Mercedes Benz 450SLC 1979. Original Arctic silver. Blue leather interior. Australian-delivered. Right-hand drive. Powerful 4.5-litre V8 engine. Good condition. Factory original. Classic car with potential price gain in the coming years. Grand tourer. Daily driver. Arrive and drive. Built on a longer wheelbase, the coupé accommodates 2 rear seat passengers and provides greater boot space than the better-known 450SL roadster. Engine has been overhauled to factory-grade. Trace lineage of 450SLC to 1955 Mercedes Benz 300SLR Uhlenhaut coupe (which sold for Euro135 million in 2022). Video link for 450SLC used in Mille Miglia 1000 car rally in Dubai, UAE 2023 by Jodie Kidd (Kidd in a Sweet Shop): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kmARDFsZx4 Late-model, fully internal combustion, big-engine, blue-chip heritage car with 80 percent sell-through rate at North American, European and UK auctions. Contact author via LinkedIn to add to your prized car collection, or curate/ source exclusive investment assets for your private collection.

1. Labour
of Love
Author: Fon Hah | Photography: Fon Hah and Mercedes-Benz Media |
The purpose of this story is to highlight
the challenges and opportunities that
arose once a decision was made
to perform an engine overhaul of a
classic Mercedes-Benz. Whilst this has
temporarily taken me away from being
able to enjoy wonderful events as a
Club member, | am looking forward to
participating in future driving trips with
fellow members.
The Mercedes-Benz 450SLC_ is
a quiet achiever. It doesn’t steal the
limelight, although auctions have dealt
with these specific model vehicles that
were once owned by Elvis Presley
(model 1974, Julien’s Auctions), Diego
Maradona (model 1980, Bonhams
Auctioneers) and Peter Sellers (model
1978, Historics Auctioneers). The
A50SLC is also one of the earlier
descendants of the 1955 Mercedes-
Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé which
sold for a record price of 135 million
EUR in 2022.
The 450SLC is an underdog in the
Classic Car market. There were 31,740
of these vehicles that were produced
out of a global total of 62,888 SLCs
(comprising of 280SLCs, 350SLCs
and 450SLCs) manufactured between
1971 to 1980. Most were exported
from Germany to North America
and Europe.
What is great about owning a 1979
Australian-delivered 450SLC is. that
you get to preserve it for the next
generation, whilst enjoying its rare
and inimitable character as a robust
grand tourer, which is particularly
suited to our big and beautiful Country.
(Note that the Mercedes-Benz 450SLC
was a star of the 1978 long-distance
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rally “Vuelta a la América del Sud”
in South America (covering 29,000
km), with the late Scotsman, Andrew
Cowan, being the winner).
During 2023, one aspect of
ownership of a 450SLC involved the
restoration of its V8 engine.
Based on common practice, the
starting point was to replace the timing
chain and the related tensioner. Upon
inspection of the physical condition
that revealed normal wear and tear,
additional components of quality were
replaced as follows: 16 rocker arms,
2 camshafts, and camshaft sprockets.
These were readily sourced from the
used OEM after-market in Australia.
The second phase focused on
the moderately high level of the
temperature gauge. Based on a
conventional approach, the radiator
was removed, cleaned and cleared.
The thermostat was replaced. And yet,
for diagnostic purposes, the infrared
thermometer showed the coolant was
still not circulating fully throughout the
reconditioned radiator.
So, the engine was removed
from the vehicle and taken apart for
inspection. It was discovered that
the passages in the cylinder heads
were partially blocked and _ had
suffered from corrosion. Moreover, the
cylinder heads had been previously
machined — as is common practice
— to restore surface flatness for fitting
over the engine block. However, this
had been carried out unevenly so
that one cylinder head was milled
to a greater depth than the other by
millimetres, affecting compression
pressure in the combustion chamber.
Sourcing replacement cylinder heads
was necessary. Also, the engine block
was chemically cleaned to remove;
blocked passages caused by carbon
deposits.
The engine was duly reassembled
and pressure tested to ensure
the restoration resulted in a_high-
performance — internal combustion
engine, factory-grade. Whilst the
engine restoration was more involved
than expected, it was rewarding.
It has been beneficial to gain a
historical perspective on engineering
achievements of our time, particularly
given the erratic electrification and
HGS
technological developments of current
times.
Having gone the ‘extra-mile’ with
preventative maintenance, it was clear
that the engine can be readily restored
due to its mechanical nature. Of course,
a reputable specialist mechanical
business was engaged in Sydney to
perform the works.
“Authenticity is a core value of
Mercedes-Benz Classic,” said Michael
Bock, former Head of Mercedes-Benz
Classic.
In conclusion, the Mercedes-Benz
A50SLC is a durable Classic and lives
on stronger for longer.