Buying Guide
The R107 was so good that Mercedes made it for 18 years, but cars – and values – vary wildly from model to model. We unpick the madness and help find the best SL for your budget
Mercedes-Benz SL (R107)
‘It survived until 1989, making it M-B’s second longestserving model’
The R107-series SL was launched in 1971 and offered stylish interiors, smooth, large capacity engines and peerless build quality. Initially only available with 3.5-litre V8 power, the R107 was offered with a six-cylinder engine shortly after in the form of the 280 SL, just before which a 4.5-litre V8 joined the line-up. Two main rounds of updates benefitted the car, first in 1980 when a four-speed automatic gearbox replaced the existing three-speeder and the two V8 offerings were enlarged to 3.8 and 5.0 litres. At the same time, the car
received a subtle facelift. Then, in 1985, the M110 straight-six was phased out in favour of the new M103 3.0-litre engine, the 3.5-litre V8 gained 300cc to become the 380 SL and all cars were now fitted with Bosch KE Jetronic fuel injection. Four- and fivespeed manual gearboxes were also offered, but automatics are much more common. The permanent hard-top SLC ( known as the C107) accompanied the SL up until 1981, when the W126 SEC was introduced. Mercedes duly canned the SLC, looking to avoid internal competition. The roadster continued until 1989, however, making it Mercedes’s second longestserving model – and a testament to just how modern it was in 1971. The SL turned out to be a particular hit in the United States, where two-thirds of all SLs were sold. Just like with Triumph and MG roadsters of the same era, this has led to a trend of bringing rustfree dry-state cars back to Europe, but this isn’t without issue. Not only are US models left-hand drive, but their engines are lower compression and many find their enormous ‘federal’ bumpers ugly compared to the slim Euro ones. Despite dynamic limitations – these really are grand tourers rather than out-and-out sports cars – the R107’s solid reliability, crisp looks and dependable technology mean that they are still as popular now as they were when they were new.