1993 Mercedes-Benz 300SL
“ One of Stuttgart's finest, the R129 Series set a new standard in automotive engineering, an achievement possibly never to be repeated. ”
It is hard to process that fact that the R129 first appeared over 37 years ago and that its design hails from the mid-1980s.

Background
With the considerable benefit of hindsight many today consider the R129 Mercedes-Benz SL as the apogee of the Stuttgart firm’s near obsession with engineering integrity, quality and bleeding edge technology. In true Mercedes style the fourth iteration of the “Super Leicht” sports car lineage was an intriguing mix of the familiar and the advanced. Afterall the pressure was on for Mercedes to produce a worthy successor to the R107 – the ultimate thinking person’s sports car of choice for almost 20 years.

The familiar came in the form of a platform that was a shortened version of that found beneath the W124. The peerless build quality was another facet of the new model that Mercedes-Benz devotees would instantly recognise. The new and exciting included a multi-link suspension set up, a roll over bar that would explosively deploy in 0.3 of a second in the event of a roll over, and the front seats alone were the subject of at least 20 patents. The new electro-hydraulic soft top mechanism operated via 17 hydraulic cylinders and 11 pressure switches.

As if to emphasise the creation of a car that would transcend mere engine capacities the “SL” was eventually moved ahead of the model number for the first time in the R129. This was likely Mercedes-Benz reassuring you that, regardless of what engine you specified, you were in for a very special ownership experience. Over 200,000 lucky owners seemed to agree, with the R129 remaining in production for 13 years. Mercedes design supremo, Bruno Sacco, would call the R129 his “finest ever car” and from a time before “accountants became engineers.” A very impressive recommendation indeed.

Overview
This example of the exalted breed hails from 1993 placing it from a time before the “SL” nomenclature got promoted and still featuring the mechanical, six-digit odometer. It’s also important to note that this car is the more powerful 24-valve model featuring the M104 straight six engine. This lent the model an almost 40bhp advantage over the M103 engined 300SL and is admired by purists for combining the lighter, more agile 6-cylinder road manners with performance almost the equal of the V8 cars.

Current owner and car enthusiast, Neil, acquired the 300SL-24 in 2013 to become the car’s sixth keeper. At that time, it had covered roughly 97,000 miles. Neil has used and enjoyed the SL as his daily driver up until around 20 months ago, adding around 58,000 miles to that total in the process.

Between 2024 and 2025 Neil commissioned a comprehensive repair and refurbishment of his much-loved daily driver spending more than £24,000 bringing the car back up to today’s impressive standard. Mechanicals, bodywork and aesthetics were all addressed, making this a very exciting ownership prospect for the next lucky owner. Neil is sad to see the car go but unfortunately health issues necessitate its sale.

Estimate: £6,000 - £10,000

View Current Bid Price HERE