Lot 246: 1986 Mercedes-Benz 500SL

The name Mercedes-Benz is synonymous with the heritage of the motor car, and the company has over the decades produced some of the finest examples of sporting machinery. Early forays into the competition world led to the production of some of the fastest touring cars of their day and an involvement with technical development that was unsurpassed. The post war years saw the continued development associated with the Mercedes Benz name, and, with the re-introduction of sports cars into the range, in 1952 the legendary 300SL was born - a year in which it proved itself victorious at Le Mans. First produced as a fixed-head coupé with Gullwing doors, the 215bhp, fuel-injected, dry sump engine provided the car with a ready following. The later development of a roadster on the spaceframe chassis offered an open alternative to the Gullwing coupé, and was unrivalled at a time when there was nothing else available on the market with the same exhilarating performance, engineering excellence and purposeful elegance. This long legged tourer has been owned by its current owner for over 10 years, bought with just 17,000 miles on the clock and with all works and servicing undertaken by either Mercedes-Benz or by a Mercedes-Benz specialist, RJ Miles of Wandsworth. The owner, a doctor, has used this car for many years, sometimes for work and so it has been important for it to be in excellent condition at all times. This is indeed what took place with the result that presented here is a well used car in excellent condition. Serviced by Mercedes Specialists, recent works include a full A/C service and re-gas in 2004, a full service last year and rebuild and most recently, this month in fact, 4 brand new Pirelli 6000 tyres. The hard and soft tops are in excellent condition and, with almost a full years MoT, represents a sound investment for the summer months.