Hello,
Yes and no. The European and US R107 are not quite identical when it comes to saftey and emission equipments.
The US R107 is fitted with side impact bars inside the doors, hideous sealed beam headlamp clusters with side reflective markers, massive
5-mph bumpers with turn signal indicators and fog lamps anchoring underneath the front bumpers, taillamps with red side reflective markers, 85-mph speedometer (for a few years, thanks to idiotic Ms Claybrook), closed petrol system (with charcoal filter canister to absorb the vapours), ad nauseam.However, if the 280SL is already brought to the USA in the 1980s and converted to meet US regulations, be careful. Some of importers falsify the documentations proving the complicance or carry out poor quality conversion work. The common phenomenon is fires from improper fitment or equipment. I won't touch those ones.
Now, if the 280SL is found in Europe at the moment, you can import it under exemption for 25-year-old models. However, you MUST have the emission control brought up to 1979 EPA emission level. That shouldn't be difficult because 2,8-litre straight six motors had been sold in USA. It is matter of finding the garage or registered importer to carry out the emission complicance.
The parts are ridiculously easy to obtain for those models, even for ECE version of Mercedes-Benz. My father brought his 1977 450SEL to Dallas, Texas in 1982 under now-defunct personal exemption. We had no problems obtaining parts for ECE version of 450SEL. We got lot of attention in early 1980s with headlamp washers/wipers as well as ECE headlamps (that was before US DOT finally allows the aerodynamic or form-fitting headlamps in 1983).
Oliver
Mr. A wrote: