Fantastic color combination. Well maintained. Two tops. 104,000 miles. Recent service, including A/C. Long-term ownership history. Strong runner that’s still an A-list celebrity.

If you could afford one of these when it was new, it meant you had well and truly arrived, and that you cared about smart investing as much as making a good first impression. This lovely Midnight Blue 560SL has been a fair-weather toy since new and has been with the same owners since the early 2000s. The handsome and unusual Midnight Blue paint is the perfect color on a grand tourer such as this, and you probably won't see many others in this particular shade. It has clearly led an easy life, and at 34 years old it is still in fantastic condition, indicative of a car that's never been hit or used in inclement weather. Panel gaps are exemplary and the trim fits with a precision that was typical of Mercedes-Benz quality of the era, and the “built like a bank vault” term was coined just for these cars. The heavy chrome and rubber bumpers were an unfortunate by-product of federal regulations, but they, too, add to the car’s appeal with their purposeful look, as if Mercedes didn’t care about appearance as much as function. There’s also a handsome contrasting pinstripe running the length of the body, just to tie it together with the elegant dark red interior.

The luscious burgundy leather interior is incredibly inviting and looks upscale even in today’s world. The leather used in these cars is not only lovely to look at, but wears like iron, and the bucket seats have a comfortable look while still being supportive and firm. There's a bit of wear and age, of course, which is probably inevitable in a convertible, but thanks to proper care and attention over the years, it is still quite appealing. Matching dark red carpets look unaffected by the sun’s rays or dirty shoes, and burled walnut trim warms up the interior without detracting from the all-business controls. There's a bit of fading on the carpets in the package shelf area behind the seats, but most of it is hidden by the aftermarket stereo speaker boxes, which have been neatly installed there. A modern Pioneer AM/FM/CD stereo has been retrofitted in the dash and uses a trunk-mounted CD changer to feed those speakers. There’s also an accessory wind blocker behind the seats that really makes it pleasant to drive. The trunk is beautifully upholstered in plush carpet that’s nicer than the stuff found in the passenger compartments of lesser automobiles and the original, unused Pirelli spare and tool kit are included. This car also offers two tops, a blue cloth top and a color-matched hardtop.

The final evolution of the 5.6 liter SOHC V8 was designed to run for hundreds of thousands of miles with only routine maintenance, and with only 104,846 original miles, this one is still quite healthy. With a bubbly, bouncy idle and seemingly limitless reserves of torque, it moves the two-seat roadster effortlessly without the high-strung theatrics of lesser machines. On the other hand, it also does a compelling impersonation of a muscle car, because stomping the throttle from stop will encourage a drop to first gear and a most un-gentlemanly spinning of the rear tires. The engine bay shows signs of conscientious maintenance, while the chassis is clean and obviously rust-free thanks to a life spent in the warmth of summer and never in snow or salt. A 4-speed automatic transmission swaps gears unobtrusively, and the supple, all-independent suspension is always willing to dance, but is equally comfortable on long stretches of highway making this a fantastic high-speed tourer for road trips. It even appears to still be carrying its original exhaust system, which speaks highly of the climate in which it has been used. Mercedes-Benz “Gullidekel” alloy wheels are in excellent condition and wear recent 205/65/15 radials.

There are cheaper SLs out there, but with these cars in particular, you always get what you pay for and some claim that a cheap SL is the most expensive car you can own. Renowned for their engineering, cars like this SL are a reminder of when the gap between the ordinary and the extraordinary was wide indeed. Call today!

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