This 1983 Mercedes-Benz 280SL was originally a German-market example initially ordered via the Nuernberg Branch. The car was imported to the United States by the first owner and purchased by the current owner in 2015. This R107 is finished in Signal Red (568) over Beige Karo Cloth (055) and is powered by a 2.8-liter inline-6 paired with a four-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. Equipment includes automatic climate control with A/C, power windows, a mounted fire extinguisher, and cruise control. Service records included in the sale document a complete refurbishment including various seals and bushings, A/C, a fuel tank drain and cleaning, fuel system refurbishment, brake system refurbishment, and paint correction. This 280SL now shows 32k miles and is offered for sale on consignment by the selling dealer with service records, factory literature, two sets of keys, and a clean Florida title.
The exterior is finished in Signal Red (568) with chrome trim along the beltline, windows, and hardtop. European-market glass headlamps and bumpers are shown on the car and remain in good condition with no notable flaws. Both door mirrors also include heated glass with the passenger side being power adjustable. The black soft top is shown in the gallery without any tears, snags, and new rubber seals. The rear window remains clear as well. In February 2023 the SL received a comprehensive paint correction and detailed photos of the body and paint can be seen in the gallery below.
The car wears factory 14” wheels with matching hubcaps finished in Signal Red paint. Hankook Kinergy tires measure 205/70 at all four corners with 2021 date codes shown. Braking is handled by discs behind each wheel.
The cabin is finished in Beige Karo Cloth (055) lining the seat centers and door cards with Beige leather trim accenting. Burl Walnut wood trim adorns the center console and dashboard. Features include automatic climate control, power windows, cruise control and an original Becker Europa Cassette head unit. All electrical systems and functions operate as intended including the automatic climate control and air conditioning. In addition to the head unit, this Euro-market example features adjustable headlamps via scroll switch.
The factory steering wheel frames instrumentation including a 160-mph speedometer which also houses the analogue odometer reading 32k miles. Other gauges include a tachometer, fuel level indicator, fuel economy indicator, oil pressure, coolant temperature and an analogue clock. Below sit a row of warning lights alongside the controls for the resettable trip odometer.
This 280SL is powered by a 2.8-liter M110 inline-six which produced 182 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque when new. Included service documents show a comprehensive refurbishment in 2022 including various seals and bushings, A/C, a fuel tank drain and cleaning, fuel system refurbishment, brake system refurbishment, and more. Additionally several previous records are included dating back to 1990.
The Carfax report lists no accidents or damage reports, linear mileage updates, and three decades of reported service visits.This 280SL now shows 32k miles and is offered for sale on consignment by the selling dealer with service records, factory literature, two sets of keys, and a clean Florida title.
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Enclosed Transit:
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21 Comments
Congratulations to @grb1 on the win!$27,000 bid placed by @grb1
$25,500 bid placed by @Q8imports
$25,000 bid placed by @grb1
$19,500 bid placed by @GreenbrierCC
Hey everyone! We're entering the final 8 hours of the auction..been a fun one so far! We had the crew here at MB Market upload some more photos that were requested, as well as a compression test & cold start video. We will be around all day for anyone that has questions!@grb1 Hello, we honestly don't know when the car was imported.. we would expect sometime in the mid to late 80's. We have a receipt from the now defunct local MB dealer from 1990 so thats where we base that guesstimate. The cluster was replaced whenever they federalized the car, and no paint readings were taken as the current owner planned on keeping it at the time of the correction & ceramic coat.$18,250 bid placed by @EuropeanC
$18,000 bid placed by @Paki48
Beautiful car! When did the original owner import the vehicle? When was the speedometer changed? Were any paint meter readings taken before paint correction? Thanks$14,750 bid placed by @EuropeanC
Does it get any more perfect or ideal than this? Always loved a straight 6 R107. I feel like this is going to pay the buyer back with years of good drives$14,500 bid placed by @Paki48
@MrKlomfar460 Yes there has been a few mechanical things that had to be taken care of. The maintenance records are at the end of the gallery$14,250 bid placed by @EuropeanC
Any engine work/ maintenance done?@Deltapl Thank you! It really is a beautiful example. The interior is so unique and matches so perfectly! Haven't seen many 107's with it@SamSl The conversion took place within the past year. The documentation is viewable in the gallery now. We are sending over the photos that you've requested as well. Should be up in a little bit.Stunning color combo! That interior really does it with the plaid inserts and perfect wood.$14,000 bid placed by @JR63
$13,750 bid placed by @rolandgarcia
$13,250 bid placed by @Q8imports
@seller, when was the AC converted? I would like to see more photos of both door jambs. Any indication of body work on driver's side rear quarterI know the owner and this shop. Both very honest and reliable. I own several 107 chassis. This car is investment quality. No noises or leaks of any kind. Shop suspects the mileage is actually kilometers but couldn't prove it. Might be around 20k miles? Sure drives like it.I'd take a 6 cylinder over a V8 on these any day.@Carsonjr Yes you may, but we will be out of town briefly this weekend, so we will get in contact /text you on Monday morning. Thank you!@SamSl We did a drier, compressor, and pressure switch as well as converted it to R134a. We requested the MB Market to put the records we supplied into the gallery. And yes, it blows nice and cold! A must for a Florida car.May I come see the car? I live in New Port Richey, Fl. Can you message me the address? Text? 727-858-3153@seller, it says refurbishments include AC. What exactly was done to the AC system? What type of refrigerant is being used, when was it done and does it still blow cold?Fantastic news on the hard top!$13,000 bid placed by @rolandgarcia
$12,250 bid placed by @MBAddict
@DradisContact I just heard from the owner and he informed me he does in fact have a hard top in storage. He forgot about it as he never put it on the car since he purchased it. We will get some photos of it when he gets back into town on Monday. Thanks!$12,000 bid placed by @TheGerman
@DradisContact Thank you for the kind words. Unfortunately, the car does not come with a hard top.. As for any paint work being done, we don't know. If there was any done in the life of "Little Red", it wasn't done by us or the current owner. The paint correction we did included a machine buff with various compounds (We use Rupes buffing and polishing compounds as well as their buffers), polished, then ceramic coated. It has 4 or more years left on it as it sits indoors and doesn't really ever see the direct sun.$10,700 bid placed by @SamSl
$250 bid placed by @TheGerman
During the comprehensive paint correction how much of the body was resprayed? A lot of pictures of the underside, well done! Any of the hard top?