. Otherwise the only other notable issues are that it needs a carpet kit and the dash lights fixed. The A/C doesn't work, but the fan and heat are just fine. Has the mechanical European controls so no worries with vacuum controls, etc. Some of these cars had issues with soft cams and followers and deteriorated valve chain guides. I've been there and done that one time before also. Pleased to say that this car appears to have no issues in this regard and the valve train is quiet as it should be. And now a word on gray (grey) market cars. If you do your research you'll know that many of these SL's were imported from Europe to save some cash relative to the domestically available models. I've had two of these cars (a 450 and 500) both were gray market and I prefer the gray cars. Aside from the cooler headlights and bumpers, the engines are not detuned, the suspension is lower and more responsive and the controls are simpler. Parts are not an issue since 98% of them are the same or similar as the domestic models. Do a little research and I'm sure you like the character of the gray European cars as well. Otherwise the car looks good and is a blast to drive. My kids love it and are now addicted to having the top down. I believe you could drive this car just about anywhere you'd like within reason. I'm selling at no reserve with a reasonable buy it now. For sale locally so I reserve the right to cancel the auction in the event she sells. Great opportunity for someone. Let me know your questions.