1983 Mercedes-Benz Metallic Diamond Blue Metallic Convertible Hardtop Roadster - 170,500 miles
RESTORED 2018-2019 - see below
Hardtop color matches the body color; the convertible top is dark blue canvas, matching the dark blue interior. The original 3.8 liter fuel-injected V-8 engine is very responsive and the air-conditioning is very cold and is sure to please! This car has been very well taken care of and never smoked-in. Has never been in any kind of accident or had any body work. I am the second owner for the past 31 years and have pampered it. far from salt air, salt water and even farther from salted winter roads. I have always kept it garaged and have kept and maintained every service record, repair and accessory bill or sales receipt related to this car. This file will go to the new lucky owner. It has been serviced by only two shops: Continental Imports and Star Imports, local Mercedes-Certified shops averaging 5 of 5 stars on Car Talk “Find A Repair Shop.” I’ve been told by more than one Mercedes mechanic that this 380SL is the tightest 380SL he has ever seen. The car's interior and exterior was restored in Feb 2018 and Feb 2019 respectively. The exterior was stripped (all chrome and attachments removed) and properly re-painted as original. The interior work included replacing all 7 climate control vacuum pods, complete seat rebuilds incl new horsehair pads, springs and leather from Germany. The seat backs were upgraded during the restoration from the original 1983 flat-back to the 1989 bolstered, contour seat backs for a wonderful fit on your back and then covered/protected with custom Australian lambs wool sheepskins. This car really turns heads and people are shocked to learn it’s almost 40 years old! ALWAYS GARAGED IN FLORIDA.
The first thing I did to this car when I purchased it in 1991 was to have the timing gears and chain upgraded/modified from the single gears and chains (which later caused head failures) to the dual gears and chain which were later factory-recommended and proven from the 450SL engine design. I also changed the top nylon chain guide to stainless steel. The original nylon guide gets brittle with age, snaps and then the timing chain tears-apart the inside of the engine. This won’t happen now! A new canvas top was installed in March 2019. The original ash tray is still bright chrome because it has never been used. The battery is about one year old and the tires are in good condition. I replaced the exhaust system with complete lifetime stainless-steel exhaust system. The A/C has been upgraded to the newer, current standard R134a and blows very cold.
This car comes with a ceiling-mounted remote-controlled electric winch and harness for easily storing and changing the hardtop, a very nice fold-down and removable windscreen (see pics) which allows you to carry on a normal conversation (or listen to the upgraded stereo system) with the top down, even at highway speeds. I have the original owner manual (although the pages are in excellent condition, the binding has deteriorated and the pages are now loose) and maintenance booklet.
I have made the following improvements:
- Upgraded the timing gears and chain from single to dual (as recommended by Mercedes)
- Replaced factory std. top nylon chain guide with a Stainless Steel guide
- Upgraded the two round standard headlights to the sleek European halogen headlights found on newer Mercedes (they are a direct replacement and you could always replace the original round headlight if you wished)
- Installed trunk-mounted center brake light installed for safety. This is the one which came on the 1985(?) model
- Installed the available rear seatbelt. It will legally seat one person (my son rode there until 18yrs old) or you can legally carry a baby seat back there
- Installed a high-power AM/FM Cassette deck with theft-deterrent removable front panel, two high wattage front and two high-wattage rear speakers. The original working Becker stereo will also go with the car
- Installed Sirius/XM Satellite Radio system. Dock is mounted in center of dash above climate controls, see before and after pics. Audio comes through the upgraded audio system (It sounds great! You will need to subscribe with your own account)
- Installed a highly-polished Zebra wood gearshift handle which perfectly matches the Zebra wood center console (and your hand!). The original black plastic shifter knob will also be provided
- Installed matching Zebra-Wood convenience console-see pics
- Upgraded the seat backs per above
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