1986 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster: owner review
The R107 SL is the fourth generation in the lineage of models that have spanned nearly 70 years since 1954 starting with the W198 300SL Gullwing and the W121 190SL.
Owner: Nathan
- Timeless design
- Robust build quality - it's very solid
- Comfort
- Lighter front end compared to heavy V8's of early cars
- Colour Combination
- Last of the series cars updates
- Fuel Economy - can drink quite a bit
- Parts can be expensive
- Steering could be more direct
- Hardtop fitment can be fiddly - and you can't have it on for too long
The R107 SL is the fourth generation in the lineage of models that have spanned nearly 70 years since 1954 starting with the W198 300SL Gullwing and the W121 190SL. Launched initially in 1971, it launched a new design language for the brand that would echo throughout the model range of Mercedes-Benz throughout the 70’s and 80’s. It retained the same modus operandi as the W113 Pagoda before it with a removable ‘dished’ hard top and stowable soft top however sported a more aerodynamic shape and shared underpinnings with the ‘/8’ W114/W115 200-Series cars.
The design was penned in 1968 under the guidance of Friedrich Geiger and production of the R107 ran for 18 years with the design not materially changing throughout that time – it was the second longest running passenger car to be built ever by Mercedes-Benz. There were minor updates to the car throughout this time, namely in 1979 with major updates to the interior that happened across the Mercedes-Benz range and again in late 1985 for MY1986 cars. These updates were included from the larger S-Class models to the brakes, suspension and steering as well as minimal styling changes with recessed flush door handles, different alloy wheels and a front air dam that signifies earlier cars from the final models.
My experience with the R107 came from an early age – my grandfather had a Signal Red 1987 560SL for about 14 years until he upgraded the car in 2002. I have many memories of this car from when I was a kid, riding on the back luggage shelf as you could in the 90’s. I love the design of it – for many people it's synonymous to the Mercedes-Benz brand. Many people think of this car when you say ‘Mercedes-Benz’ and they were featured throughout popular culture from the 70’s right through to the 90’s. So, for a long time I’d wanted to buy one and I didn’t seriously start looking until about a year ago. Then I found this car – it’s a Signal Red 1986 300SL.
From the outset I was quite against buying a non-Australian delivered car, however having looked at many examples for a solid year, I came to realise that really there was no difference – Later cars were galvanised and were pretty on par in terms of issues that the Australian cars had and were the ones to get. This car was owned by a couple who had owned it for over 20 years and had imported it to Australia from the UK in the early 2000’s. It hadn’t been driven much in the last five years only covering less than 1,000 miles in that time and it was very original with low mileage. Upon seeing that it had all the books and service history from new and after getting it checked up on a hoist by a mechanic, I was sold on it – and also the fact that it looked exactly the same as the one my grandfather had!
I didn’t know how I would go with it being a 6-cylinder rather than the usual V8 that you find in most of these cars – however I was pleasantly surprised. While it’s not a monster like the V8’s it's powerful enough, and it’ll comfortably cruise all day long on a long drive. The 3.0-litre M103 straight six produces about 140kW and 260Nm of torque and is smooth. This is aided by the fact it has a 4-speed automatic, which for the time was rather advanced given most cars still only had three speeds at best. 0-100km/h sprint takes about 9.5 seconds.
It also runs on 98RON fuel, benefitting from the fact that the M103 in this car was designed from the outset to run on unleaded fuel, so no real hassles with additives or special maintenance which is great. The thing that surprised me the most was how much this car doesn’t feel like a 35 year old car to drive – it's quite comfortable and easy to live with, which is a real testament to why they stayed in production for so long. You have to remember this car was effectively designed in the late 1960’s so it’s pretty incredible when you think about it. What helps this is that the cabin is compact – which by comparison to the overall size of the car is quite perplexing. You don’t realise how compact it is until you get inside, but it's by no means an effort to drive at all.
As I’m doing a rolling restoration on the car, I made sure I did my research in terms of parts availability. Given these cars globally are quite popular and are now becoming collectible, parts are relatively easy to get – mostly from the UK. Having a good specialist helps as well when it comes to the more complicated bits however this car is relatively easy to work on, because it’s very much like an older car: everything is washers, Hex bolts and screws so really all you need most of the time is a socket set and a screwdriver – and that’s the fun part!
My SL is a very special car to me, but it’s also a reminder of when the slogan “Engineered like no other car” was synonymous with the Mercedes-Benz brand. These cars are rare in Australia with less than 2,000 examples delivered here between 1972 and 1989, and it has such a wide appeal with both young and old and is a real head turner. Its definitely my forever car and it wears the same plates that my grandfather had on his first Mercedes today.
Owner: Nathan
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