Is This 1971 Mercedes-Benz 350 SL the Ultimate Survivor?

By Tony Markovich - August 25, 2016

sl_with_hardtop

At the time, the 1971 Mercedes-Benz 350 SL was a massively-expensive car. It started around $7,000 (£5,400), and the one you see here, with its hard-top, headrests, and other extras, sat at about $7,800 (£6,000). For some perspective, as Harry Metcalfe, the presenter of the Harry’s Garage video below, explains, the Jaguar E-Type of the time was priced at roughly $3,700 (£2,800), and a Ferrari Dino 246 cost $7,000. That’s absurd.

But now, looking upon this extremely well-kept SL example, it’s still obvious that you got what you paid for. And the car has held up absolutely magnificently. This is not restored, it’s the original car. I mean, it looks damn near new! It was also quite a large vehicle, as Harry brings out an old Lotus Elan for comparison’s sake, and the stately SL makes that thing look like a little gremlin.

This particular R107 has 88,000 miles, which means it has only driven an average of less than 2,000 miles per year. And boy, did these things drive well with their 200-horsepower, 3.5-liter V8s. Harry goes deep with the 350 and details the car for some 20 minutes. If you love Mercedes as much as we think you do, it’s all worth it.