All Entries Tagged With: "R107"
SL Generations
Mercedes-Benz SL’s from left to right: R129 | R107 | W113 | W198 | R230
By Gunnar Heinrich
IT can be so hard to pick favorites.
Each generation SL has a quality that’s uniquely of its own era. The only exception, of course, is the R107 (second from left) whose production run started as a 350SL during the Nixon years and saw its apogee as a 560SL when George H.W. Bush took office.
The R129 (left) with its automatic roof and pop-up rollover bar was a pioneering force in the 90s. The Pagoda (center) was the classic minimalist roadster for the Swinging 60s.
But perhaps when all of these cars become true classics – as in 50+ years old rather than the standard 25 – it may just whittle down to the first and most recent generations as the exemplar notions of what the paramount Mercedes drop top should be – the original 300SL and the pre-face lift R230.
Hearts & Minds: Mr. Behpour’s Automotive Art
Fleeing the Revolution? No, just shot while having fun.
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG by Alireza Behpour
THE comment that fellow photographer – username “Delneshin” left on Alireza Behpour’s Flickr account neatly captures any Westerner’s incredulity.
“A Ferrari in Iran?!!!”
Israel isn’t the only desert where flowers bloom…
Ferrari California’s True Predecessor
By Gunnar Heinrich
ADMITTEDLY, yours has been on a Ferrari kick lately.
I could go on about how the elusive-to-the-press California is proving to be a cast back to more than one Ferrari in its transformational effect on the company… and so I will.
Considering, that the true forebear to the latest (but greatest?) generation Ferrari California is the Dino (less so the eponymous 250 and 365), it’s only right that we consider what the Ferrari-for-the-common-man meant in its day and how much that everyday Ferrari is now worth.
The mid-engined Dino came in three flavors over the course of eight years; the 206 GT, 246 GT/S, and the 308 GT4 ( we will leave the latter model, a boxy, Giugaro Esprit-esque, V8 powered product of the mid 70s for another discussion that will hopefully include Barbara Bach for some other day).
True, the new California is a front engined V8, but stay with me!
The US Auto mags pitted the six cylindered Dino squarely against the likes of Jaguar’s (by-then-ancient) E-Type and Mercedes’ (R107) SL-Class; prestigious cars to be sure – but hardly exotics as Ferraris had come to be known.
Today, the same is being said of the new California and that the SL is the likely target rival. While the new California will likely retail for a mere $100K+ it’s set to be a higher volume product than the old Dino. In truth, only 3,761 of the old 246 GTs were built.
We can expect that figure to be the California’s annual production in a few years time.
But on the topic of limited production cars costing over $100K…
What sold in the 70s for about $18K is now showing up at prestige classic car dealers and on eBay for around $150,000.
Which might beg the question for some buyers who could only afford one $100K+ splurge – which would it be: the new transformational classic or the old?
[Linked: Ferrari Dino | Ferrari Dino Listing @ F40 Motorsports]
Fat Cat Capsizing: Much Fun Had In Benzland
By Gunnar Heinrich
I’VE run out of platitudes to praise Johannes Schlorb. Needless to say, he’s a great photographer.
The blogger and very talented photographer runs a site featuring the magnificent Mercedes-Benz 560SEL. Occasionally, his camera lens will find other classic Benzes in addition to W126 generation S-Class sedans and the content – to use gray media language – proves to be every bit as entertaining.
From what I got out of Babelfish (his site’s in German), Herr Schlorb attended a “safety training” get together orchestrated by a local Benz Club somewhere south of the former West German capital Bonn.
As many of the Teutons taking part in the Tri-Star slip ‘n slide were old enough to carry the label “Made in West Germany,” (a practice discontinued after 1985) the location was apt.
It’s not every day that you see a W108 SE drifting running over traffic cones or an R107 SL sideways; which is part of why the event’s shots are so compelling!
Many more polished images are available for sale or simply to peruse through via his website. Never has safety training looked like so much fun.
[Linked: Fuenfkommasechs.de]
Shots From Brochures Past: Benz 560SL
By Gunnar Heinrich
PHOTOGRAPHY being the artful demarcation of time and place that it is, there’s something about this image that’s at once period and on the other hand, indelibly timeless.
Pictured above is a 1986 Mercedes-Benz 560SL shot in the great American West in red over cream; popular for topless Teutons of that era.
These three SL photos are scanned facsimiles from an old US S-Class brochure that a friend gifted me nearly nine years ago.
The brochure itself is a testament to an unapologetic era of status assertion.
It reads as follows:
“The legendary SL Coupe/Roadster has earned its unique niche in the motoring world by blending two rich automotive themes: the lure of a lithe and eager top-down sporting machine and the reassurance of a strong, secure, supremely livable Mercedes-Benz. For 1986, the most confirmed SL advocate will revise his opinion upward.”
Much of the rest of the promotional text talks with the same über confidence that can only come from successfully selling a model line that sold virtually free from competition in the US market for two decades.
Timeless, indeed.
[Linked: March 1994 R&T Review of R107 Line]
Sighted: Flawless Mercedes-Benz 560SL
By Gunnar Heinrich
PRECIOUS few cars can match the iconic R107 generation Mercedes-Benz SL.
The third generation SL roadster was also the second longest running generation Benz. Penned in the Johnson era and discontinued just as Bush, Sr took office, the two seater followed the sublime W113 “Pagoda” SL to become a true tri-star titan.
Mint examples are plentiful in California, but are less frequently found in the Northeast. So, having spied one while out to dinner on this fine Friday’s eve, yours just had to take some shots to share with the blogosphere at large.
F.Y.I.
The 560 engine – a 5547 cc V8 beast- was the final power unit to propel the R107′s mid-weight 3,500 lbs chassis, and was unique to the North American and Australian markets. Our Euro friends had to make do with the older 500′s 4970 cc V8.
Also unique to North America, are the extended five-mph bumpers and the double circular headlamps, as opposed to the rectangular halogens known to the rest of the world.
Click on the gallery below to have a look at this glänzenden Auto!
[Linked: Edmunds]
Benz’s Best > Top Ten Postwar Models
10) Geländewagen a.k.a. “G-Wagen” W460/461/463 (1979 – )
The ultimate survivor. Built to military spec., there’s solid reason why the UN and NGO peace organizations use the G-Wagen to get the job done. Utilitarian looks as timeless as the Range Rover County and Hummer H1.
9) S-Class W116 (1972-1979)
This solid, stolid generation of flagships included the legendary might-makes-right 450SEL 6.9. The classic three box German saloon, the 70′s S-Class rolls on as a great vestige of the marque’s grand heritage.
S-Class W140 (Sedan) (1991-1999)
Despite being chastised for running out of step with the times, the W140 saloons set the standard for the 90s. Big and beautiful, these chariots were commodious, luxurious, and represented the last generation of Mercedes sedans to embody the vaunted “vault-like” feel.
7) E Class W210 (1995-2002)
Not as solid as its W124 predecessor, but miles ahead in style. No other model in contemporary Mercedes history generated as much excitement or so revolutionized the marque as this generation E. Hugely popular, the line included the torque rich E55 AMG.
6) SL Class R230 (2002- )
Elegant yet sporty, the current generation SL embodies a classic blend of pure style. The SL is the most comfortable and luxurious roadster Mercedes-Benz has yet built and is also the most powerful. The SL55 and 65 AMG models lifted the bar on performance.
5) 300S W188 (1951-1958)
The start of the greatest flagship series the world has known. Subtle design belies solid quality and luxurious craftsmanship. The first of postwar Benz’s opened topped tourers stands as one of the 20th Century’s grandest.
4) SL Class R107 (1971-1989)
An icon for two generations. Greater than the previous W113 “Pagoda”, this roadster rolls with class, style, and substance. The 500SL and 560SL V8s produced performance times that rivaled Ferrari and Porsche. Among the ultimate boulevardiers of all time.
3) 250/280/300SE cabriolet W111/W112 (1961-1967)
Perhaps the best 2+2 convertible ever built. Precious few cars can rival the SE cabriolet’s classic panache. Instantly collectible and reliably solid, this generation will be remembered as among the finest cars Stuttgart ever built.
2) 300SL Gullwing and Roadster W198 (1954-1963)
Sex on wheels. The roadster may rank as the most beautiful car ever built. The Gullwing may rank as the most iconic Benz ever. The symbol of revival to postwar Germany’s auto industry. The straight-six’s performance set the bar for supercar performance for more than 30 years. It’s easy to justify six to seven figure price tags.
1) S Class W126 (Sedan and Coupe) (1979-1991)
The greatest generation. The longest lived S-Class and among the most commercially successful model lines in Mercedes history. Part of Benz’s golden era of over-engineering, the 80s S-Class rank among the most solid cars ever built. The 300SD, 500/560SEC, 500/560SEL are icons. Bruno Sacco’s grand sedan and coupe – penned in the 70s – influenced industry design through the 90s.
