Twinllamas

I have aquired, thru an estate, a couple of older SL's. one is a 1978 450SL 4 speed that appears to be a euro car..
Since MB is not in my wheelhouse, I am looking for some decent resources as to deciphering the details of this car.
We cannot find a VIN anywhere, so this may be a "hot vehicle" at some point in its life.
It has a NJ tag of com sort inside the drivers side door jamb, but the number yields no additional info
The title shows a strange number as a VIN 14 digit, all numeric VIN which none of the online decoders can decipher.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated

HBguy

https://www.theslshop.com/clubhouse/...-sl-vin-plate/

Try this link. The key is to find as many vins on the vehicle as possible. You should search for vin locations and figure out which one you want to decode first. Its also possible some won't match because of repairs/replacements.

Twinllamas

VIN decoder calls this car a 350SL but all badging and title have it as a 450SL. Seems like someone took a 350 and added some 450 markers and a 4.5l motor to create a 450 clone?? Thoughts?

HBguy

badging and title mean nothing on cars that old. How do you know you have the 4.5? Even the engine could be non-original.

I think the general consensus with states is that the vijn on frame and engine are the vins it should ve registered as. You should first break down how many vins you have as a stsrting point. Then you can eliminate any that are possible replacements from repairs or whatever.

If you have what i call a frankenstein, a collection of parts from various cars, dont worry about it and for selling purposes, stick to how its registered. And sell it cheap so you dont incur post sale headaches.

it honestly sounds like a frankenstein, and with old cars, there's nothing wrong with them not being concours d elegance showstoppers.