Country Classic Cars - Vehicle Details

Here at Country Classic Cars we are pleased to offer this stunning Mercedes SL320 automatic from 1996 that has covered 81280 miles. Leaving the showroom in January the registered owner on the V5 details an engineering company in Esher, Surrey. Extras took the invoice to over £70k and included items such as heated seats with memory feature and the Ruby Red metallic with exclusive Mushroom full leather interior. After 14 months the car returned to Sunningdale Mercedes where a Mr Hollands treated himself to a retirement present, part exchanging his existing 1987 SL500 to offset some of the £59k price tag. So began a relationship that lasted 23 years and 62k miles before the current custodian took over the reins.

Country Classic Cars carry out a full inspection looking to rectify known mechanical issues prior to sale. We are presenting this SL320 on behalf of the current owner and consider the sale price to be attractive and fair. We pride ourselves on offering an honest ‘warts and all’ appraisal of every vehicle we offer for sale, this avoids buyer disappointment, resulting from a lack of detail within sales adverts. This example is quite honestly difficult to fault but beginning with the body work we list any issues noted. This example offers straight original panels with factory gaps, the paint finish is showroom but over the years has collected the odd stone chip, largely to the bonnet. None of the chips have caused further paint bubbling either to the bonnet or the pair noted on the driver’s door. Underneath enjoys factory sealant, as with the rest of this SL is corrosion free whilst the front panel retains manufacture decals and plates fitted in production. One common problem with all SL’s is paint lift to the base of the detachable hard top, alongside the rear screen but in this case, it features only on the nearside and is minor (image available). We also noted our soft top has a small repair to the rear Perspex screen which is not up to our standard and will look to replacing with a permanent fix prior to sale.

Interior is finished in exclusive Mushroom leather which carries no damage or blemishes, the veneer trim is as new minus any fading that can occur. Typically Mercedes, every switch, dial, button and control carries out the function it was designed to do and we paid special attention to the hydraulic roof which operated flawlessly and the images display the various roof options. The carpets show no wear or marks and the original tools, with first aid kit are in the boot, there is also a mobile stand for the removable hard top.

Equipment level

PAS, ABS, Automatic roll bar (deploys in 0.3 seconds), Electric windows, electric mirrors, heated mirrors, traction control, LSD, memory function for interior & exterior mirrors, heated seats, electric powered seats with memory, powered steering column with memory, alarm, electric hood, wood leather steering wheel, Panasonic supplied audio system with boot mounted CD changer, climate control, wash-wipe headlamps, cruise control and eight-hole alloys.

Drivetrain features a silky smooth 3199 straight-six, this is the 24v option mated to the later 5-speed automatic and will achieve 62mph in 8 seconds going on to 148mph. A well-maintained SL is good for galactic mileages, as with most pre-millennium Mercedes they were over engineered and built to a standard rather than a price. This example retains its original service pack with stamps via main dealer or specialist at 8500 miles June 1996 / 17,206 January 1997 / 30,801 January 1999 / 41,395 January 2000 / 48,651 January 2002 / 57,117 March 2005 / 59,121 January 2006 / 62,196 June 2007 / 66,328 January 2009 / 72,861 January 2012 / 78,114 January 2016 / 80,448 January 2019.

We also have every MOT detailed from 1999 and the current certificate runs until January 2022, with invoices, bill of sale and a rare Mercedes produced book for SL owners in period.

Owner of Country Classic Cars Paul Gravely is an authority on the R129 model of Mercedes having owned, repaired and sold (on behalf of clients) many examples. This 320SL is one of the best we have assessed and therefore is expected to attract a lot of attention and sell quickly; to avoid disappointment early contact is recommend, genuine interest is most welcome. For additional information please message with your email address for multiple detailed images and walk-round video; we will forward the file via ‘We Transfer’ a free to use and safe service or Whats Ap. Country Classic Cars operate by appointment only and within current Government guidelines and whilst inspections are encouraged, please bear in mind the changing situation especially with regards to test drives.