Back in December, I had some business to do at Office Max near the Great Lakes Mall in Mentor, Ohio, Christmas shopping had swelled the parking lot with cars so much that the owner of Mystery Car 101 had parked just across the road from the Office Max parking lot. The little car caught my attention as I left the store. So, I battled across the road to take a look. I knew it was a Mercedes-Benz from the hubcap emblems. But it wasn’t until I read the rear name plate that I recognized the model as a 280SL.
The two seat roadster came with a fuel-injected 2.8L inline six cylinder that produced 162 hp and 174 lb ft of torque. According to Road & Track, it was good for 0 to 60 in 8.6 seconds (about the speed of a SAAB 900 turbo if I recall correctly). There may not be many of these still in existence, but if you would like a completely restored model, visit the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Irvine, California. That’s Mercedes-Benz’s own restoration center, museum, and parts provider for old models. A restored 280SL was listed there for a paltry $79,900 a few years ago. Click here to read the Road & Track article about it. You can also order older Mercedes-Benz parts from Leikin Motor Companies.