This 1990 Mercedes-Benz 500SL was originally sold new in Qatar and later federalized and imported into the U.S. by the original owner. The car was then passed down to their younger brother in 1996 and has remained in California ever since. Finished in Signal Red (568) over Anthracite Leather (271), power is provided by a 5.0L M119 V8 paired to a four-speed automatic transmission. Features include a factory onboard computer, heated seats, an authentic gen 1 AMG body kit, 17" AMG Aero III wheels, a black folding soft top, paint-matched hardtop, automatic climate control, and self-leveling suspension with ADS. Recent maintenance performed since May 2024 includes an oil change, brake fluid flush, new air filters, A/C recharge, new alternator, new battery, new catalytic converter, and a California Smog check. The hydraulic cylinders which control the soft top operation are in need of a rebuild and the factory wrench is included to operate both tops manually. Now showing 57k miles, this R129 is being offered by the selling dealer with a removable hardtop, recent service records, and a clean Carfax report, and a clean California title.
The body is finished Signal Red (568) with matching lower body cladding and a full Gen 1 AMG body kit. The Gen 1 AMG kit consists of both front and rear bumpers and extended side skirts. Each piece is stamped with HWA premerger AMG part numbers. Additional exterior features include headlight wipers, a trunk-mounted third brake light, and front fender vents. A folding black soft top can be seen in the gallery along with a matching hardtop. The seller notes a tear in one of the plastic windows of the soft top and a missing jack hole cover on the passenger side skirt. The hydraulic cylinders which control the soft top operation are in need of a rebuild and the factory wrench is included to operate both tops manually.
The 5.0-liter M119 V8 was factory rated at 322 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission. Recent maintenance performed since May 2024 includes an oil change, brake fluid flush, new air filters, A/C recharge, new alternator, new battery, new catalytic converter, and a California Smog check. Records for the recent service will be included in the sale.
Videos below provide a detailed walk around and underbody of the car along with driving footage.
Open Transit:
Enclosed Transit:
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32 Comments
Wow that was so fun to watch! Congratulations to @classic009 for winning, I'll be in touch with you shortly. And thank you to everyone else for participating, it's been a great experience on here, cheers!$18,129 bid placed by @classic009
$17,879 bid placed by @mercmerc
$17,629 bid placed by @classic009
$17,379 bid placed by @Tremmel93
$17,129 bid placed by @classic009
$16,879 bid placed by @mercmerc
$16,629 bid placed by @classic009
$16,379 bid placed by @mercmerc
@Mergerdays Indeed, thank you sir!A true diamond in the rough.@4wheelclctr Haha I get it. I just had to satiate my temptation with this thing, by far the best Mercedes I had.$16,129 bid placed by @classic009
This is so tempting for the body kit and wheels alone! Much less the car as a whole. On standby$15,250 bid placed by @Tremmel93
$15,000 bid placed by @classic009
@Tremmel93 Yes I would have zero hesitations about driving it to Denver. Car runs phenomenally.@seller assume the car will make it from you to Denver no issues?$13,129 bid placed by @Tremmel93
$12,001 bid placed by @rhoskins
$10,500 bid placed by @classic009
$10,250 bid placed by @rhoskins
$10,000 bid placed by @JJ1985
$9,750 bid placed by @rhoskins
Hey everyone last 17 hours left of the auction! Let me know if there is any final questions or inquiries, I’ll be closely motioning the auction until it ends. Best of luck and happy bidding!$9,500 bid placed by @JJ1985
$9,000 bid placed by @mercmerc
$8,750 bid placed by @Ranger902
$8,500 bid placed by @mercmerc
Many gray market and or import cars have the kph clusters swapped out as a common federalization process.$7,500 bid placed by @JJ1985
@thesheikh No that won't be necessary the car had to undergo the full federalization process back in 1996. It cannot be TMU because they had to convert the dash from km to mph and undergo emissions check. Everything was done properly and documented legally and the stickers on the door frames and under the hood justify that. The title says 24,909 miles on 07/22/1996 and then ACTUAL MILES so its original miles and authentic. Look up the federalization process online for more info on how that works, thank you.@thesheikh I'm honestly not sure I got it like that. Didn't bother me really I had other R129 SL's and they also would have the same headliner as this one. And no I don't have any receipts from the factory. I don't doubt it's authenticity and other automotive professionals have told me the same thing.@volchok_124 what is the actual mileage of the car? I think @thembmarket should update the listing as a TMU - all 1990-1994 R129 should have an analog odometer as the digital odometers did not come until 1995. Also, as @ottobenz mentioned, this is a Gulf-spec which means it probably came from the factory with a KM odometer and was swapped out at some point - is that included with the car as well? Would be a lot easier to determine the mileage@volchok_124 do you have any documentation showing the car was ordered with the AMG parts from the factory? I have the same concerns @r129king brought up regarding the aftermarket bodykit. It is pretty easy to source a non-original bodykit with the part numbers on there still@volchok_124 do you know why the hardtop has a headliner that is a different color than the rest of the car''s interior?Hello everyone just wanted to update that I have added more pics of the engine bay, undercarriage, and hardtop for reference. The car is currently sitting with the hardtop on it in my garage. Also wanted to mention I'm including this retro 1990s Mercedes magazine featuring an R129 SL, and this identical toy car that matches my SL, with the sale. I think it will complete the ownership experience for the new lucky owner. Let me know if you have any further inquiries or questions, cheers!Additional engine bay, hardtop, and extensive underbody photos have been added to the gallery.$6,000 bid placed by @mercmerc
@Jnasty Yes but he said it's not affecting the driveability of the car and not a pressing concern so I figured I could just put it off for now.@volchok_124 - not exactly what it written. Mechanic noted "worn out and leaking" about shocks and "boot cracked" on ball joint.@Youngclassicamg Thank you for your input, I'll keep it in mind.@Jnasty My mechanic informed me that they could use replacement soon but that its not in critical need of it yet. Given that I don't drive it often he said I could wait on replacing it for now since they're in fair condition still.@r129king So to my knowledge yes the AMG kit is original and authentic. I don't know for sure what the material is made of but I would assume the HWA stamps would substantiate it's authenticity.@r129king Yes I know what it has, it is still an AMG , AMG only required you to have 3 items to be considered an AMG car which they gave a badge to. This is an AMG with no motor mods. I have a R129 6.0 AMG that will be going up for auction soon. This should be an original AMG kit even if it wasn't I wouldn't devalue it much as fitting and painting a kit will entail some decent money as well. GLWTS@volchok_124 - per the paperwork, the car needs 4 new shocks and new ball joints and that work was refused?$5,250 bid placed by @harry19
$5,000 bid placed by @JJ1985
@Youngclassicamg Thank you sir much appreciated!@Youngclassicamg it does not have the AMG package. This isn't the 6.0 motor like what is on your car that you are currently selling. This has a bodykit and the rims. Waiting for the seller to confirm if the bodykit is authentic/OEM. Although not impossible, it is a very big stretch that this came from the factory and sent to AMG just for a bodykit and then sold.@ottobenz Wow that's so cool. Thank you for that valuable insight!@rhoskins Hello so yes it is leaking fluid when you operate it, but only from the back of the car on the undercarriage not where the sun visors are. I called my mechanic who did the latest service in May 2024 that's shown on the receipts and he quoted me roughly $1500 to fix all the cylinders and fully rebuild them. They can do it in 2-3 weeks usually.@seller can you speak to how the AMG bodykit was sourced? And the material of the bumpers, sideskirts, and 3-piece spolier? I understand that they have the HWA part numbers. However, currently, the replica market for this bodykit is quite large and the molds that were used to create the replicas today were based on OEM. So many of the replicas have the HWA part numbers. The biggest difference is the material - OEM used ABS plastic whereas the replicas use fiberglass or fiber-reinforced plastic. Please advise as this will make a big difference in what the hammer price of this car will be...Hello everyone this is Mark, excited to be on this platform yet sad to see this beauty go. I'll be closely monitoring the auction frequently so if you have any questions or inquiries please do not hesitate to reach out. I will submit further content about the car within the next 24 hours. Best of luck to everyone and happy bidding!nicely specked car love the red combo with the AMG package glwtsVery unusual spec, aside from the obvious Gulf-spec, wheels and color combo. A quick VIN check indicates ADS (rare and expensive), onboard computer (rare, never available in the US), two-tone horn, elimination of windshield washer heating element, and elimination of catalytic converters. Obviously the AMG body kit also quite rare.$1,000 bid placed by @harry19
I’ve been quoted around 4-5k in the past to have the hydraulic cylinders rebuilt with sending them off to top hydraulics and then labor to remove/replace. Are your currently leaking hydraulic fluid when in operation or does it not work at all? Thanks!