Description Four owners, the third for 37 years; fabulous colour scheme; recently recommissioned following a dozen years in storage; use-and-improve condition; lots to like about this one Launched in 1971, the SLC Coupe was a big bruiser of a car in the finest Mercedes tradition.

It was in its element charging down the fast lane of the autobahn scaring the wits out of English tourists by shooting past their weedy Allegros at almost double their maximum speed.

About the only car ever to be adapted from a roadster into a tin-top, it was based on the SL convertible but was stretched a few inches and had better handling thanks to its much stiffer structure.

Indeed it proved just how tough it was by its impressive performance in gruelling long-distance rallies, including a win on the South America Rally of 1978 and second place on the East Africa Safari.

Fantastically strong and stable at speed, it also made a great endurance racer, as anyone who saw the brutishly handsome AMG ‘Mampe’ 4...