******************************* The Mercedes Logo, Did You Know? ****************************** There are a number of mechanical devices which increase sexual arousal, particularly in women.
MERCEDES-BENZ 350/450/380/560 SLs BY PETER BOHR They called it der Panzerwagen. The "armored car", as it translated from the Teutonic tongue, wouldn't seem to be a very dignified name for an automobile that's become one of the most coveted status symbols of our times. But those in Mercedes-Benz engineering who coined the moniker for the new 350SL had a point. Compared with the lovely, svelte 280SL that it was to replace, the 350SL did indeed look brutishly impregnable. Of course, given the regulatory climate at the dawn of the Seventies, that was the point, Mercedes engineers knew the new design would have to meet not only the desires of consumers, but also the safety (and emissions) standards of U.S. lawmakers. The 350SL ended up heavier and less efficient that the 280SL of the Sixties, far less sporting than the legendary 300SL of the fifties, and almost homely next to the two previous beauties. Yet the design worked-- so gloriously, in fact, that it persisted almost unchanged for nearly two decades, selling about a quarter of a million copies along the way. Unfortunately for poor but enthusiastic SL fanciers, prices also rose along the way, by about 500 percent -- from $10,500 in 1972 to $ 64,200 in 1989. But now, for us less monied enthusiast, there's been a happy confluence of events that has made owning an SL affordable. Thanks to the introduction of the current 300/500SL, the nation's sluggish economy and the vast numbers of these SLs on the market, you can put a fine example in your garage for a little as $12,000. Intrigued? Then read on. SL foibles In affluent Newport Beach California, home of R&T, residents drive "Newport-Beach-Chevys" elsewhere know as Mercedes-Benzes. And in the area around our offices, there seems to be a Mercedes mechanic on every block. Steve Marx, owner of Marx Mercedes Service, and Rod Curha, owner of Dan's Automotive Service, are two of the most knowledgeable. We culled their wisdom regarding the purchase of an older SL. And we also turned to a nearby Costa Mesa resident for advise, Doug Rugg, proprietor of an independent used Mercedes dealership, DR imports. The well-heeled usually choose their status symbols for compelling reasons, and these SLs process a host of them. They were built with superb care. They show sophisticated engineering. They're sublimely comfortable. And because of their bulk and stout structures, they're just about the safest open cars imaginable. But beyond these attributes, most of these 1972-1989 V-8-powered SLs have engines that are just about unburstable. "I've driven a number of early 4.5-liter SLs with 750,000 or more on their engines," said Rugg. "At a million miles they get a little edgy".
That may be stretching things just a bit, according to Cunha and Marx. But both agree the iron-block V-8s are exceptionally long-lived.
"Around 350,000 before a bottom-end overhaul isn't unrealistic," said Cunha. "The top end is often good for 180,000-240,000 miles." And from Marx, "I have some customers with at least 300,000 miles on their cars and the engines haven't even needed valve jobs." So does this mean a high-mileage early SL, say, one with 150,000 or even 200,000 miles, might still be a good buy? You bet. "I wouldn't be afraid of it, as long as I knew its service history and it was a good car in other respects," said Cunha. (All of our experts recommend oil changes be done every 3000 miles.) Still, all things being equal, it's best to avoid 1975-1976 models, and 1974 California cars as well. In the former, the cars carried catalytic converters inside the engine compartment. The heat generated by the converters tends to cook wiring and vacuum lines under the hood. Vapor lock was also a common malady. Mercedes engineers moved the catalysts farther downstream for 1977. The 1974 California cars, according to Marx, were equipped with exhaust-gas-recirculation devices that cause stumbling problems. For model year 1981, Mercedes substituted a lighter, more efficient all-alloy 3.8 liter V-8 for the old reliable iron-block 4.5-liter V-8. And along with it came trouble. The engine has a single-row timing chain, which as the miles piles on, tend to stretch. Unchecked, the chain can jump its sprockets, causing pistons to collide with valves, leaving the 380SL owner facing a $6,000 repair bill. During 1984, Mercedes switched to a double-row chain and solved the problem. Though it was not an announced recall, Rugg says that at one time Mercedes did convert some of the early 380SLs, free of charge, to double row chain for some customers. "The only way to know if a car is converted is to take off the valve cover and look." Converting one now is a $2500-$3000 proposition, said Marx. But Marx added that the conversion is unnecessary if the owner changes the chain and tensioner every 40,000 miles -- a $300 job. Owners of 380Sls -- and later 560SLs, another SL with an all-alloy V-8 -- may also find that if their cylinders heads need to come off for any reason, they'll face an extra expense of several hundred dollars, in addition to a valve job or work needs to be done. Mercedes suggests that once the head bolts are removed, the aluminum block must be helicoiled to provide new threads. Otherwise, the bolts may pull out. However, Marx said he's successfully replaced the head bolts on several 380 and 560 engines without helicoling. "You just have to torque them down very carefully, according to the book," he said. "But maybe I've just been lucky so far," he added. Given regular service, the rest of the drivetrain, and most of the car for that matter, seems to be nearly as robust as the engine. Our panel of experts report no unusual problems with automatic transmissions (manual gearboxes were never an option on U.S.-spec cars), rear ends, suspension or electrical components. Cunha said front brake rotors might need replacing every 40,000 miles, catalytic converters sometimes plug up after 100,000 miles, and water pumps, fan clutches and starter may fail after 80,000 or 100,000 miles. The 450SLs were subject to a formal recall, one still being honored by Mercedes-Benz, for cracking subframes. The dealer will replace or weld the subframe. During the Seventies, German cars were not noted for their effective air conditioners, and these SLs are no exception. Except for the servo units in the automatic climate-control systems of the 1977-1980 450SLs, which seem to fail every three years, the air conditioners don't break particularly often. "They just don't cool well", said Marx. SLs aren't given to rust. But any prospective buyer of a car that's lived much of its life in an area where salt is used on winter roads should check the steel lid that covers the hardtop, the front fenders, around the headlights, inside the trunk and the rear box section of the chassis. Paint, chrome and upholstery hold up well. Even the dashboards aren't prone to cracking, except blue ones for some reason. The horsehair seat padding, however, does tend to collapse over time. But replacement pads are available. Indeed, Hemming Motor News is chock-full of advertisements for Mercedes or SL specialists who can provide almost any body, trim or mechanical item. Mercedes-Benz dealers can also supply most parts for these SLs.
SL Selection Tips
Given the long model run and the various engine changes, there is a pecking order of desirability among the V-8 SLs. For guidance on this aspect of SL buying, we turned to John Olson, of the SL Market letter (2020 S. Girard, Minneapolis, Minn. 55405, $42 for nine issues). 1) Because it represents the pinnacle of the car's development, Olson places the 560SL at the top of his SL list. Of course, as relative youngsters, they also command the highest prices. 2) Next in line come the models that generally cost the least: The earliest V-8 SLs, the 1972-1973 models. Horsepower steadily declined in subsequent years, reaching a low with the 380SL. Moreover, these earliest car don't have catalytic converters to worry about, and they have the esthetic advantage of smaller European bumpers. 3) Third on Olson's list are the 1979-1980 450SLs, which represent the pinnacle of development for the trusty 4.5-liter cars. All the other years would come next, except for the 1981-1983 380SLs with their cursed single-row timing chains. These 380SLs would be his last choice among the 1972-1989 SL variants. Then there's the SLC, the stretched pillarless coup version of the SL. The extra 14 in. of wheelbase allowed for reasonably roomy rear seat. Introduced immediately after the SL, the limited-production SLC became the top of the Mercedes' model line (beside the very limited-production 600). Some called its handling crisper than the SL's, while others appreciated the added carrying capacity. But perhaps because of Ho-hum looks and its fixed top, the SLC never became very popular here. The model was discontinued after 1981. Today SLCs can cost 10-20 percent less than the SL and, in this respect, represent quite a bargain. Any SL shopper is likely to come across gray-market cars as well, cars originally sold in Europe but supposedly brought into compliance with U.S. safety and emissions regulations. In Europe these SLs came with a bewildering array of engines and transmissions. Some, like the powerful 500SL, were very desirable indeed. Olson estimated that during 1985 alone, the peak year for gray-market imports, some 5000 SLs entered the U.S. If you should seriously consider purchasing a gray-market car, check especially carefully for rust, and make certain the proper EPA and DOT releases come with the title. And are any of these V-8-powered SLs likely to become valuable collectibles? You probably shouldn't plan to retire off the profits from one of these cars. Unlike their predecessors the 300SL or 230/250/280SL, the V-8 cars are just too numerous to become collector pieces any time soon. Instead, these are cars to buy, use and enjoy. End of Road and Track Article |
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Mercedes-Benz W107-R107Information From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe Mercedes-Benz 107 SL was a two-seat open roadster produced by Mercedes-Benz with various engines from 1971 until 1989. In October 1970 Mercedes presented the 350 SL, an open-top two-seat Roadster as successor to the 230/250/280 SL line featuring a 3.5 litre V8, as its name implies, and code-named Mercedes-Benz R107. The car stayed in production until 1989, when it was finally superseded by the R129 SL. This brand new SL-range had an extremely controversial design - way ahead of its time, this benchmark roadster had its own special unique appeal, offering (for the time and nevertheless now too) extremely powerful and refined performance. The R107 range has a unique lasting appeal owing to its sophisticated design and counterparts. The models ranged from the 6-in-line 280 to precisely double that - the 560 (not officially imported to Europe) with its exclusive 5.6 L V8 engine. In 1971 the 4.5 liter "350 SL" (230 hp) became available in the USA (the designation 350SL for the US market was designed to fool the German market who did not have access to the larger engine, and this name was kept until October 1972 when the official tag "450SL" was put on US cars). The 350/450SL was a rather low compression 4.5 liter engine (230 hp SAE, later reduced down in stages for fuel economy purposes to the final 160 hp SAE in 1980) designed to specifically meet US emission control laws in effect at the time. Later, a higher compression 450 SL (250 hp SAE) was made accessible to Europeans, too, joined in the wake of the first fuel crisis by the "economy" 280 SL with a fuel-injected six (185 hp). The 350 SL (later rechristened 450 SL) remained the only available model in the USA until 1980.
A reshuffling of engines took place in 1980. The 280 SL regained its former strength of 185 hp (after suffering a slight detuning to 177 hp in the late seventies), a 3.8 litre light alloy V-8 (218 hp) replaced the former 3.5 litre (down to 195 hp in final form) and a new 5.0 litre (240 hp) superseded the 4.5 litre engine (down to 217 hp)). Shortly after their introduction, the new V-8 engines underwent some detail work stressing fuel economy and diminishing their output slightly. In the USA, the 450 SL was replaced in 1980 by the 380 SL, detuned to 155 hp. The more powerful 500SL with 5.0 liter engine, produced from 1980-1989, was not available in the U.S. through Mercedes-Benz and was popular in "gray market" import before the arrival of the 560SL (only made for the USA and Australian market) in 1986-1989. Despite the larger 5.6 liter engine of the 560SL, the 500SL is recorded as being the fastest production 107 produced (mostly because of the lack of emission restraints.) The 500SL was published by Mercedes-Benz as having 0-60 times of 7.4 seconds for a top speed of 140 mph (230 km/h). Torque for the 500SL is 297@3200 rpm and for the 560SL 279@3250 rpm. The 500SL was not available in the U.S. or Australian markets through Mercedes Benz dealers. The last 107 made, a 1989 500SL painted Astral Silver, resides in the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
The 107 chassis had the longest run of any Mercedes chassis, 18 years from 1971 to 1989. Some 237,000 107 chassis SL's were built. About two thirds were sold in the US. These 107 cars are larger, heavier and more costly than the previous generation W113 cars. Prices increased dramatically over the years. The earliest 107, the 1971 350 SL, sold for about $11,000. Eighteen years later, the last 107 model, the 560SL, sold for about $64,000.
From 1974 until the end of production, the front and rear bumpers of the U.S. model R107 grew out 8 inches (203 mm) on each end to comply with U.S. regulations. The 450 SL was produced until 1980. Some 450 SLs suffered from vapor lock and hard re-start because of the position of the catalytic converter. |
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The following article appeared in the June/July 2005 issue of "Das Rundschreiben", Mercedes-Benz Club magazine. From the mid 1950s to the mid 1960s Mercedes-Benz cars were seen in rally competition, initially as the legendary 300SL, then the 220SE, the 230SL and finally the 300SE. A period of around twelve years then elapsed before Mercedes-Benz cars were again seen in rallies. In 1977 a crew comprising Andrew Cowan, Colin Malkin and Mike Broad were victorious in a W123 series 280E in the 18,000 km London to Sydney Rally and a similar 280E of Fowkes and O'Gorman came in second. The following year the 280E of Zasada and Krupa finished sixth in the African Safari Rally. Daimler-Benz realised that its cars had the necessary durability for rallies and that with more power they could achieve further success. While other manufacturers were rallying small to medium sized cars, Daimler-Benz decided that following their experiences with the 280E, the coupe version of their 107 series was the car to use. The "SL" in SLC was supposed to stand for "sports-light" but this was not an accurate description of the long and heavy SLC coupe, at the time the flagship of the Mercedes-Benz range aimed at the upper end of the luxury market. With V8 engines it was however a fast tourer. The fixed roof of the SLC added to the body rigidity of the SL and the superb handling, together with the comfort of the long wheelbase coupe, meant that crews would suffer the minimum of fatigue over long rallies. The 107 series had been released in 1971 with the 200 horsepower (147 kW) 3.5-litre M116 V8 initially as the 350SL 2-seat roadster and then as the 350SLC 5-seat coupe. Subsequently the 225 hp (165 kW) 4.5-litre M117 V8 was added to the range in the 450SL and 450SLC with the 185 hp (136 kW) 2.8-litre twin-cam M110 six-cylinder from the 280E added later still. In 1978 a new all-alloy 240 horsepower (177 kW) V8 engine of 5,025 cc was developed specifically for the rally version of the SLC. Previously all 107 models used engines with alloy cylinder heads on cast iron cylinder blocks. Together with a lightweight aluminum bonnet and boot lid, the new engine also assisted in reducing the substantial weight of the big coupe and the resulting car became known as the 450SLC-5.0. Despite the light alloy block, the 5-litre engine retained the M117 designation and the remainder of the rally version of the 450SLC-5.0 differed little from the standard 450SLC, including the 3-speed torque converter automatic transmission. The month-long 30,000 km 1978 Vuelta America del Sud (Tour of South America) was chosen as the debut event for the SLC rally car. A 450SLC-5.0 crewed by Andrew Cowan and Colin Malkin won the rally with second place going to Zasada and Zembruski also in an SLC, third to Fowkes and Kaiser in a 280E and fourth to Makinen in the remaining SLC. Only about one third of all the entered cars survived the gruelling rally, however all four SLC and three of the four 280E Mercedes entered completed the event. For 1979 the 450SLC-5.0 was homologated as a Group 4 rally car with power being increased to around 300 hp (220 kW) and further weight reductions resulted from stripped-out interiors. Three-speed automatic transmission was retained as it was considered the only Daimler-Benz unit capable of withstanding the torque of the V8. Massive factory support under the leadership of Eric Waxenberger backed the effort behind several entries in the 1979 World Rally Championship. Three each 450SLCs and 280Es were entered in the African Safari Rally and SLCs driven by Bjorn Waldegard and Hannu Mikkola led for much of the event. Mikkola and Hertz finished a close second with Cowan and Syer in a 280E in fourth and Waldegard sixth. Greater success was achieved with a clean sweep of the 5,500 km Bandama (Ivory Coast) Rally with four 450SLC-5.0s driven by Mikkola, Waldegard, Cowan and Preston taking positions 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. Following the 1978 and 1979 successes, an even greater effort went into the 1980 season. The Portugal Rally resulted in a best of only fourth place for Waldegard and Thorszelius and it was becoming obvious the big SLC was not so suited to the shorter and tighter European rallies. In the 5,300 km Safari Rally where success was expected, rear suspension failures saw a best of third place to Vic Preston Junior in a 450SLC-5.0 using the newly introduced four-speed automatic transmission. In the Acropolis Rally the power of the 5 litre SLCs resulted in shredded tyres on the rocky roads with the highest placing again going to Preston this time down in fourteenth place. For the Rally of Argentina engine output increased to 340 hp (250 kW) despite a slight reduction in displacement to 4,975 cc. The cars became known as a 500SLC and were now homologated as Group 2. Mikkola and Hertz managed second place however two other 500SLCs suffered broken drive shafts. In the Rally of New Zealand Mikkola finished third and Waldegard fifth. In the same event Cowan suffered rear brake problems. Following a call over the radio, a helicopter was soon seen flying with an entire replacement rear axle assembly slung underneath, such was the level of factory support. The final event contested for 1980 was the Ivory Coast Rally better suited to the big fast SLC. The rate of attrition across all entrants was huge including Cowan who crashed. A total of just eleven cars finished with first to Bjorn Waldegard, second to Jorge Recalde and fifth to Vic Preston, all in 500SLCs. Not entering every event for the 1980 season resulted in Mercedes finishing fourth overall in the championship. Mercedes recruited winning driver Walter Rohrl who had been driving for Fiat in preparation for the following year. With the realisation that the SLC was just too big for the European rallies, plans were to use the similar but shorter 500SL for 1981. This was never to eventuate and the 1980 champion was left without a drive for 1981. Daimler-Benz again had a break from motor sport for a few years until the introduction of the W201 series 190E 2.3-16 destined for circuit racing, but that is another story. The 350 and 450SLC (like the 350 and 450SL) had been discontinued in 1980 with the introduction of the 380 and 500SLC. The 280, 380 and 500SLC were discontinued in 1981 with the introduction of the 126 series 380 and 500SEC coupes. A total of 62,888 SLCs had been manufactured over a ten year period of which just 1,636 were the 450SLC-5.0 and 1,133 were the 500SLC. Both these models are sought by collectors today. The SLC remains the only fixed roof Mercedes-Benz coupe based on a roadster rather than a sedan. Even today, an SLC in good mechanical condition still gives a mix of good performance, superb handling, comfort and safety, making it is easy to realise why they were a successful rally car. Following the discontinuation of the SLC, the 107 series continued initially as the 280, 380 and 500SL and then finally as the 300, 420, 500 and 560SL until 1989. The 107's 18 Year-run is the longest running series produced by Daimler-Benz.
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In Europe there were 280/350/450/450-5.0/500 SLCs, in the US 350/450 SLC, and later a 380 SLC, when the price of oil became a concern. SLC production reached 7.000 units in good years, with the United States absorbing the majority. The most collectible version is the 450 SLC 5.0 of 1978, the first Mercedes-Benz car with the new light alloy 5.0-litre engine and hood (bonnet) and trunk (boot) lid both made of aluminum, recalling the 1972 'Batmobile' BMW 3.0CSL. This rare model was never sold in the US.
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