A 42-mile 500 SL dating from 1982 has been discovered by UK marque specialist SLSHOP. It begs the question, could this be the lowest-mileage R107 outside the ownership of Mercedes-Benz itself?
Bought new on November 30, 1982 by Mr Hough, a successful watchmaker, for £24,400 (equivalent to more than £87,000 today), the car was transported to his home in Gnosall, Staffordshire, where it remained untouched in a heated, dehumidified garage for 42 years. Demonstrating his precision and craftsmanship, Mr Hough also produced a hallmarked sterling-silver Mercedes-Benz badge, which still accompanies the vehicle. SLSHOP believes this to be the only original, unregistered 500 SL (R107) in existence outside of the Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart – and Mr Hough has only agreed to part with the car due to his advancing years.
The car still features its original stickers, plus dealer-provided Waxoyl on the engine and exhaust; there’s no corrosion at all. It was fitted with optional extras worth £2331 (£8360 today) including air-conditioning, heated seats, ABS, leather, rear seats and metallic paint, and it still has its sales documents from Carols of Wolverhampton. The tyre mark where the car was stood for all those years can be seen above.
’We first learned of the car 15 years ago, when Mr Hough approached me at the NEC Classic Car Show, and we agreed that one day SLSHOP would become its custodian,” explains Sam Bailey, SLSHOP founder and managing director. “This car will never be offered for sale; instead, we are creating a dedicated climate-controlled space where this remarkable time capsule will remain on display as a lasting tribute to Mr Hough’s passion.”
The 42-mile 500 SL will go on display at SLSHOP’s Warwickshire headquarters. “This 500 SL is the closest reflection of the original R107 SL blueprints — a reference point for our technicians and a benchmark for the wider Mercedes-Benz community who continue to preserve these wonderful machines,” Bailey adds.
More details can be found here.
