German title
Chassis no. 107 026 12 000 628

- Genuine Mercedes works rally car
- The only privately-owned Mercedes 500 SLC rally car
- As it was when it finished 5th on the 1980 Bandama Rally
- Ex-Collection Claude Picasso
- Original registration plates
- Fabulous WRC career

This car is exceptional on account of its history with Mercedes, the fact that it was one of the first series of official works Mercedes since the tragic accident at Le Mans in 1955 and because it is the only 500 SLC rally car in private ownership.
Registered on 2 February 1979 in the name of Daimler-Benz AG with the number S-DP 1908, it was one of five cars with consecutive chassis numbers (626-630) built by the competition department as 450 SLC 5.0 rally cars to take part in the 1979 World Rally Championship. It achieved good results (including some wins) in the hands of the works drivers Vic Preston and Björn Waldegård. After this first series of five cars, two other cars were prepared (836 and 837). At the end of the 1979 season, chassis no. 836 was sold and all the other cars, except for no. 628, were destroyed by the factory due to the introduction of the new Mercedes 500.

At the same time as the new 500 went into production, car no. 628 was re-homologated by the factory for the 1980 season as the rally-spec 500 SLC and was used for homologation by the FIA. A total of six further 500 SLCs were built for the 1980 season.

This car, chassis no. 628, competed in the WRC (World Rally Championship) in 1979 and 1980 as part of the works team. In 1979, it was assigned to Vic Preston Jr, who had to retire on the Safari Rally in Kenya, where the best 450 SLC was that of Mikkola, who finished second. The Mercedes team made up for this at the end of the year when they claimed the first four places on the Bandama-Ivory Coast Rally; Vic Preston Jr came home fourth, nearly two hours ahead of the fifth-placed Toyota Celica, driven by Ove Andersson.
In 1980, after it had been converted to 500 SLC spec, the car could be seen in July on the Rally Argentina, with Björn Waldegård at the wheel, but he had to retire when a universal joint failed. Mercedes finished the 1980 season on a high, when it landed first, second and fifth places on the Bandama-Ivory Coast Rally. It was car no. 628, driven by Vic Preston Jr, that finished fifth at the end of an event which saw only 11 survivors from more than 50 cars at the start. It would be the works team's last rally. Films of the Bandama Rally in 1979 and 1980 can be seen on the internet, with some amazing images of the Mercedes dancing on the track and of Waldegård behind the wheel ...

After the 1980 season, Mercedes decided to withdraw from rallying in 1981, despite the good results it had achieved. As a result, five cars were destroyed by the factory, and only chassis no. 628 and 2128, with their rallying numbers 6 and 8 from the Bandama were kept and displayed side-by-side in the Mercedes Museum. While no. 628 (no. 6 on the Bandama Rally) was sold in 2005 to Claude Ruiz Picasso (who didn't register or use the car), no. 2128 still belongs to the museum. This therefore makes car no. 628 the only privately-owned 500 SLC rally car. On 30 April 2019, it was sold to its second private owner, a Belgian collector.

This car (chassis no. 628) is today in extremely rare original condition for a competition car. It has its complete original engine and transmission and has never been involved in an accident. It is in exactly the state it was at the end of the Bandama Rally in the Ivory Coast in December 1980. All its stickers and markings are still present, and all the extra equipment including the communications system and special jack remain in the car, which still has its factory registration number and period number plates.

The rally cars were built and assembled in the 'Versuchsabteilung' (R&D department) and were prepared in such a way that they were radically different from the standard production 500 SLCs. The factory documentation shows the changes that were made, with the use of lightweight components, different mechanical and technical features, an aluminium engine producing more than 330 bhp and full rally specifications (including a roll cage, front protection bar, additional lights, reinforced suspension, larger brake discs, protective underbody fairing, special radiator, brake balance control (adjustable by hand), hydraulic handbrake, special steering wheel, communications system, twin lightweight batteries, manual window winders, OMP bucket seats, special windscreen washer, large water tank, dual fuel system, 120-litre fibreglass fuel tank, special intake system, interior ventilation, special jacks and more).

A file including documents from the factory and the FIA, correspondence and invoices confirm the car's identity and unique characteristics. These documents are accompanied by a large number of period rally photos, two YouTube films on the Bandama Rally etc. We invite potential buyers to consult them, in order to realise their importance.
Never publicly offered for sale until now, this is a unique opportunity to acquire an official Mercedes rally car, an out-and-out competition machine specially prepared for a season of rallies.

Full catalogue and more photos https://www.artcurial.com/en/sale-4315-retromobile-2023-artcurial-motorcars