Third-generation Mercedes-Benz SLs are not exactly rare. Mercedes built more than 200,000 of them during the R107 model’s 1971-1989 lifecycle. But given the R107’s age, finding one with low miles can be difficult unless you know the right person. SLSHOP, an English business specializing in the service and restoration of Mercedes’ iconic roadsters, happened to know a man with an unregistered, 42-mile 1982 Mercedes-Benz 500 SL.
SLSHOP and the person who preserved the 500 SL, Mr. Hough, crossed paths more than 15 years ago at The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show. He mentioned the ultra-low-mileage 500 SL that he had been keeping in his climate-controlled garage since 1982; of course, SLSHOP asked if he would be willing to sell it. He declined, but in August of this year, he changed his tune and reached out to SLSHOP to offer a shot at his time capsule of a car.
Like other R107s, the 500 SL is fairly common. According to the Mercedes-Benz Corporate Archive, the automaker produced 11,812 of them between April 1980 and August 1989. Those numbers aside, Mr. Hough’s SL was a singularity. The Metallic Blue-Green paint was untouched by the effects of sunlight. Inside, the leather still had its new-car smell. The SL even had its factory-applied Waxoyl in the engine bay around the 5.0-liter V8 and on the exhaust.
There was something that wasn’t original, though: the solid silver Mercedes badge on the nose, which Mr. Hough made himself. (Someone should make him a trophy for his dedication to preserving a piece of SL history.)
The good news is that the 500 SL is in good hands; the bad news is that if you want to buy it, you can’t. SLSHOP says, “We are committed to never offering this vehicle for sale. Instead, we are creating a permanent climate-controlled display here in Stratford-upon-Avon, where it will stand as a tribute to Mr. Hough’s vision and to the future of the classic car community.”
