This 1973 Mercedes-Benz 350SL is a rare ex-Japan market car with right-hand drive steering and all of its Euro-spec parts still attached. It comes with a 450SL parts car which can help address some of the rot issues on display here; with a $6,555 Buy-It-Now, that seems like a very good deal for a genuine Euro-market car with a parts vehicle thrown in. Find it here on eBay and located in Costa Mesa, California.
The front end shows the worst of the rust, with the right-send fender particularly bad. The hood also shows signs of not-insignificant rust to contend with, as a result of the phenomenon not unusual to Japan where high-end exotics can be found sitting out in the elements for decades. This one, despite standing for many years, hasn’t been pillaged for parts, and retains its OEM hardtop as well.
While RHD isn’t for everyone, it absolutely makes for an entertaining driving experience. From your own fascination with being on the other side of the car to fellow drivers eyeballing you in traffic, it’s tons of fun. This car will be even easier to manage with the automatic transmission, somewhat of a disappointment as the Euro-spec models are the ones most likely to be found with three pedals.
Here’s the 450SL parts car the seller is including in the sale, which looks quite sound in the areas that the 350SL is not. The seller also has addressed a number of maintenance concerns with the 350 to get it running again, including a new fuel pump, spark plugs and oil/filter, along with a rebuilt warm-up regulator, cleaned-out gas tank and rebuilt brake calipers. The asking price seems more than fair for two decent SLs with one retaining its sexy Euro-market bits.
I wonder why it didn’t wind up in Australia or even back in England. I don’t know the state of their markets, but would assume this car would bring better money there, shipping to Australia, from Japan might have been cheaper than to the US.
I wish they would have addressed the condition of the undercarriage in the description and pictures.
Steve R
You nailed it.
Only buy these from the belly upwards. No belly pictures . Pass on it…
Many many buyers of rusty MBs have surely gone belly-up.
I like that sweet black Rolls in the background.
parts car is not an SL but an SLC. so some parts like doors are not interchangeable
You state that the price seems “more than fair for two decent SL’s” but only one is an SL and neither is really decent. I think they’re $500 parts cars.