Mercedes SL R107: a classic for every week
Eighteen years in production, two roofs and one engine being bypassed. The R107 is a classic that doesn't ask to be courted.
The door closes with a sound that no convertible has been able to repeat since — dense, short, without echoes. Then start the engine, lower the roof in two minutes with your hands, and realize that this car is not testing you. It does not leak, does not overheat in the column, does not make a show of ignition. The R107 is the only classic roadster that you can leave in the parking lot in front of the bakery without counting how many seconds you will be away.
It was produced1971 to 1989Into something more.237,000 copies— the longest serial life of a Mercedes after the G-Class. This figure is its biggest advantage today: there are enough for the market to have a choice, enough for parts to be available, and enough so that a bad copy does not have to be bought out of desperation.
Which engine to look for and which to bypass
The offer was wide in eighteen years, but for the customer today it comes down to three columns.
| Model | Engine | A | Note to Customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 280 EN | M110, 2.8 R6, ~185 HP | 1974-1985 | complex head, more expensive service than it looks |
| 300 EN | M103, 3.0 R6, ~188 HP | 1985-1989 | the most rational choice, reliable and economical |
| 380 SL (early) | M116, 3.8 V8 | 1981–1983 | single line distribution chain — bypass or check rework |
| 420 EN | M116, 4.2 V8 | 1985-1989 | balance of strength and calmness |
| 500 EN | M117, 5.0 V8, ~245 HP | 1980-1989 | circuit character, consumption 15-18 l/100 km |
The only real trap isearly 380 SL from 1981-1983: got a single-row distribution chain that proved to be a weak point, and motors that did not get it upgraded to a double-row can skip a tooth with consequences that are measured by the price of the head. Mercedes has returned the two-row chain since 1984. If you're looking at that particular period, the question is one:whether the chain has been rewritten and whether there is an account.
For someone who wants to drive, not service,300 SL with M103 engineis the smartest car in the whole story. The same six-cylinder engine was carried by the W124 and is known as one of the toughest Mercedes engines in general — we wrote about this generation in the guide toW124 that does not know how to malfunction. If you want sound,500 ENis the only right answer, with the awareness that a summer weekly tour costs you half a tank more.
Almost everyone hasfour-speed automatic, and that's okay — R107 is not a car being chased. Mechanical injection (K- and KE-Jetronic) is reliable while driving, and whims almost always come from a car that has been standing for a long time: pressure accumulator, dispenser, pump. A car that starts three times before it catches is not necessarily expensive, but it is a sleeping car.
Two roofs, two different cars
R107 has almost always been sold from both roofs and this should be looked for.Soft topit rises and descends manually, without motors and hydraulics, and the whole process takes less than two minutes when it is learned. That's why she rarely cancels: there's nothing to cancel. The seams, the rear window (the older one has yellowing plastic) and the seals against the windshield are checked.
A hardtop.is a separate, famous item — weighs about35 to 40 kilograms, carried by two people or a ceiling crane, gives the car a completely different character: a quiet, firm coupe that rides without concessions in winter. A copy without an original hardtop is worth significantly less, and a subsequently purchased hardtop in good condition with a bracket costs as much as a small service. If you choose between two of the same cars, the one with both roofs is always a better deal.
How to actually ride
Who expects a sports car from the R107 will be disappointed in the first corner. It weighs about1,600 kilograms, its track is soft by task, and the steering wheel is light and slow — this vehicle is designed for the American highway and the German section without restrictions, not for the pass. On the open road, this becomes a virtue: at 120 km/h with the roof down, the wind goes overhead instead of in the face, the conversation is possible without raising your voice, and the V8 at these revs is barely audible.
The brakes are a disc on all four sides and for this pace they are quite sufficient, but they are looking for mass awareness: it slows down earlier than today's car requires.Four-speed automaticit changes calmly and without haste and works best if it is not forced — the pressure to the floor in it does not awaken the sport mode but only consumption. The most pleasant way to drive this car is the third gear at half throttle, and that is exactly why it is bought.
This figure is its biggest advantage today: there are enough for the market to have a choice, enough for parts to be available, and enough so that a bad copy does not have to be bought out of desperation.
Where it rusts, and what it actually looks like
The R107 was built before galvanizing entered the standard, so it comes down to how much time it spent outside and whether it was ever badly repaired. The mechanics are fixed; the bodywork is paid for.
The check order is always the same.Thresholds and boxes under them— it is a bearing part, not an ornament, and that is where the most expensive mistake is made.Prednji blatobrani oko farova i spoj sa branikom. Pod ispod tepiha, naročito sa vozačke strane i u prostoru za noge suvozača, jer krov koji je negde propuštao vodu ostavi trag baš tamo. Ležište akumulatora i lim ispod njega. Poklopac gepeka oko brave i donja ivica. A-stub uz vetrobran, koji je najskuplja moguća korozija na ovom autu jer traži vađenje stakla.
Magnet i džepna lampa reše devedeset odsto pregleda. Sveže obojen prag bez ijedne mrlje na ostatku auta je jasan signal, ne slučajnost. Ista logika kupovine važi i za druge otvorene youngtimere, pa ako poredite, pogledajte i vodič za E30 kabriolet.
Realne cene i šta se za njih dobija
Tržište je raslojeno i razlika između najjeftinijeg i najskupljeg istog modela ume da bude šestostruka. Gruba mapa za region izgleda ovako: projekti sa rđom i bez hardtopa idu od par hiljada evra i gotovo uvek koštaju više nego što vrede; vozni primerci sa papirima, oba krova i poštenom istorijom žive u rasponu od petnaest do tridesetak hiljada; očuvani kasni 300 SL, 420 SL i 500 SL sa malom kilometražom idu preko toga i tu cena prati dokumentaciju, ne godište.
Pravilo je grubo ali se ne menja: stanje karoserije određuje cenu, model određuje koliko ćete uživati. Loš 500 SL je skuplji projekat od dobrog 300 SL, svaki put.
Detalji koje zna samo neko ko ga je vozio
Prvo — hardtop nema gde da stoji. Četrdeset kilograma stakla i lima traži mesto u garaži i zidni nosač; ko ga ostavi naslonjen na zid, ogrebe ga u prvoj sezoni. To je trošak koji niko ne uračuna pri kupovini.
Drugo, klima je bila luksuz i ponaša se kao luksuz iz sedamdesetih. Radi, ali hladi skromno po standardima današnjeg auta. Za nedeljnu vožnju to je nevažno; za dnevni auto u julu nije.
Treće, zadnja svetla sa rebrastom, nazubljenom površinom nisu stilska odluka nego rešenje — prljavština se na njima zadržava manje, pa ostaju vidljiva po lošem vremenu. Kada vidite zamućeno, mlečno staklo, to je auto koji je decenijama stajao na suncu i to je najlakši način da se proceni koliko je štićen bio.
I poslednje: ovaj auto se najbolje vozi sporo. Nije brz po današnjoj meri i ne treba da bude. Njegov tempo je treća brzina, spušten krov i put koji ne mora nigde da stigne — što je i razlog zašto se, za razliku od većine klasika, R107 zaista vozi, a ne samo poseduje. Kako izabrati klasik koji podnosi i duže relacije, razložili smo u tekstu o grand toureru kao youngtimeru.
Questions & answers
short and to the point- Koji motor je najbolji za Mercedes SL R107?
- Za svakodnevnu upotrebu 300 SL sa M103 motorom iz 1985-1989 — pouzdan, štedljiv i jeftin za servis. Za karakter i zvuk 500 SL, uz potrošnju od 15 do 18 litara.
- Zašto se preporučuje izbegavanje ranog 380 SL?
- Primerci iz 1981-1983. imali su jednoredni lanac razvoda koji je poznata slaba tačka. Od 1984. vraćen je dvoredni; kupovina ranijeg ima smisla samo uz dokaz da je prepravka urađena.
- Koliko košta Mercedes SL R107 danas?
- Projekti idu od nekoliko hiljada evra, vozni primerci sa oba krova i urednom istorijom od petnaest do tridesetak hiljada, a očuvani kasni 300, 420 i 500 SL i preko toga. Cenu određuje karoserija, ne model.
