OPEN AND SHUT CASE
The SLK introduced Mercedes into a newer, more youthful market and also started the trend for hardtop convertibles
Mercedes in the early ’nineties was a safe, if rather sensible bet: the cars still enjoyed the overengineered reputation that had built the brand and technically were beyond criticism. However, the range was rather conservative: essentially saloon cars in three different sizes from C-Class to S-Class with the odd coupé, estate or convertible derivative and the expensive SL as the halo model.
In common with most prestige European makers during the same period though, the need to expand the range in order to achieve increased volume became evermore evident. new niches needed to be explored and the first of these was the radical a-Class, tainted by the infamous Elk test but a radical and very clever design nonetheless.
The company was also painfully aware that apart from the a-Class it lacked youth appeal, its range offering neither the variety nor affordability to attract younger buyers.
The launch by Mazda of the ground breaking MX-5 spurred the company to action and development of a more affordable roadster to sit below the costly SL was accelerated. Since the time of the 190SL, Mercedes had lacked an entry-level sports car and the Mazda’s success showed the potential for such a model. Styling exercises were duly commissioned and clay models worked up, but the project was cancelled suddenly in May 1990 due to concerns over the global economy.
a couple of years later, Dieter Zetsche was appointed as Chief Engineer and one of his first decisions was to revive the concept. Zetsche was a man of vision who would ultimately go on to head the entire organisation, also unravelling the ill-considered DaimlerChrysler merger.
Serious development work then began, centred round a shortened version of the floorpan from the yet-to-be-released W202 C-Class. Interestingly, the brief included the folding hardtop almost from day one, the idea being to differentiate the car from the wave of me-too roadsters released following the debut of the MX-5. Mercedes even established a joint venture with nearby Porsche called CarTop Systems Fahrzeug-Dach-systeme to develop and manufacture convertible roof systems.
The styling, by Mercedes designer Michael Mauer took cues from the bigger SL, but with reduced overhangs in order to create a more sporting flavour.
a fully finished concept was displayed under the name Studie SLK at the 1994 Turin show and was subsequently road tested by a handful of journalists, all of whom praised the design and commented on its production-ready feel.
One of the aspects that impressed was the car’s rigidity, a product of Mercedes’ insistence on achieving saloon like levels of crash safety for its open cars. The contemporary r129 SL’s neat pop-up roll hoop would have been too costly for the SLK’s lower selling price and so high-strength steel was employed in crucial areas to stiffen up the bodyshell. apart from crash safety, this was also necessary for the folding metal roof, which operated with extremely tight tolerances.
assembly took place in Mercedes’ Bremen plant, with some panels pressed by Karmann.
The SLK used two versions of the M111 four-cylinder engine: a 136bhp 2.0-litre and a supercharged 2.3-litre rated at 193bhp with an Eaton M62 blower. It wasn’t the most
exotic powerplant around but was tried and tested while also allowing the retail price of the car to be kept down. Transmission was either a five-speed manual or fivespeed automatic, both Mercedes’ own ‘boxes.
The wishbone front and multi-link rear chassis set-up was taken straight from the C-Class, although with revised spring and damper rates to suit a more sporting car.
The SLK was launched in production form at the 1996 Turin show, with the uK launch at the British motor show in October, by which time the official waiting list had extended to a staggering two years. Indeed, Mercedes reckoned it had two years’ worth of work at the Bremen plant just from the pre-launch orders. Meanwhile, Mercedes had been moving from its traditional straight-six and four-cylinder engines to a new range of vee units and the new V6 duly appeared in the SLK for 2000 in 3199cc, 218bhp form. The model was facelifted at the same time, gaining reshaped front and rear bumpers as well as a revised, more upmarket interior that now mirrored the SL.
The following year things were turned up another notch with the launch of the SLK 32 aMG. This added an IHI supercharger to the new V6, releasing 354bhp. The aMG version was offered only in automatic form but still managed to sprint to 60mph in just 5.2 seconds, while its top speed was electronically limited to 155mph. It was destined to be a short-lived model though, with the replacement r171 model launched n 2004 and the final r170, number 311,222 leaving the line in april.
The design was destined to live on though, in the guise of the Chrysler Crossfire. In an exercise that would mirror the later Seat Exeo, the cast-off Mercedes platform was used by the newly-created DaimlerChrysler to provide the junior partner with a new model without the expense of developing a new design from the ground up. Introduced in 2003, the Crossfire was built by Karmann and was produced in both coupé and convertible forms until 2007. The aMG engine was even offered in Chrysler form too, under the badge SrT-6. Today the SLK makes a good case for itself as an emerging classic, if only for being the first European design to make the folding hardtop concept work elegantly. Early cars are currently great value with prices starting at just £2500 and plenty of presentable examples around from just £3500. If you’re fed up with leaky canvas roofs in your classics then it’s the ideal solution.