“Is that who I think it is?” I had seen the same white R129 Mercedes-Benz SL with chrome wheels a few days before when one of my coworkers was leaving the office in it. Could this be his car at the 2026 Concours in the Hills (read about the event here) or did somebody else in metro Phoenix have the exact same SL? I walked deeper into Fountain Park toward the massive tree that towered over the car to find out.
I had another reason to get close to the ingot-like roadster. I’ve always found the R129 generation of the SL attractive, but I’ve never gotten close to one. On the rare occasion I do see one out and about, I have to admire its crisp lines from afar. Introduced at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show as the successor to the long-running R107 SL, the R129 combined a sharp, angular exterior with updated luxury features and modern safety technology, such as a roll bar that automatically popped up in the case of a rollover. Over the course of its nearly decade-and-a-half lifespan, the SL was available with six-, eight-, and even 12-cylinder engines. There are three main phases — with their associated design, feature, and powertrain updates — in the R129’s timeline: 1990-1995 (the model letters and numbers swapped spots in June 1993), 1996-1998, and 1999-2002. Over the years, the R129 looked progressively more chiseled and leaner and sleeker, but I prefer the softer, more relaxed first-series models (especially with two-tone paint jobs) because they remind me of the cars successful LA attorneys or hit record producers in the ’90s would drive (and I mean that in the best way possible).
As I walked closer to the white SL at the concours, I got the answer to my question. Sitting next to it was Jared Houston, a videographer for Barrett-Jackson who works just down the hall from me. The R129 had been on his radar ever since he was a kid back in the 1990s, but several other cars preceded the purchase of his 1992 500SL, which is equipped with an M119 5.0-liter, 32-valve, DOHC V8 and a four-speed automatic. Jared told me he has eclectic tastes, which led him to buying everything from a Chevrolet C10 and a Lotus Elise to a Mazda Miata and a camo-wrapped Fiat 500 Abarth in the past. He found his SL in the nearby city of Gilbert at a price he couldn’t pass up. With 88,000 miles on the odometer, it’s not a mothballed time capsule of a car, but the condition of its monotone paint, blue leather interior, and shiny 16-inch wheels made the first 8 in that number seem more like a 4.
According to Jared, the previous owner handed over a lot of paperwork, documentation, and spare parts, including the original headlight wipers, which Jared reinstalled just in time for the Concours. He also made sure to add a set of lowering springs as well as an aftermarket head unit and a subwoofer, both of which he’ll use to bump a ’90s music playlist as he cruises in comfort. Jared even had a set of forged, staggered-width AMG monoblock-style wheels made for his SL, but a little more fine tuning is needed to get them to fit just right. It’s a good thing Jared’s SL also came with a body-color hardtop because the hydraulics for the power soft top went out. Fortunately, he can still lower and raise the roof (speaking of the 1990s!) manually.
Like me, Jared is a little nostalgic for the 1990s. When he’s out on the road in his SL, he enjoys passing people in other vehicles from the era, such as an Isuzu Trooper or a Lincoln Mark VIII. However, Jared’s SL firmly connects him to the present, too. Yes, it’s a car he describes as “beautiful” and “classic yet modern,” but to Jared, it’s also an expression of the ebb and flow of life. Most importantly, following Jared’s involuntary hiatus from cars, the SL is a necessary part of his journey as both an enthusiast and a person.
