This 1991 Mercedes-Benz 500SL is finished in Arctic White (147) over Blue leather (272) and is powered by a 5.0-liter M119 V8 paired with a four-speed automatic transmission. Ordered new at the Ravensburg branch in Germany, this R129 was exported to Japan for a brief time before being imported to Canada early in its life. The car could not be registered in Canada at the time due to the age of the car so it remained in a collection until it could be and has been used sparingly since. Equipment includes a body-color removable hardtop, a folding dark blue soft top, power-adjustable seats with memory, rear kinder seats, headlight wipers, cruise control, and automatic climate control. In preparation for the sale, the car received new spark plugs, a transmission service, and an oil & filter change. This R129 500SL now shows just over 17k kilometers (10k miles) and is offered by the selling dealer in North York, Ontario with records for the recent work, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Canadian title.
The exterior is finished in Arctic White (147) and features a matching removable hardtop, a folding dark blue convertible soft top, factory Euro headlights and amber corners, headlight wipers, fog lights, fender vents, and a power antenna. Both tops present in excellent condition with no headliner sag on the hardtop. The seller notes the top hydraulic cylinders may need rebuilt as they are currently inoperable. The tops are still functional using the OEM wrench to raise and lower the tops. The seller metered the paint on each body panel which is reported to be all original. The two-tone grey lower cladding and bumpers have been resprayed. The car features a front Euro plate bracket and imperfections include some stone chips along with one area of clear coat wear on the hood. Detailed pictures are provided in the gallery.
Factory 16″ 8-hole wheels wear an original silver finish and are mounted with 225/55 Yokohama Avid Envigor tires with 2016 date codes. The car is equipped with anti-lock braking system (ABS), automatic slip control (ASR), and disc brakes at all four corners.
The cabin features power-adjustable seats with memory upholstered in Blue leather (272) along with matching floor mats, carpets, and door panels. The upper dash is also finished in blue along with a blue leather steering wheel. The center console and door cards are accented with burl wood trim that showing some light fading. Equipment includes power windows, automatic climate control, cruise control, matching blue leather rear kinder seats, and a Becker 1432 head unit. Slight imperfections in the leather along the sides of the seat backs are documented in the gallery. The seller recently replaced the dome light cover, rearview mirror housing, and visor caps.
The blue leather wrapped steering wheel frames instrumentation including a 160-mph speedometer, a 7k-rpm tachometer, an analog clock, and a digital thermometer along with auxiliary gauges for fuel level, oil pressure, instant economy, and coolant temperature. The six-digit odometer shows only 17k kilometers (10k miles). The seller notes the fuel economy gauge is currently inoperable.
The 5.0-liter M119 V8 was factory rated at 322 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. Early R129s were fueled using Bosch CIS fuel injection which was carried over from the M117. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed 722.3 automatic transmission. Maintenance performed in preparation for the sale includes new spark plugs, a transmission service, and an oil & filter change.
The Canadian Carfax report indicates no accidents or other damage and is now offered by the selling dealer with service records for the recent work, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Canadian title.
The seller has included the following videos showing a walk around and interior view of the car:
Open Transit:
Enclosed Transit:
The winning bidder will receive an email with the quote and option to proceed with shipping.
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18 Comments
Wow, well bought. I guess my reminder didn’t go off…missed out. Congrats to the new owner!Congratulations! Nice rideCongrats! Will reach out shortly$17,500 bid placed by @AJ599
$17,250 bid placed by @Chetonka
$17,000 bid placed by @AJ599
@R129hoarder We appreciate that. Transparency is extremely important to us and we want the winning bidder to have full confidence in their purchase. 10 minutes left!!@AJ599 Love when random questions land 15 minutes prior to closing. I'm not affiliated with this car but seems like a VERY honest representation.@AJ599 Absolutely not. This vehicle was sat inside of a barn for years and was used sparingly, until it was finally able to be registered. By that time, the owner had health complications and was not able to drive the vehicle any longer. Our client purchased the vehicle and brought it back to life. The previous owner also serviced the vehicle throughout his ownership. Thank you!$16,750 bid placed by @Chetonka
Is the odometer played with ?Less than an hour left! Please refresh browsers and let us know of any last minute questions you may have! This is an extremely rare opportunity to own an incredibly low mileage and well specced R129. Happy bidding!$16,129 bid placed by @Shayan
$8,000 bid placed by @RussellH
$7,250 bid placed by @ALAIN
$7,000 bid placed by @RalphSmith
@sanibala1 We have responded privately but for to answer this question for any other bidders, yes, we absolutely can ship internationally. Contact us directly for further information!@ERIK From our knowledge the wiring harness has not been replaced. Not to worry though, the biodegradable harnesses only came in from 1993 onwards and the early cars are not affected. Happy to provide more info! The Sato Grey finish is glossier than the matte finish from the factory. Please let us know if you have any further questions!$6,750 bid placed by @Josefffff
Couple of questions… - Do you have any record of the wiring harness being replaced? - With the repaint, was the grey cladding made to match OEM finish or is it glossier? Hard to tell in pics. Thanks.$6,500 bid placed by @ALAIN
$6,250 bid placed by @Josefffff
Hello You send in switzerland?Additional photos have been added to the gallery.$6,000 bid placed by @RussellH
There seems to be a very small bump, we will get further photos for this as well. Thank you for pointing that out! Let us know if there is anything else.Thanks for the answers! I just have one more question. Is there sun damage on the dash? I notice what appears to be a ripple or a bump above the door of the locking mini storage box. It might just be a blotch or something but from a distance it looks like a bump. Thanks again!Thank you for all of the questions! 1) There have been no modifications to the suspension. We originally thought this as well, but after comparing with other photos on the internet as well as another car it seems to be normal. There perhaps may be some euro differences. The shocks and springs are in perfect shape. 2) Zero cracks or issues from the top windows. It has barely been used. 3) There doesn’t seem to be any damage due to any leaks. It is old leather, we believe it may be due to the sun or simply old age. There’s not really any way for fluid to leak there. 4) The undercarriage is not cleaned, this is our mistake. We will be uploading new photos shortly. Thank you! 5) There is no other sun damage in the interior. 6) Carpets are brand new underneath. We will have photos shortly! 7) Regarding clear coat damage, we believe it’s due to the car sitting outside. We will upload more photos of it. For full transparency, we want to provide a little more background on this example. This vehicle was purchased from an older gentleman who had a collection of 10+ Mercedes cars from this era, all stored either in a barn or outdoors. Due to some health challenges he faced later in life, these cars were not driven as often as he would have liked. This SL was his absolute favourite and the very last car he chose to sell, as he personally imported it from Japan and cherished it for many years. It was essentially his crown jewel. Shortly before the sale, he had the car taken in for a full service, including new fuel pumps, tires, fluids, and spark plugs. We repeated some of these services again after our client purchased the car. At one point in its life, this SL was parked outside, and if you look closely at the photos, you’ll notice scratches on the trunk and behind the Mercedes badge. We were told that someone stole the badges while it was outside. The sun damage also must have occurred during that time. To bring it back to its former glory, we had the two-tone paint resprayed, headlight lenses replaced, and the car fully polished prior to the sale, as described in the listing. We hope this provides helpful background for all bidders. We believe in complete transparency and want to present this SL exactly as it stands today. It truly is a special example, and we’re confident opportunities to own one in this spec and condition will only become rarer in the years to come. The early R129 design is truly breathtaking in person and is something we will never see again. Thank you all! Please do not hesitate to ask any further questions, we are more than happy to help.I have a few questions: 1) This SL appears to be sitting lower than they usually do. Has there been any modifications to the suspension? 2) Its difficult to tell from the photos, are there any cracks or permanent folds in the clear vinyl windows on the soft top? 3) Are the ripples on the leather on the rear seats caused by the leaking roof hydraulics? 4) Did you clean the undercarriage before taking those photos? It looks very rough for 10000 miles, any further information as to why? 5) Wherever it was stored it appears that there was light streaming through on to the wood on the interior, is there any other sun damage on the interior that isnt obvious in the photos? 6) What does the carpet look like underneath those new car mats? 7) Any clues on how the clear coat got damaged?$5,000 bid placed by @MBmaniac
Hello everyone, welcome to our newest auction listing! We are beyond excited to present this incredible 1991 Mercedes-Benz R129 500SL. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime find: An early, European specification R129 with all of the right options. European cars benefited from different headlights, Sport and Economy modes next to the gear selector, and the ability to option out back seats, which this car has! We absolutely love the Euro front plate bracket as well. Please do not hesitate comment or contact us directly for any questions that you may have. Transparency is extremely important to us, and we’re happy to provide as much information as possible for all bidders. Regarding import from Canada to the USA: Since this vehicle is 25 years old, importing this car from Canada is extremely simple and straightforward. Below is a breakdown of all fees associated with import of this vehicle. - Duties: 2.5% of Purchase Price - Entry Fee: $350 - MPF: 0.03464% of the Purchase Price - Customs Bond: $450 - Shipping: Dependant on state That’s all there is to it. We have trusted brokers and transport companies who handle these imports regularly, and we are more than happy to guide you through every step. This car is NOT subject to any additional auto tariffs as it is 25 years old. We truly believe this 500SL represents Mercedes-Benz at its absolute peak. They certainly will never make them like this ever again. Happy bidding to all!