Evolution of the SL-Class
The fourth in an ongoing series of reference guides tracing the development of the current Mercedes-Benz product range by model and chassis number
Article Gary Anderson & Graham Robson
Images Daimler Archive
From the very beginnings of the marque, Mercedes-Benz has always manufactured small numbers of sporty open automobiles alongside its bread-and-butter family sedans and commercial vehicles. It would come as no surprise then that as soon as the postwar company began to stabilize in 1954, it introduced its first SL sports car – SL short for sports leicht. Soon realizing the potential cachet for the marque’s image that roadsters offered – usable on fine days with top down and interior open to the breeze, but equipped with soft tops and even removable hardtops – the company has now produced a succession of 10 roadster chassis designs.
W198 300SL Gullwing & Roadster (1954-1964)
Ask anyone to picture a Mercedes-Benz sports car, and they’re likely to think of the Gullwing sold to consumers at the instigation of American marketer Max Hoffman. Interestingly, although the 300SL was the progenitor of what became the SL pedigree, nothing except the name evolved to the next prototype. The original, of course, was sensational in almost every way – a space-frame chassis that had never before been attempted by a mass-production company: direct fuel injection with principles honed in those magnificent World War II aero engines, and the gullwing doors that would surely not have been used if a more conventional chassis layout were chosen.
Even though most of the running gear – engine, transmission, axle, front and rear suspensions – was a direct descendant of that being used in the big new 300 limousine/sedan of the period, the SL was still an expensive car to build, and to sell. Almost all the new cars initially came to the United States, but in just three years, the charismatic gullwing body style was dropped in favor of a conventional two-seat roadster type, which had a different layout of space-frame chassis and normal front-hinged doors.
Memorable? Of course. Superfast? For its day, sensationally so. But commercially successful? No – but the company didn’t mind that. The publicity spinoff was enormous then, and these two cars have become the icons for the marque as well as being the most recognizable classic cars in the hobby.
W121 190SL Coupe/Roadster (1955-1963)
Even before the Gullwing was offered for sale, Hoffmann was already thinking of how the market could be expanded with a more affordable version: Next to the 300SL on the showstand in New York was the prototype for the 190SL on the W121 chassis. When the company introduced the car, it was called a “coupe/roadster” because both a hardtop and a soft top were part of the original design, establishing a precedent that would be followed for the next 40 years. Maybe it wasn’t very fast, and maybe it wasn’t as high tech as the 300SL with which it was originally launched, but it was an SL, a car more people could afford, more dealers were familiar with, and one that attracted myriad customers.
This car sold steadily and, unlike its iconic sibling, profitably, for eight years. To make economic and investment sense of such a car, engineers based the platform and running gear on the new W120-type Ponton, though with a strikingly sporting body and interior, using a 105-horsepower 1.9-liter 4-cylinder engine, and 4-speed transmission, with a top speed of no more than 105 mph (the 300SLs of the period could reach 140 to 150 mph with suitable gearing).
The 190SL was not, in other words, meant to be an out-and-out sports car, but the styling was similar in so many ways to that of the 300SL that it made its own advertising point. When originally previewed at the New York International Auto Show in February 1954, its advertising tagline was “the Sports Car you’ve waited for ...” and the sales literature gushed that it “successfully combines the characteristics of a high-performance sports car with the comfort of a touring car, and offers the sporting driver those qualities of acceleration, road-holding, maneuverability and exciting top speed which make driving a pleasure, and every road a challenge. ...”
Maybe that was over frosting the cake a little, but there was enough character and performance to keep the clientele happy for some years. It was only the end of Ponton production and the imminent arrival of an altogether more exciting new SL range that brought 190SL production to an end early in 1963.
W113 230/250/280SL Pagoda (1963–1971)
Despite the attention garnered by the 300SL, by the 1960s, Mercedes-Benz management had decided that the space-framed vehicle was too expensive to build, and too specialized. Nevertheless, the 190SL was neither fast nor powerful enough to continue to satisfy customers on its own. Accordingly, in a very brave move, one all-new car – the 230SL – appeared in 1963 to replace both of them. Was this a good decision? Yes. All you have to do is scan the sales figures: When the last W113 280SL was produced in 1971, no fewer than 48,912 units on the W113 chassis had been built, a number considerably larger than even enthusiasts expected. During the peak year in 1969, a total of 8,047 cars were built.
Realizing that nothing could replace the 300SL, the emphasis was put on producing a much better replacement for the 190SL, and the new W113 was certainly that. By combining a sturdy two-seater monocoque (there was really no space for a plus-two accommodation) with the running gear adapted from the new-generation W111 Fintail models, this was a very attractive sporting automobile.
The first model, the 230SL, had a fuel-injected 6-cylinder 2,306cc engine producing 170 horsepower, but in later years, the 250SL’s larger 2,496cc engine producing the same horsepower with more torque took over, and in 1968, the 280SL with a 2,778cc engine producing 180 horsepower became the definitive SL instead. Particularly in early production, some units were produced with 4-speed manual transmissions, though a growing number used the latest M-B automatic transmission. Disc brakes were a feature, which was good, for even the original cars could reach 120 mph, and the last 280SL models in European tune could reach 130 mph in ideal conditions (the same electronically limited top speed set in many roadsters today).
All this capability, of course, was tucked away under the very appealing body style designed by Paul Bracq – as much an artist as automotive stylist – in which the optional hardtop had what looked like a recessed roofline (but was actually one with high side windows), and it wasn’t long before it got the nickname “Pagoda,” which the company was happy to accept. The understated and timeless appearance – mostly straight lines, with vertical headlamp packs and a new type of full-width grille – quickly attracted a following, and examples proliferated in fashionable neighborhoods on both coasts. The styling, together with high performance and great refinement, made these cars very popular indeed for eight years. But by the time the model had begun to be technically dated, the question was: Could the company improve next time around?
R107 Panzerwagen SL Roadster (1971-1989)
What followed was of enormous significance to Mercedes-Benz. Not only would the R107 series remain in production for an incredible 18 years, nearly 350,000 of all types were built. Following the specifications of the 190SLs and Pagodas, the R107 was offered as a two-seat soft top version with a removable hardtop. Further broadening the appeal, the R107s were offered with a complex and ever-expanding list of inline-6s and V-8s; eventually, with no fewer than eight different engines. The R107 may be, at least judging from MBCA events, the most popular example of classic Mercedes-Benz roadsters.
Though stylistically similar to the Pagoda, the R107 was different in many respects: sturdy rather than beautiful, impressive rather than delicate. Internally, design engineers nicknamed the R107 the “Panzerwagen.” Weighing in at 3,500 pounds – compared with the Pagoda’s 2,900 pounds – the R107 initially housed a 3,499cc V-8 engine producing 200 horsepower and could reach 126 mph. However, to meet severe U.S. emissions regulations, the models sold here though initially rated at 230 horsepower, were reduced in output to 190, then 180, and eventually all the way down to 160 horsepower.
No matter. It might have been heavy – the need to meet a raft of new American crash-test and safety regulations saw to that – but the R107 was a massively impressive machine. Built around its own 96.9-inch wheelbase platform, it drew heavily on the chassis engineering of the new-generation W114/W115 range, which had arrived in 1968; this meant that it was the first SL to use a semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension instead of the old-fashioned swing-axle systems that previously sufficed.
This, then, was the big bruiser that became so familiar and so very successful, particularly in North America. Several times during the next decade, annual sales neared 20,000 units, and each year, the company somehow produced more novelties to maintain interest. Engines ranged from as small as a 2.8-liter in a 6-cylinder or as large as 5-liter alloy-blocked V-8s (from 1981). The interior was upgraded significantly in 1980, emulating the new S-Class sedans, and a general upgrade to use W124 suspension components appeared in 1985, along with a new range of engines coming from the other chassis lines, although the basic style was never changed in the 18 years of production. Though it seems as if this model had an absolutely timeless appeal, finally in 1989 – having set a record for the longest continuous production of any model, with a total of 237,287 produced – the 107 was discontinued with the introduction of the R129 SL series.
C107 SLC Coupe 1971-1981
With the sturdy frame of the R107 roadster chassis to work with, six months after the introduction of the 350SL roadster, Mercedes-Benz presented the 350SLC at the Paris Motor Show in October 1971, probably initially intended as a rally competitor. Except for the hardtop, the coupe was identical back to the rear edge of the door. The differences were obvious in the rear half of the car. The wheelbase was stretched 14.2 inches, allowing a larger interior and two full-sized seats in the rear. To fill the longer greenhouse space between the door window and rear light, stylists designed a distinctive rear quarter window adjoining a multifin vent to provide airflow through the interior.
The initial model had the same 3.5-liter inline-6 engine as in the R107 SL. Anticipating coming U.S. emissions requirements, a 450SLC was offered in the United States in 1972 with a low-compression 4.5-liter V-8 producing 195 horsepower. The rest of the world could order this same model with the engine tuned to produce 225 horsepower. By 1974, with the oil embargo and growing emphasis on fuel efficiency, a 280SLC with an engine producing 136 horsepower became available in the United States. The SLC continued in production for 10 years, with three new models – 450SLC 5.0, 380SLC and 500SLC – introduced during the last few years of production to revive interest in the cars, though very few of these models were produced. By 1981, with rally competition changing, the hardtop coupe version of the 107 chassis was discontinued.
R129 SL Roadster 1989-2001
When such an illustrious SL as the R107 had to be replaced with a better car, it was nearly “Mission Impossible,” but somehow Mercedes-Benz managed. Heavier, more powerful, and with much smoother design cues than ever before, the new R129 type sold well for 12 years. It was based on its own new 99-inch-wheelbase platform, but adapted many suspension parts from the latest sedans in the corporate lineup.
Did customers want, or need, anything more than the previous model offered? They certainly got it, for this car also featured a more progressive type of independent rear suspension – the multilink system that was becoming standard on the company’s other products – as well as adaptive suspension damping, retractible metal hard tops and much more. To quote a review from Britain’s Autocar magazine in its technical description in 1989, “The level of refinement inherent in the new SL is almost overwhelming.”
And so it was. During the 1990s, the level of technology advanced by many important steps, comfort and equipment levels rose inexorably, and the performance of the high-end types was simply astonishing. The first of the V-12 models, with a 389-horsepower 6.0-liter colossus of an engine, appeared in 1993; it seemed that only the size of customers’ bank balances limited their choice of accessories.
Before assembly wound down, several ultra-special AMG versions had also appeared out of the happy marriage between Mercedes-Benz and the tuner company in Affalterbach. In total, no fewer than 10 different engines had been featured on the R129 chassis. The use of twin-cam cylinder heads – four valves per cylinder – and cylinder blocks made of aluminum became usual. Many of these were in the 250- to 350-horsepower range, but there was also the first of the new-generation V-12s, of which the 7.3-liter AMG type produced a colossal 525 horsepower. Almost all of them were backed by a 4- or 5-speed automatic transmission.
R230 SL Roadsters 2001-2012
In 2001, the R129 platform is replaced by the R230 platform, with the wheelbase stretched two inches. However, the major changes were not in the chassis, but in the styling, and in the equipment that was packed into a new car that had a new shape, yet was 250 pounds lighter than before. Over time, V-6, V-8 and V-12 engines with a range of power choices from 231 to 670 horsepower became available in great profusion, all with 7-speed automatic transmissions (but no manual option at all). The most powerful of the AMG-prepared types could certainly beat 200 mph, a statistic that probably made state troopers from Maine to Oregon reach for their radar guns.
There was also an all-new four-link front suspension, weight-saving aluminum rear suspension members, electronic “by-wire” brakes, more aluminum and even magnesium in the body shell, and a front-end style that originally featured paired circular headlamps. Mercedes-Benz left that style behind in 2008 with a mid-term facelift that gave the nose a more traditional aspect, including larger and more sculptured headlamp pods. By any measure, though, it was going to be difficult for any new car to improve on this machine.
R231 SL Roadster 2013-forward
The grand-touring audience for the SL roadsters was more than satisfied in 2012 when the top-of-the-line roadster received a completely new structural redesign – 89 percent aluminum by weight – which brought the SL back under 4,000 pounds for the first time since 1994. The frame even housed the resonator boxes for the new sound system. In spite of the reduction in weight which helped with fuel efficiency, there was no mistaking this design for anything but the proper successor in the lineup; two doors, two seats, long hood, retractable hardtop, vents in the front fenders and a sporty but luxurious interior unmatched on any other roadster anywhere near its price range.
The engine in the basic model (if such a car could ever be called basic) is the standard high-performance Mercedes 4.7-liter biturbo V-8 mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission, producing 429 horsepower, but still offering gas mileage in the 16-24 mpg range. Soon after the SL550 was introduced, it was joined by the SL63 AMG with a 5.5-liter biturbo V-8 producing 577 horsepower, and then the truly awesome V-12-equipped SL65 AMG Black Series with 621 horsepower and zero-60 acceleration in 3.5 seconds. We’ll be living with the R231 SL roadsters for several more years, but we can’t imagine what could possibly top these automobiles.
R170-R171 SLK compact Roadsters 1996-2011
The SLK roadsters – so beloved by their owners – deserve more than just a few paragraphs, but with the complexity of the Mercedes-Benz SL roadster history, space is unfortunately limited. Two points were noticed immediately when the SLKs were introduced at the Turin Auto Show – not the usual venue for unveiling a completely new Mercedes-Benz vehicle – in April 1996.
First, the SLKs offered top-down motoring at a more affordable price and kurz (shorter) size than the full-size SLs. Second, they took the Mercedes-Benz two-top traditions to a new level by offering practical retractable metal hardtops on this small, affordable roadster. With the top down, the car provided a full wind-in-the-hair experience; but when the top was up, the car was as equally quiet and weather resistant as a coupe.
Owners who purchased the SLK230s when they came to the U.S. market in fall 1996 might be forgiven for being a trifle confused with the model name, since in other Mercedes-Benz model nomenclature, K also was short for kompressor (supercharger), and the SLK230 did have a supercharged 4-cylinder engine, producing 193 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque.
Even though small in size, the SLK didn’t stint on safety, with fixed roll-over bars behind the seats and strengthened A-pillars providing complete protection to occupants in the event of a rollover. In addition, the SLK for the first time used a newly developed ellipsoid front bulkhead to mitigate leg injuries in front-end collisions. With a central tunnel and floor panels made of heavy steel, the car had the torsional rigidity of a sedan.
Intended for the customer looking for sporty performance, the SLK offered all the high-quality appointments, such as power steering, leather steering wheel, stylish interior trim and a variety of interior and exterior color choices.
In 2000, the car was updated with the addition of Electronic Stability Program and cruise control. A 3.2-liter V-6 as used on the E- and M-Class was added to the lineup, with standard air conditioning. The exterior design was updated with new front and rear bumpers and reshaped side skirts. The interior was updated as well, with new ergonomic seats and a modified instrument cluster. Later in the year, the SLK32 was introduced – the first AMG model – with a 354-horsepower AMG V-6 engine, distinctive body panels and AMG interior trim.
The second chapter of the compact SLK roadster began with the W171 chassis in March 2004, with a long hood and raked windscreen emphasizing the longer length and wheelbase. The completely redesigned nose, taking its cues from the McLaren-Mercedes F1 cars, was particularly distinctive. With the introduction of the new exterior design, of course the interior was also restyled. Interior colors were expanded to a range of six that contrasted or complemented the 12 available exterior colors.
The most popular new model was the SLK350, with its 3,498cc engine producing 272 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, available with a 6-speed manual transmission, 5-speed automatic transmission, or the world’s first 7-speed automatic. The exciting new AMG SLK55 – fitted with the 7-speed automatic standard, which could be operated by buttons on the back of the steering wheel controlling an incredible 5,439cc V-8 engine producing 360 horsepower and 376 horsepower – with the small, lightweight and highly aerodynamic body, was capable of absolutely astounding performance. A version was even used as the Formula 1 safety car in 2004-2005. By 2006, the V-6 engine SLK280 with standard 6-speed manual was the entry-level model for the SLK range. One more update would come on the W171 in December 2007, with a subtle facelift to the design and upgraded engine choices, offering more power and better fuel economy.
R172 SLK/SLC Roadster 2011-forward
In production since 2004 with a facelift in 2007, the R171 was duly replaced by the R172 in 2011, though it maintained close ties with its predecessor. The front end, grille, headlights and taillights were redesigned to emulate the SL, though the chassis was not changed significantly. The headline change was the introduction of the optional Magic Sky Control for the retractable hardtop, which could change from transparent to opaque at the touch of a button. Three new engines were offered: the 4-cylinder 1.8-liter SLK250 producing 201 horsepower and mated to a 6-speed manual transmission; the V-6 SLK350 with 302 horsepower, for those with a real need for speed in a small car; and the SLK55 AMG, with a naturally aspirated AMG hand-built V-8 engine, released later in the year. Emphasizing the car’s sportiness, the SLK was the last Mercedes-Benz to be sold in the United States with a manual transmission.
Making top-down driving comfortable, the new model included the Airscarf neck warmer and a wind blocker behind the roll-over bars, plus direct-steer variable-assist power steering, torque-vectoring brakes with a new sports suspension to keep it out of the weeds.
At the Detroit Auto Show in January 2016, Mercedes-Benz officially announced that the SLK would be rechristened the SLC – with no mention of the fact that the name had been used 30 years earlier on an SL coupe – to fit with the new parallel nomenclature tying it to the C-Class. Aside from the name change, this was just the standard mid-production update to the R172 chassis, with a slightly restyled front end and a limited number of interior changes. The 241-horsepower 4-cylinder turbocharged engine introduced in 2015 will continue in the base SLC300, but the new AMG-line SLC43 will be offered with the 362-horsepower 3-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 available on the new AMG-line C-Class.
R231 SL Roadster 2013-forward
The grand-touring audience for the SL roadsters was more than satisfied in 2012 when the top-of-the-line roadster received a completely new structural redesign – 89 percent aluminum by weight – which brought the SL back under 4,000 pounds for the first time since 1994. The frame even housed the resonator boxes for the new sound system. In spite of the reduction in weight which helped with fuel efficiency, there was no mistaking this design for anything but the proper successor in the lineup; two doors, two seats, long hood, retractable hardtop, vents in the front fenders and a sporty but luxurious interior unmatched on any other roadster anywhere near its price range.
The engine in the basic model (if such a car could ever be called basic) is the standard high-performance Mercedes 4.7-liter biturbo V-8 mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission, producing 429 horsepower, but still offering gas mileage in the 16-24 mpg range. Soon after the SL550 was introduced, it was joined by the SL63 AMG with a 5.5-liter biturbo V-8 producing 577 horsepower, and then the truly awesome V-12-equipped SL65 AMG Black Series with 621 horsepower and zero-60 acceleration in 3.5 seconds. We’ll be living with the R231 SL roadsters for several more years, but we can’t imagine what could possibly top these automobiles.
SL Specifications & Production 1954-2000
Chassis Model Years Engine Production
W198 COUPE/ROADSTER
198.040 300SL Coupe 1954-1957 198.980 1,371
198.043 300SL Alum Bodied Coupe 1954-1957 198.980 29
198.042 300SL Roadster 1957-1964 198.980/982 1,858
W121 COUPE/ROADSTER
121.040/042 190SL Coupe/Roadster 1955-1961 121.921 25,881
121.040/042 190SL Coupe/Roadster 1961-1963 121.928 (included above)
W113 ROADSTER
113.042 230SL 1963-1967 127.981 19,381
113.043 250SL 1966-1968 129.982 5,196
113.044 280SL 1967-1971 130.983 23,885
R107 ROADSTER
107.042 280SL 1974-1985 110.982/986 25,436
107.043 350SL 1971-1980 116.982/984 15,304
107.044 450SL 1971-1980 117.982/985 66,298
107.045 380SL 1980-1985 116.960/962 53,200
107.046 500SL 1980-1989 117.960/964 11,812
107.041 300SL 1985-1989 103.982 13,742
107.047 420SL 1985-1989 116.964 2,148
107.048 560SL 1985-1989 117.967 49,347
C107 COUPE
107.022 280SLC 1974-1981 110.982/986 10,666
107.023 350SLC 1971-1980 116.982/984 13,925
107.024 450SLC 1972-1980 117.982/985 31,739
107.026 450SLC 5.0 1977-1980 117.960 1,636
107.025 380SLC 1980-1981 116.960 3,789
107.026 500SLC 19801981 117.960 1,133
R129 ROADSTER
129.060 300SL 1988-1993 103.984 12,020
129.061 300SL-24 1988-1993 104.981 26,898
129.058 SL280 1993-1998 104.943 10,319
129.063 SL320 1993-1998 104.991 32,223
129.064 SL320 (V6) 1997-2001 112.943 7,070
129.066 500SL 1989-1993 119.960 70,344
129.067 500SL/SL500 1992-1998 119.972 (included above)
129.068 SL500 1997-2001 113.961 23,704
129.076 600SL/SL600 1991-2001 120.981/983 11,089
R170 ROADSTER
170.435 SLK200 1996-2000 111.946 44,846
170.445 SLK200 Kompressor 1996-2000 111.943 12,353
170.447 SLK230 Kompressor 1996-2000 111.973 113,520