Wheeler Dealers Where Are They Now? Part 12 - Mercedes Benz 280SL & Lotus Esprit

[@GarryJohnson68]

I also saw the Esprit in Gibraltar, still on UK plates. I have a photo of it somewhere.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Garry if you could find that it would be epic. We are putting together an update episode on all the new information that's come out since we released the videos.

[@legioner9]

I'd say the Mercedes is still around, like 90% sure. People do not usually throw SLs away. As for the Lotus, man ... that car sure had a hard life. It really deserves a caring owner.

[@Parknest]

The R107 is one of the best Mercs ever made (up there with the W123) and is very desirable. My local Merc dealer (Mercedes-Benz of Bradford) has an immaculate 1984 R107 380SL (B796 DCP) on display.

[@StreetSoldierUK]

And a leaderboard for today’s prices

[@StreetSoldierUK]

You should do a leaderboard for the most profit and the most loss

[@oscarsgarage447]

Maybe at the end of this series.

[@andrewbowen4544]

Mike and Edd did Auto Traders. Which I liked

[@philtowle4683]

Is it too cold in the garage

[@oscarsgarage447]

We don't fake anything here... :-)

[@oscarsgarage447]

Yes, bloomin freezing

[@darthvirago]

Is the Lotus the one Mike drove around a car park in the rain as it had no MOT, but when he got it back to Edd it was covered in dust like it had been in a barn for some time? Looks like they did the Edd shoot before the buying it carpark shoot.

[@Trevor7Spot]

Don"t knock it, barn dust adds to the selling price

[@darthvirago]

@@Trevor7Spot In the real world it does add to a classic find but it shows on WD things aren't filmed in order.

[@Markycarandbikestuff]

I thought the whole program was fake/staged (as with a lot of these shows), i heard a while ago the cars were bought at auction, garage trade ins etc then the "buyer" at the end was a member of the WD crew.

[@dancollier9837]

Might well have been in a storage unit after the TV company bought it because they probs filmed the arriving at the worksop multiple cars at a time. Plus garage dust makes the car look more unloved and in need of work so by the end the car naturally looks better because its clean

[@DavidJones-wx4im]

There was an episode of Death In Paradise featuring a Mercedes SL and it was exactly the same colour. If the WD car was exported it maybe the same car!!!

[@oscarsgarage447]

Maybe, very difficult to find out...

[@squareyes1981]

Any other requests to find Vivian’s Anglia from the Young Ones??

[@oscarsgarage447]

Not yet... however I imagine it was a vehicle close to its end of life back then.

[@ianmontgomery7534]

Do MOT records reflect the VIN for the car? (I am Australian)

[@oscarsgarage447]

Yes, at MoT time the tester will check the VIN matches the current number plate. However you need the VIN number to do a search that way round.

[@Snarl616]

I'm pretty sure I've seen that WRD212Y registration on other WD cars. I thought that was a fake number plate.

[@oscarsgarage447]

Will keep an eye out, but it did come back as a MB

[@ianmontgomery7534]

Does the UK have trade plates? Dealers use them in Australia for moving unregistered cars around - it is a portable third party insurance.

[@barryrathbone]

The FSM Syrena was WRD243Y so maybe that’s the confusion?

[@dancollier9837]

I'm guessing they register them WRD for an abbreviation of wheeler dealers maybe as a inside joke or easter egg so to speak 😅

[@oscarsgarage447]

Yes they do, they are red letters on a white background.

[@ezoray]

The Esprit episode always bothered me because the engine was smoking before they bought it and when they sold it.

[@AldershotDave]

What a shame that when a car is exported, the exporter doesn't have to state where the car is going!

[@oscarsgarage447]

I will write DVLA one of my strongly worded letters...

[@garyestcourt2377]

What happened to the Bentley Mulsanne turbo 🤔

[@oscarsgarage447]

Only a couple of weeks to wait on that - it was the last car in this series!

[@garyestcourt2377]

@@oscarsgarage447 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@jeremywentworth1833]

Wouldn't be surprised if the SL is in Spain with someone who spends part of the time here the Rest in Spain unless it was just sold to someone who lived in Europe.

[@kenpickles7705]

One car should look for. Thats02 white range rover. Sold 10k

[@AldershotDave]

MOTs should be logged against the VIN number, so as people can find it regardless of its number plate!

[@oscarsgarage447]

It would make my life soooo much easier!

[@philtowle4683]

The Merc was well out of the 5k budget

[@ysbx]

I swear the lotus has the number plate from the red porsche 924 from series 1 or 2

[@oscarsgarage447]

That was GWL496Y

[@ysbx]

@@oscarsgarage447 oh it was so similar, thank you

[@diydave3034]

Might be a complete coincidence but doesn’t Mike Brewer own a dealership in Sheffield. Might he have bought the car back?

[@oscarsgarage447]

Believe he started that a while after this programme was filmed.

[@DavidJones-wx4im]

The dealership in Sheffield had the Ford Mustang in there even though it was supposed to have been sold.

[@jeremywentworth1833]

Mike's had Mike Brewer motors on Brammall Road for years .

[@jeroenorriens2590]

Jurgen from burgen!

[@kenpickles7705]

We’re s white range rover 2002: sold 10k

[@oscarsgarage447]

We will get to it!

[@snacklofter]

👍👍