As evidenced by its original sales invoice, this exceptional Signal Red over Palomino two-top Mercedes-Benz 560 SL was purchased new by its first owner, Albert A. Kishbaugh in August of 1989 from Mercedes-Benz of Wilmington, Delaware. Amazingly, Mr. Kishbaugh enjoyed the car for nearly three decades before he decided to pass it onto its second keeper in 2018. During that time the car was kept exclusively in his climate-controlled garage at his lake house in South Carolina and used only for special occasions, or weekend drives when the weather allowed.

Its condition today is remarkable; factory chalk lines remain visible on the underside and areas of the Cosmoline waxoyl protection are still present. The paintwork is also nearly entirely original and on the inside the interior is in finely conserved condition and complete, including the original Becker Grand Prix radio set. Its history file shows a lifetime of care and attention and includes the aforementioned original purchase invoice from Mercedes Benz of Wilmington and a hand-written mileage log.

It has covered just over 20,000 miles to date and benefits from a sympathetic overhaul in 2019, which included the replacement of engine and subframe mounts, a transmission service that included replacement of the gear linkage bushing, as well as new fuel pumps and filters. Its most recent service was a full fluids service in 2020 that included engine oil, rear hydraulics flush, cooling system flush and power steering system flush. It is important to note that the accompanying Carfax report shows damage to the left front in 2017, which was reported to be a fender-bender in a construction zone. The left front fender was replaced professionally as a result. All other panels retain factory VIN stickers.

Accompanied by its factory hard top, both original keys, handbooks and complete OEM toolkit, this V8 powered R107 ‘klasse’ Mercedes SL ought to catch the eye of any enthusiast or collector. The R107 is following in the footsteps of the W113 Pagoda SLs in terms of value and the larger engine cars are becoming sought after; few are likely to be more desirable than this example.