1987 Mercedes 560SL

Mercedes 560SL, 5.6 Liter V8. Midnight Blue/Palamino (Code 904 Blue), garaged, a very nice car that has been well kept all its life. 100% original paint!!  I am going to verbally abuse this car to the point you hit the back button... but look at the photos.  The car is unarguably nice, attractive and it simply does everything perfect.  This car goes against everything I stand for as a collector as what the odometer shows, (as an investment collector) the car is simply used up, nothing left, done finished, crush it...  but is it really?  Not every car in a collection has to be brand new, perfect, unused and "0" excuses.   Being that the car is miled out of its gourd, it makes it a nice car to drive vs wasting more expensive investment level cars.  Its a darn nice car to go to dinner in, be seen in and handing a valet the keys to this car wont leave you with an upset stomach at dinner.  This will hit home if you are a real car guy....  As nice as it is, with the miles it has, its only a driver, that is all it can be or ever will be. This is a car that you can drive, take to shows and just enjoy. There is something to be said for that.  The color combo on the car is also great, the Midnight Blue is very much a black car with a hint of blue to it.  The Interior is the Palamino and you simply wont see a nicer example here.  The Midnight Blue is Hard to tell if its black or blue and its just a great contrast.  Possibly the best color on these cars and it is well received by all.  I also have a black 560SL... I prefer this color.

The Mercedes R107 began in 1971 and ended in 1989.   The 107 is probably THE car that represents Mercedes at its finest and may go down in history as the face of Mercedes Benz.  Even in the last year 89, this car had a vintage flair to it by that point as the body style had run so long.  Having a body style run for so long is the best thing in the world for the integrity of a vehicle... Every year they figured something out to make it better or correct the mistakes of the previous.   The crown vic and town car is the best US car ever simply for the fact by the time they ended the run there was little left to chance due to the length of the run.  The holy grail of the R107 is the 560SL, and that was the 86-89, then they were over.  86-89 are virtually the same with only some very small insignificant changes in the 4 years.  The key piece being the optional heated seats for the 89 year... other than that, there is little to no difference in the 560 cars.  The extensive run of this body style also helped the car become a classic as its not a car (like newer Mercedes) that they literally change the style on almost every 2 years making the former car just a recyclable item like a water bottle. These cars were built to last, more in the quality level vs the bell and whistle check box that seems to mandate what sells today.  Also the crowd that bought these cars new were a whole lot more savvy than the current buyers.  These cars actually held a good % of their resale for many years. A new Mercedes can literally lose 100K in less than 2 years when that water bottle is ready for the bin yet people are still lining up.   They really have me asking why.  Many 560s survived well as they were a "toy" car vs daily transportation for many.   If you could afford one of these new, you probably had another car to drive, but then th too.   Today the resale of the mega low mile as new 560SLs have seen as high as 80K, but the high mile ones are literally almost free.  However you do see a few good high mile ones still sell at a higher price.... and condition is everything on these cars... and this one is a condition first car.

The car here is an original, well kept garaged car that has been driven.  It was owned by a friend that was a car dealer back in the 80s, long since retired, this car was something he just held on to in his garage and took out when he could.   It was never part of a collection to the level some of my cars are, but it was not your typical bump and grind Benz owned by a neglectful image first person.  He took care of it and it does not show like it does from some sort of magic... its just a really nice car that looks like many 30K mile well kept 560s.  Nothing has been dyed or doctored on this car.  For me, I am driving this car on nice days a bit.  It is a liberating car to drive as I am not counting every tick of the odometer as a detriment.  Going out in public, the car receives incredible reviews from everyone that encounters it.  In fact most drop their jaw.  This car is all original, dealer serviced, always quality maintained.  Its on Michelin Tires too...  The only non OEM item is the very tasteful edition of a Kenwood KRC-302, separate amp and matching 12 disc changer.  This is a nice sounding system.  If you know the weak points of the R107, its the Becker Stereo.  I can attest I have original Cadillac tube radios from the 50s that sound better than a Becker.  I do not have the original, at least I cant find it, but they are commonly traded on Ebay for 50-80 bucks all the time. Readily available and little desired.

The nice thing about the 560 to me is the 5.6 liter engine.  It is what makes the car.  Just Google the 560 and find out these cars are no slouch.  They are very powerful and at their 227HP rating, it really is quite common knowledge today that they were underrated a good % to what they really are.  I can testify they are stronger that a later R129 500SL... but not a 600SL.  Even today the car is beyond decent in power and I am a high power car nut.  No complaints at all on these 560SLs... they do everything you want them to and more.   Really, I bellieve these car will go down in history as the face of Mercedes Benz.  They are a quality car, last of the real non plastic Mercedes and its pretty much a unanimously liked car, even if you cant stand Mercedes.

CLICK ANY PHOTO FOR AN EXTREME BLOW UP!

Pictured with super rare BBS RS 133 16x8 3 piece wheels.  The RS 133 model is the only vintage BBS wheel that fits the 560SL due to the big brakes special to 86-89. A set of these today is a good % value of the car and you wont understand it until you find yourself doing the homework. I put these go on the SL560 I drive... If you are a purist, you get the stock if I sell.  These are not for sale, just shown to inspire what you will later want if you get a 560SL.

 

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