1999 Mercedes Benz SL500

Tony’s Take: Mercedes’ “signature” color was established in 1934, when the automotive press christened Germany’s dominant Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix motor racing cars “the silver arrows.” When it comes to the R129 (’89 – ’01) Mercedes-Benz SL500, silver and black were considered gentleman’s colors. Red continued the car’s keep-it-on-the-DL nickname as the “mistresses Mercedes.” Here we have a black swan: a Sunburst Yellow over black Nappa leather 500SL with the AMG package (including 18″ five-spoke wheels).

As I mentioned, I’ve always liked this generation SL, the model Mercedes designer Bruno Sacco called his “most perfect car.” With its 5.0 liter V8 delivering 302 horsepower and 339 lb-ft of torque, the SL500 isn’t the top dog – all hail the 12-cylinder SL600! But this heavyweight Sports Licht Mercedes zooms from zero to second in a hair over six seconds – .1 seconds behind the SL600. More than that, all this gen SL’s have what the Germans call Uberholt Prestige – a car that deserves to pass you on the Autobahn.

This one’s in excellent condition, a Sunday driver. At 23-years-old with 33k miles on the clock, that’s a paltry 1434 miles per year. It’s got the original Bose Sound System and doesn’t suffer from the common – and fixable – faded LCD display. You wanna bet it does all the money? A gorgeous silver 500SL with 27k did $55k. I wouldn’t be shocked if this car did the same with 10k more miles. Downside: Don’t get the shifter mechanism wet. The car won’t go into gear.