- Seller: Peter K
- Location: Tampa, Florida
- Mileage: 159,097 Shown
- Chassis #: WDBBA48D7JA078242
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: 5600cc SOHC V8 Jetronic
- Transmission: 4-Speed Automatic
UPDATE – The winner couldn’t complete the transaction, so we have offered to rerun this auction! Be sure to take another look and bid.
This 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL is admittedly in rough shape, but it is one of the more desirable years of the SL line-up, and it is being offered here on Barn Finds as a no-reserve auction! The R107 generation of SLs was offered from 1971 until 1989. The 560SL was the final iteration of the R107 and featured a number of changes that improved performance and comfort. Values for these later examples have been rising, so this one is worthwhile either as a project or as a parts donor. Be sure to look closely at the professional photos below and leave any questions you might have for the seller in the comments.
The SL has long been Mercedes’ sporty two-seater, but the R107 was less focused on sportiness and more on being a luxurious cruiser. Of course, performance was still a concern, hence why the M117 V8 was enlarged from 5.0 to 5.6 liters for the 560SL. Mercedes also equipped later cars with Bosch KE Jetronic fuel injection. Between the increased displacement and improved fuel delivery, the 560SL was the most potent model offered in North America. They also added wider wheels to improve handling, and they added an anti-squat device to the rear suspension to keep the nose down during hard acceleration.
As previously stated, the 560SL has the 5.6-liter version of Mercedes’ M117 SOHC V8. With a compression ratio of 9.0:1, the power output was quite healthy at 227 horsepower and 287 ft-lbs. of torque. While it certainly wasn’t a muscle car, this was a healthy amount of power in the late 1980s and allowed these 3,600-pound luxury cars to accelerate briskly. The seller states that when purchased, this car was running and driving but currently isn’t. These engines are pretty durable, so getting it running should be possible as long as nothing is damaged internally.
The interior was one of the highlights of the R107. They are well-constructed and quite comfortable. This one features the very attractive Medium Red interior, which looks great with the Smoke Silver paint. When new, these cars were very expensive, with an MSRP over $60k ($162k in today’s money). Buyers shelling out this kind of money on a personal luxury car expected quality, which could explain why this one’s interior appears to have held up so well. It was initially living in New York before migrating south to Florida. That’s all the history the seller was able to provide, but the car includes its original owner’s manuals, so perhaps more of its history could be tracked down.
Restoring this SL won’t be simple, but all the needed parts are readily available. With nice 560SLs touching the six-figure range, it could make sense to restore it, and it could also provide lots of parts for another SL. If you’d love to rescue this Benz, bid below!
Bid On This Auction
Anders bid $200.00 2024-08-14 09:44:40
John bid $100.00 2024-08-10 10:18:18
As stated in the description text above “Nice ones are touching the 6 figures”, is laughable. I owned a ’78 450SL w/560 update kit on it & 90’s rims so I keep track of the market on these & you can get a nice example for 25K$-35K$, once in a blue moon I see one go for 50K$!
*bubble*
In the past few months, four 560SLs have sold for over $100k. Last year, one sold for $176k. At the same time, there have been ones that have sold for as little as $4k. Values are all over the place with these, but being a genuine 560 means there are lots of valuable parts here. I was not suggesting that this car is worth big money, but for someone who has a 560, it has lots of expensive parts they may need. This one won’t ever be worth six figures, but it might be able to keep one that is original. And for someone who wants to learn how to restore a car themselves, they might be able to save it and not be totally upside down by the time they are done.
https://www.classic.com/m/mercedes-benz/sl/r107-c107/560-sl/
I had the exact one only dark blue interior. 60k miles but need small things at the time like A/C work and a new canvas top. Then, a light bulb went out on the tach. I couldn’t replace it myself. The Mercedes dealer told me to replace a dash light you have to 1. remove the steering wheel, disconnect the airbag, take out the dash pod. 2. replace all bulbs, (no leds then) and put back together. Total cost to replace Tach bulb, $350.00. The tech said wait till something big needs repaired. I sold the car right away while it still looked new, and nothing was wrong yet. (except for the tach light.)
I have owned/repaired/driven/ and even parted out a number of these SL models. If you are into the FB, CL, and Ebay parts selling, I see many dollars worth of great parts on this one. I bought an 84 a few years back that had a custom steering wheel and a few other options and owned it for free after selling just a few parts. However, it is time consuming. But, with the internet, you also can bring these back to life easier than I thought. There is a lot of info on how to trouble shoot these cars for the person that really wants to do it.
What? Not one comment about this thing being a complete lost cause. At least there are some out there that see this for what it is, a parts car at best, a candidate for the crusher at worst.
There does appear to be a lot of rust.I wouldn’t restore it. If I got it running I’d daily drive it.
musta changed his mind that @ 200$ it wuz not worth that?