Last year in September I moved into a new office space in Zurich, nicely located in the center, close to the sea. It’s surrounded by mostly residential buildings, cafes, restaurants, and a few car dealerships. A perfect surrounding for someone appreciating coffee, cars and good food you might say (after all that’s why I chose the office) but as I’ve come to discover, it’s a more dangerous environment than you would think. Not because of street crime (this is Zurich after all…), nor the cinnamon buns of the local coffee shop. As you’ve guessed, it’s the car dealerships that are the problem.

You see, next to Mercedes and Audi’s small city outlets, more to think of as showrooms, there’s also a dealer specializing in the top-end classic car market. It’s called Emil Frey Classics and belongs to one of Switzerland’s largest car importers by the same name. Funnily enough, it’s in this direction my feet regularly take me, and by now the nice sales guys inside have definitely put me in the category of middle-aged men dreaming of “something above their means”. Which, in the case of the Aston Martin DB2/4 and the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing they currently have on display, is very true.

Last week however, a new car was added to the collection and hadn’t it been because it was parked on the street whilst they were re-shuffling the showroom, I may well have missed it. After all, it looked like a nice, but quite regular Mercedes-Benz SLC. However, looking at the fact sheet behind the wind shield (since nothing else would betray it), I saw that it was the ultra-rare 500 SLC, the top version of the SLC series that was only ever sold in Europe, and only built 1143 times in 1980-1981. That, together with the story the seller told me, made for an interesting lunch break!

Before we go into this specific SLC however, let’s just note that the 107 range comprised the very well-known, beautiful (R107) SL convertible (anyone else remembers the bright red one Bobby Ewing drove in “Dallas”?), and the less popular, and according to some, less beautiful (C107) SL Coupé, or SLC. What made both cars so special was the build quality and the fact that in spite of being the sports cars of the range, they would offer a ride as comfortable as the far larger MB’s of the time. That was definitely also one of the reasons why the roadster was built longer than any other MB, for all of 19 years between 1971 to 1989.

The SLC coupé was shown to the world in 1971 in Paris and would be sold for 10 years until 1981. It was built on the roadster R107 platform that had been extended by no less than 36cm, such as to offer four real seats. That does however make it somewhat unique among S-class coupés, which have otherwise always been based on the S-class chassis. The front end of the SLC up to the A-pillar is identical to the roadster, but the cabin is longer, as is best seen from the side, where the side windows end with the legendary curtains. The extension was done in a way such as to avoid a B-pillar, giving the car an elegant, unbroken glass line.

In terms of overall elegance however, not everyone agrees on the SLC being beautiful, and few MB models have been as widely discussed over the years. The curtains, the long wheelbase and the dome-like rear window are all items that didn’t really go down well with enthusiasts, and it’s not until quite recently that the mood has changed somewhat. In terms of looks, the SLC may lose to its ultra-elegant roadster sibling, but it’s still a beautiful car with great practicality and a mor relaxed ride thanks to the longer wheelbase. In other words, a true S-class coupé as you should imagine it!

In terms of engines, the range started with a 185 hp six-cylinder in the 280 SLC, but most coupés came with the eight-cylinder models called 350, 380 or 450 SLC, with the engine being the good old Mercedes cast iron V8 with 218-230 hp, depending on version. In 1978, MB then introduced the aluminium 5-litre engine that was significant in several ways, as it was built in preparation for the successor of the SLC, the SEC coupé. Power output was higher at 240 hp, and importantly, it was coupled to a four-speed automatic, far better than the 3-speed of earlier or simpler versions.

The late 70’s and early 80’s was the time of different emission regulations between Europe and the US. Don’t ask me why, but this led to the 5-litre, which was only sold in the SLC in the two final years 1980-1981, being called 450 SLC 5.0 in the US, and 500 SLC in Europe. As said, only 1147 cars of the European version were ever built, and it was one of these I stumbled upon. These were complemented by around 1.600 of the US version.

As can be seen from the pictures, the particular car I saw looks if not new, then very close to it, as explained by the fact that the previous owner, one of only two, had invested around CHF/USD 80.000 in maintenance and renovation over the last years. But it was all the more remarkable since he hadn’t only invested in the car but also driven it, so that the it has a mileage since new of no less than 260.000 km! If ever proof was needed that there was a time when literally nothing could break a Mercedes, then it was standing right in front of me!

That’s not completely true however, at least not talking about the 5-litre engine. It wasn’t only that aluminium was now used rather than cast iron, it was also that plastic had made inroads in car production, and in the rather fragile type so popular in the 70’s, had proven not to be very reliable and prone to cracking. Part of the 80.000 had thus gone into replacing the brittle plastic slide rails of the engine and some other parts. Further money had gone into the gearbox, transmission, suspension etc. You name it, it had all been done, and the car oozed of quality.

The short ride we took didn’t reveal all the facets of the car, but enough to realize that this was a very healthy machine indeed. As tends to be the case with older cars, you sit slightly higher with excellent visibility given the large window areas, and in the case of the SLC, with a big wheel in your hands, that you need to turn more than on a modern car. The engine is present somewhere in the background and won’t be stressed by anything at normal speeds. For its age, the suspension was fine, and the automatic switched as good as a 40-year old box can. Nowhere did the car feel like it had been driven all of 260.000 km!

The dealer wants CHF 60.000 for the 500 SLC, which when knowing how it drives and what’s been invested, together with how rare this version is, sounds reasonable. The issue though, is that any other SLC with another engine and less km’s, but in equally good shape, can be had for half. Also, given how rare the 500 is, it’s difficult to know what the fair value is. Looking into it a bit, it seems these a couple of these have traded very selectively at auctions at more than 100.000, then at other times, reserves haven’t been met.

Although a truly beautiful car with a great story and a great ride, the 500 SLC doesn’t really make my heart beat faster, more than seeing a great classic car in general does. If it’s your thing though, you should know that what’s probably the best car on the market is currently for sale in Zurich. And as part of my googling, I also discovered that whereas the dealer wants 59.000, the owner himself has advertised the car privately as well, at a price of 52.000, thus 8.000 lower. That’s a number that although not a bargain, sounds rather reasonable!