SIMON PFITZNER 1978 MERCEDES-BENZ 450 SLC
IF THERE’S a movie-star Historic Sports Sedan, it’s this Mercedesbenz 450 SLC. At its latest hit-out at the Winton Festival of Speed, there wasn’t a single five-minute period when it wasn’t surrounded by star-struck fans taking photos of it or dads telling their kids about the big red mutha. And guys and gals of a certain age really do remember and dig this car, especially since it marked a high-water mark in interest in the category’s history. It actually went on to win the 1985 Sports Sedan Championship, too, so it could boogie with the best of them. The fact that the big Merc ran – for a time – with a 1000hp twin-turbo combo doesn’t hurt its heartstring-tugging power, either.
It was built by Bryan Thomson and Peter Fowler as a spaceframe car back in the late 70s, and the decision to use a Benz coupe profile was all about attracting corporate money. “We were looking for financial support from the big corporates. Didn’t work out that way, though,” Peter recalls. “If nothing else, though, it was something different.” You can say that again!
“But you have to remember that back in the 70s, Sports Sedans were the pinnacle of motorsport in Australia,” Bryan points out. “In fact, in the 60s and 70s, motorsport was about building a better mousetrap. And the rules around Sports Sedans gave you the freedom to do that.”
These days, the M-B coupe still sticks to that theory, and there’s a lot of Formula 5000 in this car, including the Hewland transaxle and Elfin suspension uprights. The 6.0L Chev is the other defining element, and this car is about as radical as it got in the period. It’s now owned by Adelaide-based Simon Pfitzner, a secondgeneration Sports Sedan racer.
And what’s it like to drive with its mid-mounted, mechanically fuel-injected 6.0L in your lap, right-hand gearshift and f-a-t slicks? “Um, I’m still kind of learning it,” Simon admits. “It’s fast, for sure, but to be honest, until it’s warmed up and got some heat in the tyres and brakes, it’s not real friendly.”