This 1976 Mercedes-Benz 450SL was purchased by the current and original owner on November 1, 1976 through a local Atlanta auto broker who found the car on his behalf with only a few hundred miles on the odometer. This R107 has only ever been registered in Atlanta, Georgia since new. Finished in Blue (903) over a Blue MB-Tex (102) interior, power is provided by a 4.5L V8 engine paired with a three-speed automatic transmission. Recent service includes a new alternator, battery, oil change, steering gear, A/C recharge, brake master cylinder, and antenna repair. Features include a matching removable hardtop, folding blue soft top, power antenna, fog lights, Becker Europa radio, air conditioning, Tempomat Cruise Control, electric front windows, power locks, heated rear windowpane, and OEM 14” steel wheels with painted hubcaps. The seller has kept thorough service records under their ownership and will be including the documents in the sale. This 450SL shows just under 149k miles on the odometer and is now offered by the seller with factory literature, paint matched removable hardtop with a hardtop stand, 6 keys, thorough service records with stamped service booklet, and a clean original Georgia title from 1976.
The body is finished in Blue (903) and wears North American spec bumpers, headlamps, and tail lamps. The brightwork appears to be complete along with all original glass and trim. Exterior features include a blue matching removable hardtop, a folding blue soft top, power antenna, fog lights, and chrome mirror caps. Some of the paint shows original with some paintwork with records of what was repaired in the gallery. The seller has provided paint meter readings as well. Pictures of the car with the top down and soft top up are provided along with photos of the hardtop on the included stand. The soft top was reportedly replaced once a few decades ago and now shows some wear. There are small spots of paint lifting around the metal tonneau cover and below the rear trunk lid emblem due to surface corrosion. Options are as follows:
The OEM 14” steel wheels with Blue paint matched caps are wrapped in BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires measuring 205/70 all around with tires having been replaced approximately two years ago. Four wheel ATE disc brakes clamp at each corner. Brake pads were replaced 20k miles ago with new fluid and brake master cylinder done less than a thousand miles ago.
The cabin is finished in Blue MB-Tex (102) and accented by black vinyl and plastic trim on the dash and console. Amenities include an aftermarket trunk mounted Sony CD changer, air conditioning, Tempomat Cruise Control, electric front windows, power locks, a heated rear windowpane, working Becker Europa AM/FM head unit, and a spare tire in the trunk with an original tool kit included. The blue loop carpeting shows some wear and some spots are threadbare. The seats show in good condition with two failed ribs on the driver seat bottom. The blue dashboard exhibits some cracking.
The four-spoke steering wheel frames VDO instrumentation with an 160-mph speedometer, a 7k-rpm tachometer, and an analog clock. Additional auxiliary gauges include fuel level, oil pressure, and coolant temperature. The six-digit analog odometer indicates just under 149k miles from new. All gauges are shown to be reading accurately in the provided video.
The fuel-injected 4.5L SOHC M117 V8 originally made 180 horsepower and 220 foot-pounds of torque for the US market with power routed to the rear wheels via a three-speed automatic transmission. The owner has kept up with maintenance over the five decades of ownership. A timing chain service was done in 2013 by Buds Benz including new rocker arms for the passenger bank. Also done during this major service at 142k was a front end suspension refresh, coolant hose service, coolant flush, and other general top end housekeeping including breather hoses and valve cover gaskets. A fuel pump and filter were replaced in 2015 at 146k miles.
The car is currently located in Atlanta, Georgia with the original owner and offered with six keys, a Blue paint matched hardtop with hardtop stand, manufacturer's literature, thorough service records with stamped service booklet, and the original 1976 Georgia title in the seller’s name.
The seller has included the followinig videos:
Cars are emotional things when enjoyed by enthusiasts. They’re also objects worth romanticizing especially when the story behind the blue facade has emotional heft. With most cars, the stories they carry get lost between owners, or when traded in at a big box dealership, or when the paperwork gets left behind in a desk drawer to never be found again. We know the entire narrative of this wonderful R107 from new. It’s November of 1976 and Mr. Clinkscales was the king of the world in his brand new 450SL. It’s Atlanta, so the early November weather is not yet cold – there were still warm days to be enjoyed. Mr. Clickscales never had the hardtop on – as you do when you own a SL. Atlanta is a city built in a forest, so leaves were beginning to fall and the hardwoods had matured into golden plumes amongst the evergreens. He enjoyed listening to the staccato crunching of leaves under radial tires when the top was off. Firewood smoke and the sweet musk of leaf decay hung heavy like incense inside the I-285 perimeter. He had a date planned three days after buying the car from his auto broker. Little did he know the woman he picked up in his blue on blue Mercedes-Benz was the one he’d marry and stay married to this very day. Owning a car for nearly 50 years is much like a marriage. The car isn’t just a mechanical object, but it garners personification and the object coalesces a soul. That’s what this car is. Please look through the service records and read the hand written notes on the invoices. Every point of wear on the car tells a story. Every chip, scratch, rip, and tear has something to say. It’s so rare nowadays to find a one owner car like this. The sentimental value far outweighs its worth. It’s a cruel game of scales that we all have to face one day if we have to sell a car that is more of a family member than a piece of metal. It’s auctions like this that remind us why we do this.
Open Transit:
Enclosed Transit:
The winning bidder will receive an email with the quote and option to proceed with shipping.
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11 Comments
It's proof that a romantic story and long term ownership adds value to a car. What a fight at the end there! Congrats @nwherman!$10,000 bid placed by @nwherman
$9,250 bid placed by @Daltondepot
$9,000 bid placed by @nwherman
$8,750 bid placed by @Daltondepot
$8,500 bid placed by @nwherman
$8,000 bid placed by @Daltondepot
$7,750 bid placed by @motorrowclassics
I'm so happy this car is getting some healthy attention. I will be chatting to the winner once this ends!$7,500 bid placed by @Daltondepot
$7,250 bid placed by @BillMastin
$7,000 bid placed by @nwherman
$5,750 bid placed by @CTA1
$5,500 bid placed by @phcook
$5,250 bid placed by @BTRPalmBeach
With the last few hours underway, I’ll be around to answer any last minute questions. Good luck and happy bidding! - 1 owner car -903 BLUE ON BLUE! -Timing chains and tensioner and guides done -New tires -Working ACCII climate control system -Matching hardtop with stand -Records since newUnderbody photos have been added to the end of the gallery.@LionHeart It’s so pleasant and oozes the ‘70s aesthetic.Blue 903 and those matching steel wheels oh my!@VeroSP 903 Blue looks particularly striking. I wish more cars of this era got it. Thanks for the compliment!Blue on blue never goes out of style. Wonderful R107 @seller$5,000 bid placed by @nwherman
$2,908 bid placed by @Bankrep40
$2,658 bid placed by @m_lino_d
$2,250 bid placed by @Bankrep40
$2,000 bid placed by @HTonyBrown
$1,750 bid placed by @kengeman
@Jnasty Hey! Shocks are recent Bilstein B4s. One of the first things I noticed was the rear end sag. You see it a lot in W126s, R107s, and W116s nowadays that are pretty original. I’ve ALWAYS remedied the issue by installing new springs. The rears tend to get tired after all these years. That corrects the ride height in my experience.@Stuttgart_Steel - so cool! What did the PPI say about shocks and springs? The car seems to sit a little low in the back (common w/ R107s w/ worn springs/shocks), when were they last replaced (50 years in at least once)? Any needs noted in the PPI?$1,500 bid placed by @Bankrep40
Hey everyone! This is probably one of my favorite auctions I've built ever. The MB Market did a good job on the writeup, so please read through it and you should watch the video too -- I go over the history of it there. But to summarize, the owner bought this car with a few hundred miles on the odometer from his auto broker who went out and found it. I'm not sure who the first owner was or why they owned it for such a little time, but I'm basically considering this a one owner car. I've know this car for about a year and have been softly guiding the owner on the best way to find his car a new home. He's 93 years old and isn't able to drive it any longer which is why I've been honored be the one to find its next steward here. This is a special car and the owners are some of the nicest humans I've ever interacted with. Cars like this are important and I find them so much more interesting than a low milage time capsule or one that's had a nut and bolt restoration. I live for days like this. I drove the car all around Atlanta today and put a tad under 100 miles on it before the auction went live. I've ensured it has a full tank of fresh gasoline in it for the next owner and took it on the highway up to 80 MPH and also had it in hot, standstill traffic. It's a tough unit and operates really well! I wanted to make sure its systems are working and the car is healthy for the next owner. I had a new accelerator pedal bracket installed today by a 55 year classic Mercedes-Benz master technician that lives locally. We had it up on the lift and he gave it a PPI as well, so I'll be uploading some better pictures of the underside here soon. He was impressed by the condition and said he hadn't worked on a 450SL this nice and honest in years. I'll be here if you have any questions! I'm open for phone calls, in-person showings, or anything else you need from me.