1967 Mercedes-Benz 250SL Convertible

Any registered owner of a Mercedes-Benz may contact the company for a copy of the original build sheet. I sent a fax request with a copy of the current registration. In time, I received a photocopy of the original build sheet. This had a lot of information about the car. The model and serial number were shown along with codes representing the original options. It also showed the date of production.

The only options listed on the build sheet were automatic transmission, hard top and radio. This car was originally shipped in Orient Red. The previous owner had it painted light blue. It was a nice paint job. The floor had been very rusty so that was repaired first. The previous owner had hit a deer which caved in the hood. This was repaired. Since the hood is made of aluminum, it was a very difficult repair, especially considering that it was repaired at home by the car's owner. He had no training in sheet metal or aluminum work.

The final result of the hood repair was beautiful. The top was smooth and had both the original slope and contors built in. The paint adhered to the repaired hood very well. The underside of the hood was rough after the repair job so it was covered in a heat shield fabric. This seemed appropriate to the car and may have helped to extend the quality of the paint on the top of the hood.

The engine had been rebuilt but it wasn't originally shipped with the car. While checking the serial numbers, I found that the engine was actually from a 1967 Mercedes sedan. It was a direct replacement for the correct engine in that it bolted to the mounts and the transmission. All original parts were easily connected to the new engine. Although the engine was from the same year, it was somewhat more modern and had a slightly larger displacement. Unfortunately, this severely hampered the collector value of the car. Since there were so few 250SL cars produced, getting an actual, matching engine was a difficult and expensive quest. I never spent much time on it. This was quite a hurdle, though, when I decided to sell the car.

I listed the car a couple of times on ebay. It didn't meet the reserve price at first. The next time it did. A fellow from Edmonton bought it. He flew out to see it in person and was happy with the condition. The money came through with no trouble. I took the car to the train station for shipment to Alberta. In less than 10 days, it was there. The new owner had a garage for the car so it should stay in great condition.

It was a great idea to use eBay since the local buyers seemed reluctant to check out the car. eBay gives you access to many more car buyers, a key when trying to sell a collectible classic like this Mercedes convertible. Going to a local dealer is not a great way to sell a car like this either. They really don't want anything that needs a bit of work and they will heavily discount any offer they make you as a result.