Archived · Classic Cars · 2 min read
Unique Cars and Parts: Mercedes 1970 - Present
Introduced early in 1971, this impressive two-seater sports car replaced the 280SL. The body and chassis of the 3rd generation SL was considerably…
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Historical article recovered from a Wayback capture dated 2004-11-26.
Introduced early in 1971, this impressive two-seater sports car replaced the 280SL. The body and chassis of the 3rd generation SL was considerably heavier and longer than it’s predecessor, but still showed a slight resemblence to them.
The front and rear axles were similar to those of the 200-250 models, with independant wheel suspension using double wishbones and anti-drive control at the front and a diagnol swing axle at the rear.
A four speed fluid-coupling automatic transmission was available as an option. The 3.5 litre V-8 engine underwent slight modifications to those being used on other models and the gear shift lever was placed on the floor.
The standard transmission provided a top speed of 210 kph and a very respectable 0-100 kph in 8.8 seconds. As with the previous generation SL’s, the vehicle came as an open roadster with removable hard top pagoda roof.
More stringent emission controls soon dictated that the engine be increased in capacity to 4.5 litres, however this larger displacement engine used 10% more fuel for an identical horsepower rating, making the earlier 350 engined cars the pick of the bunch.
The R107 body shape went on to become one of the longest running styles from Mercedes, remaining in production until 1989 with some 13 variants during that time.
Even by today’s standards for sports cars the 350SL’s spacious cockpit looks excellent and may feature beautiful real Zebrano (“zebra”) wood accents as a factory option, combined with leather upholstery.
In fact the only disappointment with the interior is the size of the steering wheel, large by the standards of the day it is the only item on the vehicle that could be considered “too oldfashioned”.
If purchasing or restoring a classic SL, colour choice is very important. Naturally you cannot go wrong with red, but Astral Silver over black is an equally worthy choice - for these are Mercedes’ classic racing colors dating back to the 1930s.
Astal Silver (DB paint code 735 ) can be found on all of the legendary Silver Arrows of Caracciola and Nuvolari fame as well as on the Mercedes streamliner that broke the world land speed record when driving 268mph on the Autobahn.
