“ Presents very well. With fresh service’’
This relatively rare 450 SLC coupé was imported from the USA to Lebanon in 2000. It is a USA specification model; however, the current owner has fitted the European style bumpers, giving the car a much cleaner and more elegant appearance. Our vendor owned the car in Lebanon from 2019 before importing and registering it in the UK in 2020.
Vehicle Story
The Mercedes SLC (‘C’ for ‘coupé’) was launched in 1971 and was initially offered with a relatively small 3.5-litre engine. The need for a higher performance variant became clear fairly quickly, and the 450 came along a year later. With a 4520cc V8 engine under the bonnet mated to a three-speed automatic gearbox, the SLC finally had the performance to match its looks. The buying public clearly agreed because the 450SLC outsold the 350SLC by more than two to one.
The legendary motoring writer LJK Setright rated the Mercedes 450SLC very highly, much more so than the convertible 450SL upon which it was based, driving him to become uncharacteristically effusive: “The SLC was surely never intended as a sportscar. It is so elegant, so superbly balanced in line and form, so exquisitely contoured to look beautiful from any viewpoint that to subject it to the gross indignities of any kind of track would be sheer vandalism. And yet the car begs to be driven in a sporting way, positively solicits the fast corner, the fine balancing of foot and hand, of centripetal and centrifugal accelerations. It is surely the best Mercedes-Benz ever to have been built for common sale.”
We’d agree with LJKS; with only 215bhp on tap, the 450SLC is more suited to long-distance touring than inch-perfect track use but it is still, even today, a rapid, reliable and economical to cover vast distances in complete comfort.
Vehicle Overview
Is a left-hand-drive Mercedes-Benz 450SLC that was built in Germany and immediately exported to the United States where it lived for almost three decades before moving to Lebanon in 2000. The seller bought it there in 2019 and imported it to the UK in 2020.
He’s since fitted European-style bumpers to replace the ugly Federal-sec items it was fitted with in the States, and treated it to fresh paint, so presents very well indeed.
He, like so many of us, finds himself with a somewhat larger collection of classic cars than he intended, so he’s set about the task of rationalising it.
We’re also selling his Mercedes-Benz 'Adenauer', so if you fancy starting your very own M-B collection, read on…
Exterior
The repainted coachwork looks terrific, doesn’t it? Bright and vibrant, it was clearly applied by someone who knew what they were doing but then the canvas it was applied to is equally impressive.
With tight and consistent shutlines, the legendary M-B build quality shines through, even after all these years.
As you’d expect following a top-quality respray that’s seen little use since, there are no dents, dinks, or other damage to ruin the finish.
The 450SLC wasn’t finished with a lot of chrome but what there is is straight and free of rust and pitting.
The sunroof fits the aperture well and seals tightly, and there are two good foglamps and a set of new numberplates.
The original equipment 14-inch alloy wheels are in fine fettle, too. Shiny and unblemished, they are fitted with a matching set of Bridgestone Turanza GR-80 tyres.
We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.
As for work to do, the rubber trim on the bumpers is scuffed and wonky, there’s a bubble in the paint on the sunroof, some of the sealing rubbers have perished, there’s a small chip at the top of the driver’s door window glass, some of the other side glass is scratched, the offside rear lamp lens is scuffed, and there are some blemishes in the paint finish on the nearside front wing, bonnet, and below the rear window.
Interior
The black interior is generally very good, with the seats being a real high point. Still beautifully presented, they’ve retained that yielding springiness that’s unique to Mercedes-Benz cars of the period.
The matching door cards are excellent too, as are the rear quarter trims and central front armrest. The rear seats are even better, being virtually unmarked.
And there’s more good news in the shape of a Becker Europa radio in the centre of the dashboard.
Lifting out the jack and full-size alloy spare wheel from the boot shows nothing but solid metal underneath, which is good to see.
As for flaws, some of the wooden veneer is cracked and the lacquer is damaged, the top of the dashboard is cracked, the cabin carpet is faded and there are some holes to that in the boot, the headlining is stained and damaged, the plastic cover on the clock is damaged, and there is a small hole on the outer edge of the nearside front seat plus another two small holes in the fabric of the offside front seat.
This might sound like a lot but most of it is a corollary of a life in the sun, where the same climate that preserved the bodywork and underside also wreaked havoc with some of the interior fittings.
Annoying, but we know which problem we’d rather fix...
Mechanical
The car runs nicely after having received a full mechanical service.
The engine and engine bay are well presented. However, we there is some rust on the bulkhead behind the battery, and we can see the new owner will probably want to address this as a priority.
The underside too shows some older rust and corrosion. There is also evidence of historical repairs and fresh underseal.