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Rare Roadside Sighting: Mercedes SL AMG!

On a recent trip to a nearby grocery store, we took a slight detour and ended up spotting a rather interesting car parked on a side street. At first glance, you might think this just looks like another other clean mid-seventies Mercedes SL, but upon closer examination, you realize this isn’t just any old plain jane 280SL. No, this is an AMG model! If you don’t know who AMG is, they are Mercedes-Benz’s in-house tuning department. Today, you’ll find AMG-badged SUVs sitting on the dealer lot waiting for a new owner, but back when this car was built, AMG was doing its own thing and would build a car however the customer wanted it. Since the owner wasn’t around and there aren’t any badges on the back to show what trim level this car is, we don’t know which engine it’s equipped with, but it’s definitely one sweet find!

Given that you can buy fake AMG body kits for these, I wasn’t sure at first if this was an actual AMG car, but as I was looking it over I noticed a number of things that make me think it’s the real deal. For one, the rear spoiler is the correct size and shape. The overall fit and finish of the body kit is also too nice to be made of fiberglass. It also has an AMG steering wheel, which is something I’ve yet to find being reproduced. So, unless someone found an AMG car in the junkyard and swapped the parts over, I’m fairly confident that this is the real deal!

Whoever owns this car is clearly still driving and enjoying it, as it has current registration on the plates and the street sign shows that cars can’t be parked on this particular street overnight. We might have to go back with a note to leave on the windshield to see if the owner will let us come take a closer look at it. Honestly, photos don’t do this car justice. In-person, it was very impressive. I’ve always liked the Mercedes R107 cars, but they usually don’t give off a serious performance vibe. Between the stance, basketweave wheels, and body kit, it looks fast while standing still. As to whether it really is fast comes down to which engine it’s equipped with, which could range from an inline-6 all the way up to a big V8. Without a look under the hood, it’s hard to know for sure which engine this one is equipped with, but hopefully, we will get a chance to find out.

A few decades ago, seeing something like this on the street probably wouldn’t have been all that exciting, but you just don’t see nice examples of these very often anymore. We were really quite surprised to find this car parked along the side of the road, especially once we noticed the AMG badge. Let’s just hope we can track down the owner to learn more about its story! If you happen to know this car, let us know. And if you’ve come across an interesting find parked on the side of the road, please send us photos of it.

Comments

  1. Avatar alphasud Member

    Everything you stated in the article is correct to my knowledge as well. This could very well be a true AMG SLC with the 5.0 aluminum V8. Very sought after car. I’m trying to create the same with my 76 SLC. I have a wrecked 560SL donor car that I hope to start on soon.

    Like 3
    • Avatar Joshua Mortensen Staff

      Cool! Keep us posted on how your project progresses.

      Like 1
    • Avatar Terrry

      That’s an SL, not SLC. This is the first AMG one I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen SLC-AMG’s.

      Like 1
      • Avatar Terrry

        oops it is an SLC my bad

        Like 1
  2. Avatar KC John Member

    Timeless. Still looks cool and contemporary.

    Like 0
  3. Avatar Beyfon

    I came across a locally advertised SLC 5.0 some 5 years or so ago. It was tantalizingly cheap, perhaps around $2k. Unfortunately it was also very tired. Minor rust all around the car (except of course on the aluminum panels) and a pretty tired interior. Would certainly have bought it anyway if not for the badly knocking engine. But in general I’m strangely happy to see nice cars that someone truly has used vs just letting them sit in a locked up garage!

    Like 1
  4. Avatar Chris

    I don’t think its right posting photos of someone’s car without there permission . I am a car nut also ,but I would not someone posting a lot pics of my car without permission . Even thou the license plate is covered, not a good thing . Sounds like a liability case to me . Just get permission ,how hard is that .

    Like 5
    • Avatar another Chris

      It’s street parked and in the public domain so there are zero legal ramifications for posting it, full license plate and all.

      Like 10
      • Avatar Chrs

        Agree to disagree it is published on this website did someone give permission for that .I will respect your comment even thou I think this is wrong.

        Like 2
    • Avatar alphasud Member

      I disagree there is nothing illegal or wrong with taking pictures of a car in a public setting. Any car parked on the curb is in a public setting. I would take issue if someone is walking around my car on private property without consent. The fact that the person taking the pictures blanked out the license shows respect for another person’s property. No harm done.

      Like 12
    • Avatar PRA4SNW

      Uh oh, Google Street View is going to be in a lot of trouble!

      Like 6
    • Avatar William Mejia

      This is a Diplomatic plate…
      So… the car is European shipped.

      Like 1
  5. Avatar Halorgr

    Great sighting, Enjoy these kinds of finds,
    Keep it up,Very interesting ,

    Like 1
  6. Avatar Matt c

    Back then, AMG was an independent company , it was bought out later by Mercedes and became the in-house tuner it is now

    Like 3
    • Avatar Troy

      I know it wasn’t your intent but being a long time Idaho resident and knowing how this state registers vehicles I can track that car down just by what you did show on the plate.not going to because I’m not interested in the car just thought you would like to know.

      Like 2
  7. Avatar Jack Quantrill

    It’s a SLC. Rigid roof, four seater. I had a ‘77 280 SLC six cylinder gray market import. AMG, modified v-8’s. This Euro model has short bumpers and different headlights.

    Like 0
  8. Avatar WayneS

    Nice article, good comments. all fine but where is the contact information????

    Like 1
  9. Avatar Matt

    Chris, you can take any photo on the street you like, and publish it anywhere you like. Once you leave your house, you’re part of the public domain. The exception to this is advertising, which doesn’t fall under that purview.
    – Matt

    Like 2
    • Avatar Chris

      Matt that is my point this is being put onto a website without the permission of the owner of the car . I would not someone walking around my car ,than outing it on a website . A car show is a different story . That is the whole point

      Like 2
  10. Avatar Chris

    I would think twice before letting a post like that to happen … My opinion only

    Like 1
  11. Avatar Tracy

    It’s an SLC NOT AN SL which they keep referring to. There is a big difference between the two.

    Like 0
  12. Avatar Gary Rhodes

    The car is in public, take all the pics you want and post them anywhere you want. They should have blocked the whole plate but there you go. Your trash is not yours once you take it to the curb and people can take what ever they want so what’s the difference?

    Like 1
    • Avatar Chris

      Check the laws about trash & also posting on a private site.Just my opinion. Even thou we don’t talk about trash on this site

      Like 3
  13. Avatar chrlsful

    ’99 MB bought AMG, This car predate that? Justa emblem?

    Like 0

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