- Seller: Jesse M (Contact)
- Location: Boise, Idaho
- Mileage: 133,834 Shown
- Chassis #: WDB10704612002326
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: 5.0-Liter V8 With AMG Heads
- Transmission: Automatic
A few months back, an ad popped up for a 1980 Mercedes 500SL barn find. Since we enjoy this era of SLs and grey-market examples don’t show up here in Idaho often, we had to go take a look. When we arrived at the seller’s farm, we were surprised to find a dusty but solid car wearing a few AMG parts. Obviously, we assumed someone had installed aftermarket AMG parts, but the VIN showed it was a genuine grey-market 500SL, which was cool on its own. We decided to buy it, just to revive and experience it. Once we got it back to the shop, we made a pretty incredible discovery! While we’ve enjoyed it, the time has come to move it along to a new home. It’s located at Barn Finds HQ in Boise, Idaho and we are offering it here as a BF Auction.
After replacing the oil and installing a fresh battery, we turned the key and the engine fired right up. It sounded a little tappety, at least compared to the other R107S we’ve owned, but it was running great otherwise. Once we were confident it was safe to drive, we took it for a spin and instantly knew that it had far more power than any other SL we’ve ever driven. First, we chalked it up to being a 500SL, the most powerful R107 with 240 horsepower and 296 lb-ft of torque, but it honestly felt more powerful than that. Given the tapping sounds, we decided to pull the valve covers to inspect the valvetrain. By the time this car was built, the M117 had hydraulic lifters, so it seemed odd that it would make much valvetrain noise. Once the valve cover was off, we discovered that the engine had solid lifters. Using an inspection camera, we looked at the ends of the cams and discovered AMG logos! Turns out, AMG offered high-performance cylinder heads for the R107, and to maximize output, they used solid lifters.
Before AMG merged with Mercedes-Benz, you could go to AMG or one of its affiliated Mercedes-Benz dealerships and order a car equipped with any number of its custom components. This ranged from purely cosmetic bits to high-performance drivetrains. Unfortunately, this means there’s little documentation on cars built during this era. We were able to track down the original dealership where it was sold, which is located in Belgium and was affiliated with AMG at the time, but they don’t have records going back to 1980. Having real AMG cams and cylinder heads is a big deal, as they add 20 to 30 horsepower and are rarely found on cars that had AMG parts added later on.
As we’ve worked on it, we’ve noticed some interesting things that make us think someone might have removed parts. The wheels it’s currently riding on are too new to have been on this car originally, so we are wondering if it had AMG Penta rims. These wheels are hard to get and are quite valuable, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the previous owner sold them. It also looks like the steering wheel has been removed, but that could have been to work in the dash. It does make us wonder if it had an AMG steering wheel, though. Speculation aside, we know for certain that the front spoiler and cylinder heads are genuine AMG parts. While cleaning it, we noticed holes in the rockers where AMG side skirts would mount, so it may have had those as well.
The interior is standard R107, with MB Tex seat upholstery and woodgrain dash trim. We’ve replaced lots of rubber bits to ensure that the doors, windows, soft top, and hardtop seal up. We also replaced the driver’s-side seat frame and cushions with parts from a wrecked low-mileage 450SL. The dash is cracked, as is the wooden shifter surround, but it’s definitely usable as is. Since we had the driver’s seat out, we went ahead and gave the carpets a good cleaning. We also wiped down the front and rear seats with vinyl protectant. Included with the car are all the rubber and trim bits that we removed from the 450SL parts car.
When we bought this 500SL, the seller commented that it was faster than their Stingray Corvette. We thought it was just a funny comment, but after driving it, we believe it! It’s surprisingly quick, which isn’t something we would normally say about an R107. These cars were designed as luxury cruisers, but the added power makes it feel like a muscle car. There’s still some work to be done before it’s an exceptional example. The paint isn’t looking great; it’s cracking on the driver’s side door and rear fender. There’s also some paint bubbling below the rear spoiler. And it needs new tires, possibly a set of Penta wheels if you really want to make it look right. Sometimes it’s slow to start cold, but once it’s running, it sounds and drives beautifully. Besides changing the fluids, we also replaced a leaking temperature sensor, rubber fuel hoses, and some of the vacuum lines, which got the central locking working. The original hardtop is present and included.
The color-matched Euro bumpers really make it stand out from US-spec SLs and are one of our favorite features. It’s incredible how much the tighter-mounted bumpers can change the looks of the car. Most AMG cars we’ve come across have color-matched bumpers, trim, and wheels, but that also seems to have been an à la carte option. We have too many projects on our plate right now and need to make room, so if you’d love to have this German muscle car, please submit your bid today. And if you have any questions, please let us know in the comments.
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