My review of the book "Factory Original Mercedes SL"

[Shvegel]

Advertised as the "Originality guide to the Mercedes Benz SL and SLC models, 1963 - 2003"  and "The comprehensive photographic guide to correct factory specifications, equipment and finishes, with all components identified and described. 

Wow! This is exactly what I need! A book of pictures showing original or correctly restored cars so I can verify that the restoration work I am doing is correct to the car.

What I got was a complete waste of money.  87 pictures 62 of which I could have taken at any car show with the hood and boot closed which leaves us with 25 pictures.  Some black and white original photos which are not too helpful for judging finish and the rest are general in trunk or under hood photos with a few shots of some engineering labels thrown in.  If I had asked someone to open their hood and trunk I could have narrowed it down to 4 pictures I couldn't have obtained.  There were zero under car pictures.  As for the documentation there really isn't anything that isn't in every other W113 book and the rest is fairly self evident.

[RonB]

Thanks for a very helpful heads up. That while I like ordering thru Amazon.

There  return policy is assume. Second to non - not what you feel is value - they return with no questions or

hassle. Prepaid postage on the return.

[Douglas]

I hate that book because there's a lot of misinformation in it. Even the pix are wrong and misleading. For example, they show a 280SL with a toolkit from a 114 sedan. It's a real disservice to future generations of enthusiasts who will see this book and assume it's the holy grail. The only part I like is the data in the back of the book. It's good to see paint codes, production dates, etc.