The two-seat roadster with the detachable roof made its debut in April 1971 as the successor to the W 113 SL series. However, the R 107 SL had nothing in common with its predecessor other than the name, according to Mercedes Classic spokesman Ralph Wagenknecht. The 107 was a giant leap forward, he says.
And that applied not only to the design, but also to the power source. For the first time the roadster came with a V8, a 3.5-litre engine with a power output of 147 kW / 200 horsepower that was particularly targeted at the American market.
Even with its high performance levels, the 107 wasn’t really designed as a sports car, although it could compete with almost all of the other open-top cars of the time. The 350 version, for example, could accelerate from a standstill to 100kph in 8.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 210kph.
However, the 107 was always intended to be a comfortable cruiser rather than a flat-out racer. That was the case back in the car’s hey-day and it’s just as true today for classic car enthusiasts who want a leisurely ride.
In the 107, you can tilt the seat back a little more and glide through the curves with one hand on the steering wheel.
With 237,287 units sold between 1971 and 1989, around two-thirds of them in the US, this SL is still the best-selling luxury roadster of all time. With that market now declining, it’s a record that will be hard to beat.
The fact that the 107 sold so many units is of course also due to its long career of 18 years in production. Renewed and kept up to date with new engines and designs, it wasn’t until 1989 that it finally gave way to the 129 series.
This long production life is testament to the groundbreaking development that the 107 represented, says Frank Wilke from market observer Classic Analytics. It’s a rarity for the same car to be built over two decades.
“That only happens when a new development is not worthwhile or when the car was a really big hit,” Wilke says.
Even though the car sold particularly well in the US, it wasn’t that easy to design for the SL’s most important market. That was because influential consumer advocate Ralph Nader had voiced concerns about the safety of open-top cars.
In response, Mercedes created a car with an extremely stable window frame that made a roll bar superfluous. That focus on safety is still paying dividends today. "The 107 is of outstanding quality and much more durable than many other old-timers of its era," Wilke says.
"When it comes to the best classic cars for beginners, the SL of the 107 series is always among the top ten," he says. Today the car offers the design, ambience, and driving experience of a classic, but it’s also suitable for use as an everyday car.
"So if you want to try out how to get along with such an old car, but don't want to be in the garage at the weekend, the 107 is the right car," Wilke says.
Given its long production life, the selection of 107s on the market today is large. Wilke says that drivable specimens can be bought for around US$12,000 (RM51,000).
