We just got in another very nice 280SL, this time in striking green over tan, and it won't last long. Priced right, sorted, carrying a ton of restoration receipts and wearing a beautiful patina, this vintage Mercedes is ready for a new home!

This car was a lucky one. By the mid 1990's it was purchased as a neglected weekend driver, running and looking OK from 20 feet. The owner dug into the project and realized its needs were over his head. The car sat for a couple of years before hitting the newspaper for $8900, or $7000 less than the he had paid for it.

The new owners, a couple from Wisconsin, took the restoration to task. Patch panels were expertly installed in the floors, wheelwells and rear quarter panels. The body was stripped to bare metal, straightened and by late 1999 had been repainted in a neat shade of dark green. A new, correct tan top was installed complete with new seals. New tires surrounded refurbished rims and original hubcaps, and a host of NOS Mercedes parts found new homes. We have extensive pictures of the repairs, as well as before and after shots.

Inside, new upholstery and soft trim joined the original, restored dashboard and wood parts. The seats are still comfortable and look much younger than their ten years would suggest. The steering wheel was restored, the mechanical pieces from the gauges to the window cranks were rebuilt and reinstalled. Vintage 280SL's are very user friendly, with only one odd quirk: The automatic shifter is backwards! If you're new to Mercedes products like this you'll note the shifter is correctly in park, all the way towards the back of the car. The motor fires willingly to life, the power steering and brakes are excellent and the chassis feels like it's carved from a solid block of metal. This is a very nice car to drive, feeling much more modern than it looks--this isn't some old Chevy or Ford.

Under the hood lies the well tuned and maintained 2.8 liter inline six with Bosch mechanical fuel injection. The bay was cleaned up at restoration time, sharing the same well-loved look as the rest of the car. The fuel pump, tank and injection pump were repaired, the brakes were gone through and the wiring harnesses were replaced with new (expensive!) Mercedes parts. The engine and its compartment aren't showroom new, but the engine's charm, condition and temperament more than make up for any dirt or discoloration.

A full rebuild took place underneath, including all tie rods, the kingpins, bushings and brakes. The bottom of the car wears factory-style undercoating to keep road damage at bay. In the trunk you'll find a new full-size spare, the jack and a new mat. There's plenty of space for a weekend getaway or car show supplies.

We have years' worth of receipts for tune ups and repairs, leading back to 1983, showing names and addresses of the car's previous owners. We even have judging results from the Brian Redman International Challenge at Road America where the car placed second reserve (third place) as recently as 2008. Perfect cars look better standing still but conditioned, maintained examples like this one draw attention and are a lot more fun to own!

We just got in another very nice 280SL, this time in striking green over tan, and it won't last long. Priced right, sorted, carrying a ton of restoration receipts and wearing a beautiful patina, this vintage Mercedes is ready for a new home!

This car was a lucky one. By the mid 1990's it was purchased as a neglected weekend driver, running and looking OK from 20 feet. The owner dug into the project and realized its needs were over his head. The car sat for a couple of years before hitting the newspaper for $8900, or $7000 less than the he had paid for it.

The new owners, a couple from Wisconsin, took the restoration to task. Patch panels were expertly installed in the floors, wheelwells and rear quarter panels. The body was stripped to bare metal, straightened and by late 1999 had been repainted in a neat shade of dark green. A new, correct tan top was installed complete with new seals. New tires surrounded refurbished rims and original hubcaps, and a host of NOS Mercedes parts found new homes. We have extensive pictures of the repairs, as well as before and after shots.

Inside, new upholstery and soft trim joined the original, restored dashboard and wood parts. The seats are still comfortable and look much younger than their ten years would suggest. The steering wheel was restored, the mechanical pieces from the gauges to the window cranks were rebuilt and reinstalled. Vintage 280SL's are very user friendly, with only one odd quirk: The automatic shifter is backwards! If you're new to Mercedes products like this you'll note the shifter is correctly in park, all the way towards the back of the car. The motor fires willingly to life, the power steering and brakes are excellent and the chassis feels like it's carved from a solid block of metal. This is a very nice car to drive, feeling much more modern than it looks--this isn't some old Chevy or Ford.

Under the hood lies the well tuned and maintained 2.8 liter inline six with Bosch mechanical fuel injection. The bay was cleaned up at restoration time, sharing the same well-loved look as the rest of the car. The fuel pump, tank and injection pump were repaired, the brakes were gone through and the wiring harnesses were replaced with new (expensive!) Mercedes parts. The engine and its compartment aren't showroom new, but the engine's charm, condition and temperament more than make up for any dirt or discoloration.

A full rebuild took place underneath, including all tie rods, the kingpins, bushings and brakes. The bottom of the car wears factory-style undercoating to keep road damage at bay. In the trunk you'll find a new full-size spare, the jack and a new mat. There's plenty of space for a weekend getaway or car show supplies.

We have years' worth of receipts for tune ups and repairs, leading back to 1983, showing names and addresses of the car's previous owners. We even have judging results from the Brian Redman International Challenge at Road America where the car placed second reserve (third place) as recently as 2008. Perfect cars look better standing still but conditioned, maintained examples like this one draw attention and are a lot more fun to own!