Background
One film did more to cement the R 107 Mercedes SL as an object of desire than all the official Mercedes-Benz marketing efforts combined. Paul Schrader’s 1980 Neo-Noir American Gigolo placed Hollywood heartthrob Richard Gere in a 450 SL. The film (which ironically saw Gere in the reverse role to Pretty Woman Julia Roberts’ street walker a decade later) portrayed an aspirational sex worker, collecting the finer things in life. His (or rather Schrader’s) choice of car would prove pivotal, contributing to the SL becoming a top seller in America.
Silver-and small-screen appearances throughout the R 107’s production only reinforced its deep cultural significance. Not least of these was the lead role in TV epic serial Dallas, as the transport of choice for oil baron JR Ewing – a role that put this SL in front of tens of millions of viewers.
Yet, incredibly, the R 107 Mercedes SL convertible very nearly never came about at all. European car makers were convinced the Americans were about to ban soft tops, so the new Merc would be a fixed head coupé. Thankfully though, the Americans saw sense and Mercedes followed suit, and in April 1971 the new convertible hit the road as the Mercedes-Benz 350 SL. And for the first time in the history of the model, a V8 power plant did duty under the long bonnet. Besides elegance and quality the body radiated safety, since the crash behaviour of the two-seater was way ahead of its time.
The history of the roadster is intimately linked to that of its sister model, the SLC coupé. Just six months after its première the SL was followed in October 1971 by a comfortable four-seater sports coupé, the 350 SLC.
The new SL boasted many safety features – crumple zones and a padded steering wheel among them – but it wasn’t the safety aspects that motivated customers around the world to buy the new model. It was the promise of an open-top car that was a successful piece of engineering all round – and it was in fact the only one of its kind offered in the USA over a period of several years. Its distinctive front end with the dominant SL face, the wide-band headlamps and grooved turn indicator covers had a powerful aura; the lines of the low silhouette were harmonious – soft top open or closed, or with hardtop. And the very slight inward curve of the boot lid, along with the concave hardtop, were reminiscent of Pagoda days.
The new soft top took just 30 seconds to open or close it. Folded, it disappeared underneath a steel cover. Creature comforts were served by an excellent heating system and wind-deflecting mouldings on the A-pillars, which also served to channel off mud-laden water in the rain, and dirt-repelling covers on the exterior mirrors enabled good visibility. They kept the side windows clean even in poor weather.
The inertia-reel seatbelt was developed for the R107. This new design automatically adjusted belt tension for different sized occupants and provided greater safety and comfort. It was so popular that it was quickly adopted by other manufacturers.
During its 18-year production time the R 107 was driven by a whole series of six- and eight-cylinder engines. Its model designations are accordingly quite varied. The eight-cylinder models were led by the 350 SL (1971 to 1980), whose 3.5-litre engine (M 116) was from the W 108, W 109 and W 111 saloons. The 200bhp V8 helped the sports car, which weighed 1600kg, to clock nine seconds for 0-60 and reach a top speed of 130mph.
In autumn 1971 Mercedes added to the line-up with the 450 SL, initially for the US market only, which featured a discreet front spoiler attached to the rear lower end of the front. Between November 1975 and February 1976, the fuel injection systems of all three engines were changed for better compliance with emission standards, which had meanwhile also become stiffer in most European countries. The electronically-controlled Bosch D-Jetronic was abandoned for the newly-developed mechanically-controlled Bosch K-Jetronic.
Then, in September 1977 Mercedes-Benz launched the frankly bemusingly named 450 SLC 5.0, with the new M117 engine now displacing 5-litres. The new V8 was initially stress-tested in the low production run 450 SLC 5.0 in case any problems were unearthed, and costly recalls needed. Mercedes-Benz was cautious because its new engine was built using a technique known as chill-casting. The all-alloy block did away with conventional iron cylinder liners, in favour of a high-silicon-alloy material. This saved 40kg over iron, but was untested. It turned out that the engineers needn’t have worried – the engine proved just as strong and reliable as its forebear.
The engine delivered 241bhp at 5000rpm, good for 0-60mph in 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 140mph. The vehicle’s bonnet and boot lid were made of aluminium, and it had light-alloy wheels as standard. On the outside the 450 SLC 5.0 was recognisable by, among other things, a narrow spoiler on the rear end.
At the Geneva Motor Show in March 1980 Mercedes unveiled an updated SL and SLC. The previous three-speed automatic transmission was replaced with a four-speed version. But the biggest change was that M117 V8 – and finally a name that made sense – 500 SL.
Famous early R107 owners in period included such diverse characters as Bruce Lee and Donna Summer. As the SL’s star was further ascending in the 1980s Madonna was seen driving one, as was former US president Richard Nixon’s speech writer Ben Stein.
The 450 SLC would be the most visible Mercedes-Benz model in motorsport since the 1955 Le Mans tragedy. In just a few short seasons and with Mercedes-Benz providing its assistance to the UK importers running the team – rather than offering official factory support – the big SLC proved fiercely competitive in international rallying. Driven by rally greats Bjorn Waldegaard, Hannu Mikkola and Ingvar Carlsson these big, but immensely strong coupés chalked up a series of wins and podiums on some of the toughest endurance rallies on earth. The swansong for the SLC was the 1980 Bandama Rally, in which Bjorn Waldegaard took the car’s final victory.
Production of the R 107 series ended in August 1989, more than 18 years after the launch of the 350 SL. The car set an internal record that will probably never be broken: in the entire history of Mercedes no other passenger car series has ever been produced over such a long period, with the exception of the G-Class. R 107 sales were still strong even as Mercedes moved to replace it.
