87 300SDL Original paint - Clear coat or not?

[jia300d]

Would anyone know if the original paint on an 87 300sdl made in Germany for the US market would have included a layer or clear coating? I am looking at this car with a faded/failed clear coat and the owner tells me that the original paint is under the clear coat. And I am not quite sure that the Germans applied a clear coat back in 1987.

[Mike D]

Doesn't make any difference in what is under the failed clear coat. It still has to be sanded, sealed and repainted. It's not like you are going to be able to polish off the failed clear coat down to a shiny "new" old finish.

It's repaint time.

[Bogeyman]

You don't mention if it a metallic or not.
In '87, metallics were clearcoated and regular colors were not.