This is an unrestored, 46-year-old Mercedes 350 SL. I would say that it looks as good as a brand new car today, but that’s not quite right. This car looks better.
Even after 88,000 miles, the big Benz convertible, as ex-EVO head Harry Metcalfe explains, still thunks and clunks and purrs better than just about any plasticine car on today’s market.
Hell, even Mercedes’ plastic of the time, the legendary M-B Tex vinyl interior, looks better than today’s plastic.
Part of it is that this is a relatively low-key car, with a 200 horsepower 3.5 liter V8 and not a ton of tech, but it cost more than Ferrari’s basic Dino of the time. These Mercedes R107 SLs were extremely high quality items, built to a standard that remains unparalleled.
Even the ‘93 Lexus I owned, a good go-to for modern ultra-high car quality, looked like a rusty pile of shit compared to this practically vintage Mercedes.