Mercedes-Benz 280 SL to 560 SL (R 107)
The classic car convertible is still extremely popular today.
Cologne “We will adore it as if it had gull-wing doors,” predicted experts when the Mercedes-Benz SL R 107 series was phased out in 1989. The 280 SL to 560 SL series, which had been built for almost two decades, can be compared to the legend of the 300 SL Gullwing Although not measured, the luxurious and airy two-seater, which was presented for the first time exactly 50 years ago, is now in pole position in the German registration ranking of vintage convertibles with H license plates.
A total of around 22,000 Mercedes-Benz SLs of the R 107 series are currently registered with historical license plates, and thus they even outclass the Zuffenhausen superstar, the Porsche 911.
Perhaps then as now it is the same mix of full-size V8 fascination (the six-cylinder SL served as an entry-level model), shiny chrome, glamorous shapes with a safe image and the sensual experience of open-top driving with the sky in view that created the successor to the pagoda roof launched in 1971. SL is irresistible for wealthy open-air enthusiasts, Gran Turismo fans and women.
In fact, the most-produced type, the 450 SL, found more female buyers than any of its competitors in the main US market. The R 107 roadster series also occupies a top position as a film star: More than 1,400 appearances in TV series and blogbusters from “Dallas” to “Miami Vice” to the latest Schmonzetten like Inga Lindström demonstrate the timeless popularity of this star bearer.
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With over 237,000 units, the R 107 also advanced to become the most-produced SL of all time as a technology carrier. The first 350 SL with a 147 kW / 200 hp V8, unveiled at the beginning of 1971, provided glimpses of the future.
Not only was the use of a V8 new for the SL series at the time, the 350 SL with its modern semi-trailing arm rear axle, an interior that was consistently designed according to safety criteria and striking design details such as large-area rear lights ribbed to protect against dirt and horizontal headlights with widely drawn turn signals was an early harbinger the S-Class W 116 presented at the end of 1972.
Mercedes-Benz 350 SL series R107 from 1971
Elongated nobleman on wheels.
Mercedes-Benz 450 SL R107 series
With a gasoline engine optimized for methanol, the 1974 model had an output of 252 hp.
Above all, however, the SL refuted all skeptics who predicted a sales ban for the supposedly unsafe convertibles in the USA. At a time when roll bar-free convertibles were threatened with extinction, the R-107 series, with its new safety technology, blew warm wind into the cooled topless segment.
Thanks to the glued-in windshield for increased body stability and massive A-pillars with a hollow cross-section, the SL offered amazing safety reserves even in the event of a rollover. While established fresh-air competitors such as Corvette and Jaguar E-Type V12 painted the sun sails in the mid-1970s and the light of the American sunshine states shone into the cockpits of strong athletes only through Targa concepts, Mercedes celebrated spectacular sales successes with the SL.
The US trade press even compared the 450 SL (165 kW / 225 PS) available in this country from 1973 with furious sporty icons such as the Ferrari Dino and Porsche 911, but then gave the heavyweight from Stuttgart its very own class. After all, the two-seater, which weighed more than two tons when loaded (there were optional emergency seats), ignored the original meaning of the type abbreviation SL (“sporty-light”). On the other hand, it was available with a weighty coupe roof for year-round use.
The media therefore called the sportiest Mercedes of the time, “armored car” or “mad safe”, which also debuted in October 1971 as a four-seater SLC coupé. These SLC types, from the early 350 SLC to the final 500 SLC in 1981, had a wheelbase that was 36 centimeters longer and were eventually replaced by the coupés of the W 126 S-Class.
Before that, however, they even shone in motorsport, where they demonstrated their dynamism and ability to win in legendary long-distance races such as the Bandama and South America rallies. In contrast, with the Roadster it was also the wide range of drives that made the charismatic all-rounder more desirable than any rival.
When the first oil crisis sent the luxury sports market into a depression in 1974, Mercedes responded with the basic 280 SL and 136 kW / 185 hp six-cylinder. Exhaust gas cleaning systems were already in place for North America, and in Europe the SL was the very first luxury-class convertible with a catalytic converter from the mid-1980s.
Mercedes-Benz 450 SL R107 series
Even in the USA, the open-top Mercedes became a hit in 1979.
Mercedes-Benz Coué 500 SLC series C107
From 1980 the model continued the tradition of the series.
At this point in time, new light metal V8s had already arrived under the large hood of the straight-line status symbol for the rich and beautiful in Beverly Hills, Cannes, Mayfair and Munich. The type designations 380 SL, 420 SL, 500 SL and 560 SL each indicated the displacement, but not the performance hierarchy. The most powerful V8 was the 500 SL with an output of 177 kW / 240 PS, while the 560 SL, which is not available in this country, complied with the strict emission limits in the USA and Japan with extensive exhaust gas cleaning.
In contrast, the six-cylinder 300 SL launched in 1985 quoted the iconic model code of the gullwing from 1954, which drove up the sales figures of the star cruiser, which was already aged at the time. Some collectors believed that they had a safe investment in their garage with the new 300 SL.
Three engines in the stylish open touring car – only the contemporary rubber spoiler on the rear of the 500 SL was controversial – by the way, showed a pioneering spirit that was too far ahead of its time. The R 107 with its low-emission methanol drive remained a test vehicle, as did the SL with an efficient five-cylinder turbo diesel, but so did all the research cars with the exceptionally powerful rotary piston engines.
Mercedes-Benz 380 SL R107 series
The variant is still considered a modern classic today.
In fact, the transmission and cardan tunnel of the R 107 were designed from the start for the greater installation height of the Wankel engines, which were planned as three- and four-disc units. However, the higher consumption and emission values compared to the reciprocating engine meant that chief engineer Hans Scherenberg stopped development, which did not prevent the rotary piston inventor Felix Wankel from implanting a 235 kW / 320 hp four-disc engine in his private car.
For comparison: the first German post-war V12 in the BMW 850i presented in 1989 offered “only” 221 kW / 300 PS. In that year, however, the SL cleared the field for its successor, the R 129 series.
In an era when classic convertibles were threatened with extinction, the R 107 achieved a roadster revival in the form of a comfortably tuned and groundbreaking safe Gran Turismo with a removable hardtop. Whether airbags, ABS or the on-board computer known as the “travel computer”, the “forever” built R 107 adapted almost all the technological advances of the W 116 and W 126 S-Class generations.
High-tech in baroque splendor, this mix was appreciated by over 237,000 fresh air fans who enthroned the Mercedes R 107 as the eternal bestseller of the seven-generation series. SL number eight is already ready to go, perfectly fitting for the 50th birthday of the R 107.
timeline
1951: Board decision to build and use a new competition sports car, the first SL
1952: Presentation of the 300 SL on March 12th on a section of the Stuttgart-Heilbronn motorway. In May he competed in the Mille Miglia (places 2 and 4) and won the GP in Bern. Victory at Le Mans in June and at the Panamericana in Mexico in November
1954: The 300 SL and 190 SL models celebrate their world premiere in New York in February. Production start-up for the 300 SL with gull-wing doors and sheet steel body in August
1963: Production discontinued for the 190 SL and 300 SL, now as a roadster. The 230 SL of the so-called pagoda roof series (W 113 series) celebrates its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March
1968: The future SL of the R 107 series are intended from the outset for use with three-disc and four-disc rotary piston engines, which provide more power than the conventional reciprocating piston engines. In 1968, a prototype of the SL series W 113 with a three-disc Wankel successfully covered almost 70,000 kilometers, but the following R 107 with a Wankel engine did not go into series production due to excessive fuel consumption and emissions
1970: Pre-series production of the 350 SL (R 107 series) begins in November. In order to avoid a fixed roll bar, the SL of the R 107 series has A-pillars with a glued-on windshield that is 50 percent stronger
1971: The 350 SL is presented to the press in April. The design idiom of the R 107 is style-defining for the Mercedes-Benz design of the new decade, in particular the R 107 anticipates many features of the S-Class introduced in 1972. The 450 SL will be produced for North America from June, although initially it will be sold under the name 350 SL. In the summer testing of SL with four-disc rotary engine. The 350 SLC sports coupe is presented at the Paris Motor Show in October. The design of the front end of the SLC is identical to that of the SL. Up to the windshield, its exterior corresponds to that of the roadster. The coupé cabin has four seats, the wheelbase is 2.82 meters instead of 2.46 meters and the louvers on the rear side windows are striking
Mercedes-Benz 500 SL R107 series
The model was built from 1985 – as one of the last of its kind.
1972: Market launch of the Mercedes-Benz 350 SLC (C 107 series)
1973: From March the 450 SL can also be ordered in Germany, but the development of the rotary piston engine is not pursued any further. The 450 SLC is also new. With 66,298 units, the 450 SL built from 1971 to October 1980 is the most popular R 107. 67 percent of 450 SL production is exported to the USA. From model year 1974 the SL for the US market is available with exhaust gas recirculation and only 190 SAE-PS, in the California version even only 180 SAE-PS. From model year 1975 the California version was built for the entire USA, with model year 1980 only 160 SAE-PS are available, which is sufficient for 180 km / h Vmax. From May 1973 automatic seat belts and head restraints were standard in the SL
1974: Test cars with methanol drive increase the output to 185 kW / 252 PS, but do not go into series production. The basic six-cylinder versions 280 SL and 280 SLC will be delivered in July
1975: Sales of the 450 SL flourished in the USA and were advertised there under the slogan “Freedom for two”. Despite the recession, Mercedes experienced a record year in the USA with 45,259 new registrations, including 6,015 Mercedes 450 SL and 1,563 Mercedes 450 SLC. In a comparison test with the Porsche 911 and Corvette, Jaguar E-Type V12 and Ferrari Dino, the 450 SL was praised as a sporty class of its own in early 1974
1977: The new top-of-the-range SLC model is the 450 SLC 5.0 from August 1978: A Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC wins the South America rally and places two and four are also occupied by the 450 SLC
1979: The S-Class of the W 126 series is presented and the SL / SLC receive a facelift that brings a technical and visual approach. These include 18 new series paint finishes. At the Kenya rally, 450 SLC 5.0 took second and sixth place. The Bandama rally brings Mercedes-Benz a four-fold victory
1980: The 380 SL and 500 SL premiered at the Geneva Motor Show with new light-alloy engines as the successors to the 350 SL and 450 SL. Also new are the corresponding 380 SLC and the V8 sold as 450 SLC or 500 SLC. ABS has been available since March and an optional four-speed automatic replaces the previous three-speed automatic. The front spoiler typical of the 450 SLC 5.0 up to that point is of benefit to all types. Mercedes-Benz finished the Safari Rally in Kenya with third, sixth and tenth places
Mercedes-Benz 560 SL R107 series
USA version from 1985.
1981: In September, new and modified engines are introduced with up to ten percent less fuel consumption than their predecessors. The successor to the SLC (C 107) is the SEC of the W 126 series
1982: From January the SL models are available with an optional driver airbag and belt tensioner for the front passenger. A 300 SL with a 3.0-liter turbo diesel is being tested in North America. But this with a negative result and so the market launch planned for 1986 does not take place
1984: The cinema blogbuster Beverly Hills Cop is advertised on posters with a red 560 SL as the leading actor in the car, just like the previous box office hit “American Gigolo” and countless TV series. In total, the R 107 has made over 1,400 film appearances to date. Whether “Dallas”, “Hard but warm”, “Starsky & Hutch”, “Miami Vice”, “The A-Team” or the James Bond adventure “Never say never”, at least one Mercedes-Benz R 107 showed its presence in the stripes
1985: Major model updates for all SLs with new seats, a new front spoiler and fine-tuning of the center console, doors and reinforcements. Also new engines. The six-cylinder 300 SL replaced the 280 SL, the 420 SL with a 4.2-liter V8 engine replaced the 380 SL. The 560 SL went into production as the successor to the 380 SL for North America, Japan and Australia. In the USA, 38 percent of SL buyers are women, with the successor R 129 only one in five buyers is female
1987: Donald J. Trump, later President of the USA, buys a 560 SL from Sovereign Mercedes-Benz of Brooklyn, New York, which Ivana Trump later took to Florida after the divorce and which was sold as a used car in Germany 30 years later . Trump is in the almost endless list of prominent Americans who bought a Mercedes-Benz R 107 in the 1970s and 1980s
1989: On August 4th, the last roadster in the R 107 series, a red 500 SL, rolls off the assembly line in Sindelfingen. Then he finds a place of honor in the Mercedes-Benz Museum. World premiere for the subsequent SL series R 129 in March at the Geneva Motor Show 2019: Exactly 30 years after the end of production, the last SL vehicles in the R 107 series are now also H license plate candidates. In the H license plate registration statistics, the SL ranks first among convertibles
2021: The Mercedes-Benz SL (R 107) turns 50 and the manufacturer is preparing the start of a completely new generation of the SL series for this anniversary
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