MERCEDES-BENZ SL AT 70
The first road-going Mercedes-Benz SL made its public debut in New York 70 years ago. Many, many more have followed since so to celebrate we take a quick trip through the SL alphabet
70 YEARS
The first SLs of 1952 were purebred racing machines so it wasn’t until early 1954 that the beautiful and exotic 300SL coupé was launched. In a still austere postwar world, it was an extraordinary statement of optimism and forward-thinking, combining epic performance with hi-tech engineering.
They were initially machines purely for the very wealthiest of customers but the more affordable 190SL Roadster and convertible 300SL spread the net wider. They set the tone for what followed; high-quality, stylish and desirable open sports cars with a choice of engines and performance to suit a range of pockets.
The W198 models made way for the handsome W113 range in 1963, which in turn set the stage for the chiselled good looks and long-lived robustness of the R107s throughout the 1970s and ’80s. For 1989, the R129 was a major leap forward, wrapping its technological advancements in an aerodynamic shape with power units that ranged from a straight-six to a V12. The R230 then successfully took the breed well into the 21st century.
After seven generations, SLs are as sought after and admired as ever, whether as classics or contemporary cars. And along the way, there have been some stories to tell…
A IS FOR… AIRBAGS
Mercedes-Benz was ahead of the game in introducing airbags, making them an S-Class option in 1981. The SL range followed suit; the 1986 range featured the option of steering wheels equipped with airbags. They wouldn’t be widely adopted by most other European marques until the mid-1990s.
B IS FOR… BELA BARENYI
Engineer Bela Barenyi came up with the distinctive hardtop design that gave the W113 SLs their ‘Pagoda’ nickname. The slightly concave style with a central dip added strength, but when viewed from the front or rear was reminiscent of the roofs on Chinese buildings. Barenyi was also responsible for… what’s under ‘C’.
C IS FOR… CRUMPLE ZONES
The W113 230SL of 1963 was one of the first sports cars to be fitted with crumple zones and a passenger safety cell. Bela Barenyi realised that allowing a car to deform in a controlled way, with passengers protected by a very strong central ‘box’, was a far more effective way of dealing with impacts than just making a vehicle immensely rigid. It’s now the industry norm.
D IS FOR… DALLAS
The R107 generation of SL has become so synonymous with the 1978-91 US TV show Dallas that the type is now often referred to as ‘The Dallas model’. The most notable in the series was the Signal Red ‘EWING 4’, driven by Bobby and Pamela Ewing (played by Patrick D
