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1991 MERCEDES BENZ 300 SL-24 AUTOMATIC 78000 Miles - Concourse Example £15000 Restoration 2019 Full-Service History Put aside any notions or expectations you have on how high a standard you can expect from a 28-year-old R129, dismiss other examples you may have viewed or had assurances on how impressive other cars are on the market. This is a concourse Mercedes that would win any show it entered. Subject to a £16000 + restoration this year with meticulous standards (detailed in full below), leaving nothing out. Belonging to a friend of mine whom is a long-term car enthusiast who has developed exacting standards and attention to detail in his pursuit of achieving perfection. A hobby? Yes. A six-month process with the aim of having it finished to complete a European trip spanning 8 countries and over 4000 miles just last month. So why sell? For some, life is in the journey. The chase and thrill of the restoration process in this case is the attraction, with no more left to do and all boxes firmly ticked he has now moved onto repeating the process with another model. The asking price does not cover the initial purchase price or the costs involved. £20k it could be argued is strong money for it, however, you simply could not find better anywhere, and, the quality will remain long after the price has been forgotten. In the coming years this will pale into insignificance. Seeking a person who shares equally high standards and/or the serious collector looking for the very best pound notes can buy. This stunner was first registered and pre delivery inspected by MB dealer Rivervale Of Reading on 15.10.1991 to a Mr Bullimore of Surrey, the car has spent all its life in the South of England. Owned by its first keeper for more than 11 years he used the same supplying dealer for the first 8 services parting company in 2003 at 42224 miles. Over the course of the next 16 years it has accumulated another 5 keepers and 36000 miles with an additional 6 services totalling 14 service stamps in the official booklet. This is a genuine RHD UK supplied example. Very rare and striking with a real depth to the finish, surely amongst the top engineered cars all of all time with teutonic build quality. The 3.0 24 valve 231 bhp engine is not to be confused with the more common and underpowered 190 bhp fitted to the more basic 300, the 24-valve car is far rarer and in my opinion the pick of the bunch as it’s easy to run on fuel and to workshop maintain. Chassis no : WDB1290612f043677 Engine no : 10498122013181 Service History & Care The Mercedes straight six petrol is a legendary bullet proof unit and is so under worked that it will last forever. Very obviously always been cherished and garaged prior to restoration, I was involved in the acquisition if it with my friend and it displayed a high degree of originality with totally original factory paint that had minor marks and blemishes. A summary is detailed below of some bigger jobs undertaken with supporting paperwork this year. Cost £6000 (trade rate) Dealer parts bill £1215 - (£7215) Bare metal respray which was a glass and seals out job, back to bare metal with many hours taken at the end to finish the paint. Doors bonnet and boot removed to get into all the shuts. Both front wings were replaced with genuine Mercedes parts from the dealer as they had surface rust and the owner was not taking any chances despite being advised steel plating them would cure it, however, the extra labour involved with said was close to the same cost, so why bother. The finish is superb, as is the two-tone paint on the bumpers. It is without blemishes. All mechanical work was carried out by Mercedes specialist Klasse Series Automotive who are all Mercedes trained and are in truth better than the dealer when it comes to appraising these models, extremely high standards. I am more than happy for any prospective buyer to discuss the vehicle with Colin who is the owner of the business. Cost £2291 (trade rate) - Complete health check and report on the whole car - Oil and filter changed with oil additive - Gearbox serviced - Spark plugs changed - Brake flexis replaced, and brakes bled - New front shock absorbers - New rear shock absorbers - New springs - New rocker cover gasket - New handbrake shoes - New brake fluid cap - New sub frame bushes - New front strut top mounts Interior Cost £1405 (trade rate) Completely restored to better than new using Caledonian 2020 Black hide. This is a complete job encompassing all seats front to rear and door panels. Looks smells and feels incredible, a top-quality job with no imperfections. Many detailed images illustrate just how high the fitter’s standards are. New matts fitted front to rear. New clips for electric seat fascias fitted. The Bridge Of Weir leather hide is the best money can buy. Underside £2200 No stone unturned, Klasse set about making the underside as good as the top. Carefully and professionally undersealed, rear axle removed, exhaust removed and replaced with a £1200 complete stainless-steel system by Meercat exhausts with a mid-sports note. It was decided to go all in and replace all fuel and brake lines and the exhaust heat shields were laboriously hand polished. (Pics of this are in the gallery) Roof £400 The original mohair roof was in excellent condition having been covered the majority of the time and not subjected to winter climate. The rear panels had gone slightly opaque so these were replaced. The hard top was repainted at the Bodyshop and is immaculate having not been put on the car since. Entertainment £1800 In finishing the car off and because a road trip was planned, the head unit and speakers were all stripped out and replaced. Alpine DAB head unit that fully integrates with any phone and Bluetooth hands-free. A powerful subwoofer has been fitted with two standalone amplifiers for both this component and the head unit itself. All wiring was replaced to cope with the power and new focal speaker components fitted to the doors. This is a high quality system that mirrors the clarity of sound found in new high-end car systems, it’s fantastic. Alloys/Tyres £350 The alloys are the genuine lightweight article, they benefit from just having been professionally restored. The finish is just perfect, good matching Pirelli tyres. Other Recent Historic Work - New ignition leads - New distributor - New rotor arm - Soft top control module replaced - Soft top micro switches serviced Summary There never was a car like the R129 in the annals of motoring history, there probably never will be again. The market has woken up to what these elusive examples represent, and this is a unique car fresh to the market. The SL is the best example of substitution in the classic world, meaning that those who are priced out of one generation automatically look at a newer generation that is more affordable. The R129 s depreciation finally bottomed out some time ago. I have probably overstressed the message already, however, this is an outstanding Mercedes. The classic colour scheme can only enhance the long-term residual of this enduring classic that should now rightly be wrapped away being brought out on dry days, a superb investment. Difficult vehicles to value, this is fairly priced for what is the best of cars. Other Information * MOT 7.05.2020 * Two Remote keys * Documented Service receipts * Toolkit * Wind deflector * Spare wheel * Warning triangle * First aid kit * European motoring bag * New 300 SL-24 bdage (as yet not fitted) * Leather owners pack with driver’s handbook * Cherished number will be removed will revert to J956 HGH * Original sales brochure * Fully HPi Clear £19,995 |
West Coast Classic Car Services Ltd