When I recently came across a 1975 Mercedes-Benz SL, I wasn’t nearly as enthused as when I photographed a previous-generation W113 model, with its iconic “pagoda” roof. The R107 models, which were built from 1971-89, had the highest production of the SLs, with output of more than 230,000 roadsters (Pattni, 2024). However, this generation arguably suffered from a lower-quality design than its predecessor.
Part of the problem was that the SL’s body was designed to be shared with a longer-wheelbase 2+2 coupe called the SLC. In theory that made sense because there was a potentially larger market for four-seaters, but the resulting design was so compromised that neither car came off very well.
The SL was truncated while the SLC had a stretched-toffee look. That appears to have been the result of trying to share too many components. The SLC was essentially an SL with a fixed roof and almost 14 inches added to the wheelbase behind the B-pillar (Spencer, 2011).
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Bigger on the outside, smaller on the inside
To my eyes the proportions of the SL look off balance, partly due to doors that are overly long for the 97-inch wheelbase. Meanwhile, the SLC’s rear-quarter area looks awkward because of an overly flat deck, thick C-pillars and doors too short for the car’s 111-inch wheelbase.
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The SL’s styling was somewhat more cohesive than the SLC’s, but the taut lines of the W113 were replaced with a ponderous assemblage of early-70s Mercedes styling cues. Those included huge, wrap-around ribbed taillights.
The R107 looks like a much bigger car so I was surprised to find that the exterior dimensions were fairly close to the W113’s. The new design was three inches longer, one inch wider and had a wheelbase that was stretched 2.5 inches. Height was down half an inch.
Despite the greater heft, shoulder room was reduced by an inch and trunk space by three cubic feet. Track was narrower by at least an inch, which helps explain why the wheels don’t have the athletic stance of the W113. Even the drag coefficient increased from .42 to .45.
Weight grew by upwards of 500 pounds, but that partly reflected the switch in U.S. models from an inline six to a V8 engine. Prices jumped from the mid-to-high $7,000s in 1971 to over $10,000 in 1972, the first full year of R107 sales in the United States.
The featured car, a 1975 model, listed for almost $18,000. This was only slightly below the entry-level large Mercedes sedan, the 450 SE.
An interesting car, but a long way from iconic
The SL had a few interesting design touches, such as the ribbed rocker panels. Note how the Mercedes had considerably less lower-body curvature than American sporty coupes of that time period. This presumably reduced mud splattering from the wheels.
The removable roof hinted at the the W113’s downward curving shape. The quarter windows included an upkick at their base that gave the R107 an unfinished look. Raising the beltline at the C-pillar would have looked better — and helped the SLC even more.
I shouldn’t be too hard on the R107. It was a considerably more interesting design than what Detroit was pumping out in the early-70s. And following in the footsteps of the iconic W113 was a tough assignment. Even so, my main reaction when photographing this 1975 model was a sense of disappointment.
The car looks ponderous rather than lithe — and that can’t be blamed just on the federally mandated bumpers. Mercedes design had taken a turn toward a lumpier, tank-like aesthetic.
NOTES:
Specifications were drawn from Automobile Catalog (2024), Flamming (1992) and Wikipedia (2024).
RE:SOURCES
- Automobile Catalog; 2024. “Search Automobile Catalog.” Accessed July 17.
- Flammang, James M.; 1992. Standard Catalog of Imported Cars, 1946-1990. First Ed. Krause Publications, Iola, WI.
- Pattni, Vijay; 2024. “Here’s every generation of the Mercedes SL.” BBC Top Gear. Accessed July 17.
- Spencer, Roy; 2011. “Classic Mercedes experience or a pittance — making a case for the SLC.” Mercedes Heritage. Posted June 30.
- Wikipedia; 2024. “Mercedes-Benz SL-Class.” Page last edited July 15.
PHOTOGRAPHY:
- 1977 Mercedes-Benz 450SLC photo by Mr. Choppers via Wikipedia Creative Commons 3.0. Image was slightly lighted.
The ’73, with the smaller bumpers does look a lot sleeker though.
The 230-250-280 six-cylinder SLs of the previous generation were truly jewel-like. My morning air personality at 1070 / WIBC-AM moved up from his Cadillacs to a 1980 450 SL in the same color as above and with the optional hardtop for the Indiana winters. I rode in his SL only a couple of times, but it was not like the test ride I took in a 1969 250 SL in the summer of 1969. The 450 SL was decidedly “Americanized”, still a Mercedes-Benz, but with more “elbow room”. The morning guy bragged that his 4.5-litre V-8 could go a minimum of 500,000-miles before it might need an overhaul, quoting his dealer with German-roots, the late Horst Winckler. Whether the sheet metal could survive the solutions they put on Indiana roads back then is another matter entirely. For my money a well-restored W113-series SL is the car I would select over any R107.b
Yes,the prior design was a lithe beauty. But the successor became the face of the Mercedes juggernaut that established the brand’s appeal and superiority to American consumers. The design stayed in production for so long that it made an imprint on several generations. That makes it iconic. I wonder if the design had an appeal for buyers that had once wanted a two seat Thunderbird in their youth.
We own one of each. Certainly the 280 sl is prettier, cleaner, more elegant. It’s worth too much to just drive any old time. It’s a Saturday morning fair weather car where we can park in just the right spot. It will go 60 on the freeway but after that, it’s not at its sweet spot. The AC is the dealer installed under dash unit, and it’s not that efficient. It definitely feels small when you’re in with all those big modern cars.
The 560 sl is 1989, last year, so it has an airbag. It keeps up with modern traffic and 78 mph is its sweet spot. AC runs cold. It still feels similar to the older car. In particular, the seats are springy and they act as part of the suspension. We’re not afraid to drive it, and though it’s all original in great shape, it’s not so rare or precious, so we drive it more.
Definitely the 560 has the DNA of the 280, but the 280 is a work of art.