Mercedes 300SL
Dependable so often means dull, but does it have to be that way? Can a classic you can rely on still have the kind of engaging character that makes every mile a pleasure? To find out we’ve brought together six cars from marques that know how to build them strong: Mercedes-benz, Volvo, Porsche, Honda, Bristol and Mazda. There are saloons, coupés and sports cars, each one of them with a reputation for reliability, and between them they have something to offer for budgets from under £5000 to over £50,000. Which of them can deliver not just a hassle-free ownership experience but also a thrilling drive on some of Yorkshire’s most challenging roads? I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of each one to find out. It’s fitting that I start with the R107-series Mercedes-benz SL because it was a car so strong that its nickname, Der Panzerwagen, likened it to a military tank. I can feel that solidity in the weight of the driver’s door as I swing it open, and in the cabin I’m surrounded by quality materials that feel like they will last forever. Clever design plays a major part in this cockpit, too: the straightforward relationship of seat, wheel and pedals delivers a driving position that couldn’t be better. But there are details that could be improved – in typical Merc style the steering wheel is bigger than I’d like, the seats are comfortable but could offer more lateral support, and the single column stalk is overloaded with functions.
At its launch in 1971 the R107 was exclusively powered by V8 engines, but a twin-cam 2.8-litre six was added in 1974 in response to the oil crisis. Bigger V8s followed in 1980, and there were more revisions in 1982, by which time everyone was expecting the 107 to make way for a new car. But Mercedes was busy with other work, and the 107 was still selling, so there was a stay of execution and another round of improvements in 1985. The old twin-cam six was swapped for a lighter, higher-compression 3.0-litre single-cam for the car here, the 300SL. The smooth six delivers a lusty 185bhp and will keep up with all but the last of the V8s, though it needs to be worked harder than the bigger units with their lazy torque delivery.
That’s no hardship because of the responsive automatic transmission, controlled by a classic Mercedes selector with a serpentine gate. There’s a pleasantly cultured snarl that emanates from the tailpipes when the six is wound up to its 6200rpm redline. Push on like that and at first you wonder if the chassis has what it takes to keep up. Accelerate hard and the softly-sprung SL squats down over its rear axle; twirl the big wheel and it leans away from the corner apex. But the Mercedes hangs on, the supple springs soaking up imperfections in the road before they can trouble the SL’S composure. The R107 pulls off the neat trick of being comfy and cossetting when you want it to be, but with plenty of pace and tidy road manners when you want to get a move on. That it can do it all while still offering effortlessly glamorous style that turns heads nearly half a century after it was drawn just adds to its appeal.
Unless you’re dead set on a particular engine – some people simply must have a V8 – the best advice is to buy an R107 based
‘It pulls off the neat trick of being comfy and cossetting, but with plenty of pace and tidy road manners’
on condition and mileage rather than worry too much about the motor. All the SL variants provide performance brisk enough to avoid embarrassment in modern traffic and all the engines are tough, well-engineered units with good availability of parts. The biggest bugbear with SLS is rust: water collects in the heater plenum chamber at the back of the engine bay when the drain tubes get blocked up, rotting the front bulkhead. Wet footwell carpets and steamed-up windows are often the result, but the plenum cover must be removed to inspect underneath for a proper check. Rust can also attack the rear wheelarches, floor and sills, and the tray into which the soft-top folds. Hard tops – supplied with all SLS when new – also rust and can suffer damage during handling because they’re heavy. Leather interiors are the most sought-after but the MB-TEX vinyl wears well and the check Sport Cloth is the most comfortable. With over 237,000 SLS made there’s plenty of choice. Prices range from £5000 or less for high-mileage cars needing work to over £100,000 for exceptional low-mileage 500s.