1976 Mercedes-benz 450sl - 18k Orig. Miles, Silver/red Leather, One Family Owned on 2040-cars

Offered for sale is an absolutely stunning, mechanically excellent, effectively one family owned 1976 Mercedes-Benz 450SL with an amazing 18k original miles and finished in rare and desirable Astral Silver (DB 735) over a red leather interior. Delivered new on February 10^th, 1976 by Mission Viejo Imports to Mr. and Mrs. Eddy O’Brien of San Diego, the car would remain in their care for 29 years, used only sparingly as a weekend driver by Mr. O’Brien until his death in 2005. Having not had any children, he willed his car collection (including this SL) to his godson, a resident of Prescott Valley, AZ. When he took possession of the 450SL it had a mere 17k miles on the odometer and he continued his godfather’s limited use, accruing less than 1,000 miles in his nine years of ownership before we were able to acquire it earlier this summer. 

As the pictures show, the previous owners’ care has yielded an exceptionally beautiful and incredibly preserved example, undoubtedly one of the finest, lowest mileage R107s in the world. Free of any accidents, the original body is entirely straight, retaining uniform factory correct panel fits and gaps and cloaked in a gorgeous, factory correct Astral Silver finish that is deep, lustrous and consistent, marred only by the most negligible of imperfections, one of which are significant enough to appear in any of the pictures or detract from the car’s considerable overall appeal. The brightwork is in excellent original condition, as is all of the glass and rubber, and the car retains its original color-matched hub-capped steel wheels, a somewhat uncommon option for mid-1970s examples but one that is in our opinion far superior aesthetically as compared to the more common “Bundt” style wheels. Neither the hard top nor the soft top were ever used with any regularity and they are both consequently in excellent original condition. Having spent its entire life in Southern California and Arizona, the car’s original undercarriage is entirely dry and solid. 

The car’s interior is entirely original and equally as clean, the red leather seats exhibiting only the mild patina one would expect of a very low mileage, nearly 40 year old car and the carpets and interior panels nearly flawless. Everything works, including the power windows, power antenna, original Becker radio and air conditioning system, which still blows ice cold. The trunk is clean and entirely original, housing the spare wheel, battery box and complete original tool kit. The car also comes with all of its original books and manuals (including the stamped service booklet), a stack of service records and some of the original sales documents.

Despite its sparing use, the car was always professionally maintained and is also mechanically strong, the original, numbers matching engine starting easily, idling consistently and pulling strongly and smoothly through each of the automatic transmission’s gears. Compression is excellent across all cylinders, the car drives and brakes straight and true, and the ride quality is excellent. We recently took the car on a +/-100 mile weekend jaunt up to the Santa Ynez Valley for an afternoon of wine tasting, and I’m happy to report that the car performed beautifully without any issues to note, despite the nearly 100 degree temperature. The 4.5L V8 is smooth and torquey and the car’s a joy from behind the wheel, whether tooling around town, winding through the canyons or bombing down the highway. 

This is an excellent opportunity to acquire a true investment grade R107 SL that checks all the right boxes for the discerning collector or weekend enthusiast: incredibly low original mileage, gorgeous and desirable color combination, strong original mechanicals and an excellent, effectively one family owned Southern California provenance. If you’re in the market for a collector quality SL, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever find a better example.

We want this car to go to great home and would be happy to discuss it further and answer any questions, so please feel free to email us or call us at 805-708-2404.

GOODMAN REED MOTORCARS

We’ve always had an appreciation for classic European cars and over the years have created an eclectic personal collection. We only buy cars that we’d personally be interested in owning and generally only sell them to make room for other acquisitions. We try to give accurate descriptions of the cars we’re selling, but we’re enthusiasts, not experts, and we encourage and are happy to help facilitate personal or professional inspections. But please do so before bidding, as the alternative harms our ability to make sales to other interested parties who have done their proper due diligence before bidding. 

For U.S. buyers a 10% non-refundable deposit is required within 3 days of the auction’s end, the balance to be paid within 7 days of the auction’s end. Foreign buyers must pay in full within 7 business days of the auction’s end. Buyer is responsible for shipping costs, however we’d be more that happy to help with recommendations and arrangements. The car is listed locally and we reserve the right to end the auction at any time should it sell prior to auction’s end. Thanks for your interest.