Thanks for your reply MD. Since my last post, I took the car to a mercedes mechanic with a good reputation and he said that the car is in very sound condition and that's it a bit of a mystry to him too excepting, that the top end has been done and that perhaps the other cover had been lost or stolen. The only thing discovered was a very slight amount of oil seepage from the lower rear corner of the right head. He said that it is common to see such on 380 motors and that yes... it is a 380... even he found no reason for the 560 badge.

So, I'm happy and will buy the car. I really do think though, that I'd be laughed at about the time I offered 5K! But who knows?

Walt