1983 Mercedes 500SL - Euro with Euro Bumpers and Headlights - No Rust - CA Car!

Up for auction is my 1983 Mercedes R107 500SL Euro. The 500 is THE collector version of the R107 that is in high demand from collectors in Europe. Indeed, collectors worldwide.
eBay does not recognize Grey Market VINs after 1980. The true VIN is WDB10704612002684
This SL has spent its entire life in California, being imported in March of 1983 to Los Angeles. It stayed in dry SouthernCaliforniawith its original owner until he passed in 2010. It was inherited by his grandson from whom I purchased it from in 2015.
When it arrived, we couldn't drive it more than a few hundred feet. One of the front suspension bushings had promptly disintegrated. Ratherthan just replace the one bushing, I proceeded to rebuildthe entire front suspension. I also installed new brake discs, brake pads, bearings, etc. And I had the front subframe strengthening kit installed.
Unfortunately, the car was not running too well. My mechanic diagnosed leaking intake manifold gaskets. He replaced much of the rubber bits on the top of the motor, all the gaskets, injectorgaskets etc. Thebill for this work was $1800. The car now runs very well.
Overall, my 500SL is an honest survivor. The car is solid with no rust in the normal spots. Floor pans are perfect. The 'battery box' and spare tire well in the trunk have only a few stains from standing water once or twice in the last 35 years.I've had eleven R107s and I've never seen one with this clean of an undercarriage. Its bone dry! Only the battery box shows some light surface rust. See the photos in the gallery.
Theexterior is the one area for improvement.The paint will need some work. It was repainted at some point in the past and the paint on the front fender top and hood has cracked. Although it looks great in the photos (we did a full color sand and polish), it will need to be re-painted if you want it trulynice. We've done our best to include some photos in gallerythat show the cracking.
The hood also at some point took a small knock to the front. It sits proud on the passenger side. We don't see evidence exceptthere is a dent in the panel in front of the radiator. There is also a small section on the side of the hood missingpaint. We've include photos of both these areas. The lower section of the front end shows no evidence of any damage.
The interior is in good shape. The dash has cracked. A dash cover can be installed easily. We contemplated gettingone for the auction but SL people prefer to see what the true condition is. The seats need to be recovered as the passenger seat is a bit torn up. The driver side is ripped on the bottom. Thecar has the original kinder seats installed.
The car has Euro headlights and euro Euro bumpers.
We've included a video of our 500SL starting up and taking a drive around the block. It runs nice a strong. Brakes are good (since we just redid them!) and it pulls up straight.
eBay won't let us put videos or extra photos on the listing. Nor will they allow us to add links to the add.So to see a video of the 500SL starting up, idling, revving, and driving, open a browser window and go to youtube.Enter the ID of the video:yTYokK9Nsk4 We have 100 more photos on Imageshack.comGo to that website and enter "/a/wMsl/1" after the .com
The car has lived in California all its life and has a BAR sticker. But we are selling it without smog certification and no guaranteeit will now pass smog. We know the aftermarket smog pump that was added at import is frozen. California buyers will be responsible for passing smog. See the smog history below.
We've sold six R107 overseas in the last two years. Shipping to Germany is roughly $1000. We can deliver the car to the CFR Rinkens office in San Francisco for an extra $100.
To summarize:
The Great: - No RUST! - No RUST! - No RUST! - Its the 500SL - the SL variant with the most power - Its the most desirable variant of the R107 SL - California car all its life - California legal. Not many Euro SLs left that can be registered here in California. - Desirable Euro headlights - which are now $2800-4000 new from Mercedes - Desirable Euro bumpers - Desirable color scheme - white over dark blue - Strong Engine and transmission - Good condition interior except for the dash and seats - Both Hard and Soft tops included - No Rust!
The Challenges: - Paint is cracked in the front. A repaint will be needed if you want a perfect car. - Hood took a small bump at some point in the distant past and sits proud on theright side. - Seats are torn and will need to be recovered - Dash has cracked - The rear trunk hood does not stay up. More than likely the tension spring is broken.
As mentioned, the car has been in California for years. Here is its smog history since 1998. It is California legal but we are selling it without smog certification. California buyers will be responsible for passing smog.
Test RecordsMakeModelYear Date / Time Pass / FailMERCE500SL198307/26/2014 12:25 p.m.PMERCE500SL198307/19/2014 01:48 p.m.F MERCE500SL198303/09/2014 01:36 p.m.F MERCE500SL198305/11/2012 01:20 p.m.PMERCE500SL198303/24/2010 11:36 a.m.PMERCE500SL198305/12/2008 11:21 a.m.PMERCE500SL198302/15/2006 01:28 p.m.PMERCE500SL198302/15/2006 09:56 a.m.F MERCE500SL198301/20/2004 04:07 p.m.PMERCE500SL198302/22/2002 10:49 a.m.PMERCE500SL198302/22/2000 12:34 p.m.PMERCE500SL198302/10/1998 11:48 a.m.P