R129 (2001) SL500 Silver Arrow No 21 of 100

[MeQ]

A rare beast, could be very nice with very little work…

2001 Mercedes SL Silver Arrow - 21 0f 100 | eBay

For those in the know "R129 Silver Arrow" are limited number collection. This vehicle is 21 of 100 commissioned with the input of Sterling Moss. Specialist "777" Silver bodywork. Two previous owners - i acquired in 2017.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Will]

I really like these, always have done but wish I had one now!

 

[BTB 500]

Never been a fan of these personally (and I've been for a ride in one). A few things to look at/sort out ... nasty exhaust and AMG badge, front bumper gaps look dubious and two previous MOT fails for nearside headlight aim (one too high, one too low), passenger door has dropped, milky hood windows, radio antenna seems to be broken. No underbonnet picture?

Looks like the certificate caught fire at some point, too

The certificate is here all singed and framed

 

[Will]

 

[Will]

On the plus side, being such a late registered R129 it’s ULEZ compliant

 

[MeQ]

The exhaust is dreadful

 

[Will]

Definitely needs some TLC and de-modding but it looks like a tidy car underneath and has low miles.

What do these usually fetch in immaculate condition? Can’t be many coming onto the market if they only sold 100?

 

[Doodle]

Tricky to judge, as you say they're not often on the market as they're all tucked away to keep the miles low and maintain the value. You have to really specifically want the Silver Arrow trim, otherwise you might as well save yourself what premium there is and buy a normal one.

 

[Will]

I think they look great

The exclusivity/collectability is also a bonus I guess

Was never particularly keen on the wheels but for some reason I prefer the looks of the whole car more now than I did back in the day.

Swap out the exhaust and remove that AMG badge and there’s not an awful lot not to like about the looks IMHO

 

[MeQ]

Definitely needs some TLC and de-modding but it looks like a tidy car underneath and has low miles.

What do these usually fetch in immaculate condition? Can’t be many coming onto the market if they only sold 100?

Almost £50k 2 years ago for an immaculate one with 6k miles.

https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/2001-mercedes-benz-r129-sl-500-silver-arrow-1

 

[BTB 500]

Was never particularly keen on the wheels but for some reason I prefer the looks of the whole car more now than I did back in the day.

Swap out the exhaust and remove that AMG badge and there’s not an awful lot not to like about the looks IMHO

Totally personal taste but I don't like all the silver interior and exterior trim (even including a chromed wind blocker!), and I'm not keen on the interior either.

This is the Silver Arrow I went for a drive in. I happened to be down at PCS in my R129 and it was in for a vibration issue. Olly suspected the (nasty ) wheels, so I let them put the Ceginus ("Evo") ones I had on my R129 back then to prove this was the cause (it was - it drove fine on my wheels):

 

[Will]

Totally personal taste but I don't like all the silver interior and exterior trim (even including a chromed wind blocker!), and I'm not keen on the interior either.

This is the Silver Arrow I went for a drive in. I happened to be down at PCS in my R129 and it was in for a vibration issue. Olly suspected the (nasty ) wheels, so I let them put the Ceginus ("Evo") ones I had on my R129 back then to prove this was the cause (it was - it drove fine on my wheels):

View attachment 155469

I do remember you posting about this at the time. The wheels are two-piece alloys.

Buckled alloy wheels - especially larger ones on heavy cars - aren’t that unusual and probably could have been repaired/refurbished relatively easily

Didn’t Stats have one of these too?

 

[poormansporsche]

Probably could have been repaired/refurbished relatively easily

Back in the day I bought a set of those ugly BBS split rims (the S Class non staggered ones) for buttons. Lepsons didn't want to touch them as the centres had a tendency to get stuck and then crack in half when pressed out. I thought how hard can it be . Ended up selling them for scrap ! The Ceginus, although not the best looking wheel on the R129 are still waaay nicer.

 

[Will]

Back in the day I bought a set of those ugly BBS split rims (the S Class non staggered ones) for buttons. Lepsons didn't want to touch them as the centres had a tendency to get stuck and then crack in half when pressed out. I thought how hard can it be . Ended up selling them for scrap ! The Ceginus, although not the best looking wheel on the R129 are still waaay nicer.

Yes the wheels are a bit quirky - split rims are totally pointless on road cars. Im guessing a nod to the motorsport/racing ethos of this model though.

If Lepsons were just worried about potential damage and you ended up scrapping the wheels anyway then I’m guessing it would have been worth a shot at disassembling anyway - nothing to lose!

The split rim AMG wheels (which obviously look great and are popular amongst enthusiasts) are known to crack too. Goes with the territory really.

Do BBS do spares for these? I’m sure there’s options

You could always swap the wheels for a different type if preferred and store the originals for future, no real harm in that

 

[BTB 500]

I do remember you posting about this at the time. The wheels are two-piece alloys.

Buckled alloy wheels - especially larger ones on heavy cars - aren’t that unusual and probably could have been repaired/refurbished relatively easily

Didn’t Stats have one of these too?

The wheels had been freshly refurbed and were OK beforehand. IIRC they had managed to powder coat the mating surface of the hubs so although the wheels were balanced the assumption was they were running fractionally out of true due to that.

Yes Stats (later Ierton) had one briefly ... I remember him fixing the illuminated sill plates.

 

[Will]

The wheels had been freshly refurbed and were OK beforehand. IIRC they had managed to powder coat the mating surface of the hubs so although the wheels were balanced the assumption was they were running fractionally out of true due to that.

You’d have thought that would have shown up when they were balanced!

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Photos taken last summer (or last time the grass looked like straw!) - has it been on sale for nearly a year?

 

[BTB 500]

Back in the day I bought a set of those ugly BBS split rims (the S Class non staggered ones) for buttons. Lepsons didn't want to touch them as the centres had a tendency to get stuck and then crack in half when pressed out. I thought how hard can it be . Ended up selling them for scrap ! The Ceginus, although not the best looking wheel on the R129 are still waaay nicer.

My R129 came (as an Approved Used) with Ceginus wheels. I managed to find a 5th as a spare - the set went to a forum member when I got my AMG I wheels.

 

[Will]

Photos taken last summer (or last time the grass looked like straw!) - has it been on sale for nearly a year?

Perhaps using photos he had already - the car is currently out of MOT so maybe in storage

 

[BTB 500]

You’d have thought that would have shown up when they were balanced!

Yes very odd. Definitely something to do with the wheels, don't know what the outcome was.