Classic Mercedes-Benzes have always interested me. About 15 years ago I began a casual search for one. That search ended in 2015, when I bought my first classic – a–1990 300GE imported from the Netherlands, sight unseen. I like it so much I am never planning on selling it! I was pleased to receive a second-place award for my picture of it in the 4x4 category in the first virtual car show.
Knowing about my growing passion for Mercedes-Benz, in February 2017, my cousin Daniel called to tell me about a Mercedes-Benz he had come across. Daniel builds custom furniture, and was talking to a couple living about 20 minutes from my house who wanted a custom kitchen. They mentioned to him that before moving forward with the project, they needed to sell the “old Mercedes in the garage.”
Daniel got the details that it was a 1985 380SL roadster for sale for not a lot of money, and immediately called me to see if I was interested. Knowing it was an R107, I was expecting it to be neglected like a lot of them have been.
But it was close to my house and I’m always up for seeing an old Mercedes. My girlfriend Liz and I went to see the car, money in hand just in case. The owner opened the door to his garage, and among the boxes and disused workout equipment was a dusty but immaculate Diamond-Blue Metallic 380SL.
The gentleman told me that he had bought the car almost three years earlier for his wife’s 50th birthday present, but she had driven it only once or twice since. It was on only its second tank of (ethanol-free) fuel since they had it. For its condition and only 64,000 miles on the odometer, the price was more than fair, so I immediately offered him cash for what he was asking.
My plan at the time was simply to fix a few things and flip the car; I just wanted to help my cousin get the job! Liz had the honor of the debut drive back to my house.
Liz enjoyed the drive home, so I had to drive it myself. We went to my parents to show them. My mom knew of my original plan to flip it, but when she looked at our smiles, she said, “Don’t name it or you will get attached to it.” It was already too late for that. Within 24 hours, I named the car “Mary Ann” after my grandmother, who taught me that class never goes out of style.
I knew a few things would need attention. After all, the car is more than 30 years old and it had been sitting for three years. As well as changing the fluids, we replaced the shocks, motor mounts and subframe mounts, mostly because of worn bushings. In all other respects, Mary Ann has been totally reliable.
I’m a bit obsessive about the look of my cars. I removed the headlight surrounds and other trim to restore the original luster. I carefully detailed the engine and replaced the discolored coolant bottle with a new white one. I even carefully painted the dark blue around the laurel on the original hood emblem. I also made some subtle changes in the styling, tucking the big U.S. bumpers back two inches and reworked the rubber bumper ends so that they wouldn’t extend past the wheel opening. Most people think it’s stock, but I think it looks better than other U.S. R107s.
I’m just lucky that a couple who owned one of these cars wanted a custom kitchen instead and called my cousin.