On the 7th of October 1953, Mercedes Tester and developer, Karl Wilfert, announced that a compact sports car was being tested, and the birth of the SL was nigh.

W194: The 190 SL had spun off from the 1952 300 SL racing car (W 194), with a 300 SL promised for the USA. Walter Häcker, Head of Mercedes- Benz Body Design, was to pen the body, while the Sindelfingen plant was awarded the task of designing the vehicle and model type of the 300 SL. The body came as a 300 SL Coupe (W 198) and the open-top 190 SL (W 121)

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ABOVE: Mercedes SL through the years

W113: 1963 brought us the 113 “Pagoda”, possibly the most beautiful car in the world. Over its lifespan, 230SL, 250SL, and 280SL followed closely on the upgrades for the sedan verions of the 108 and 109 SE and SEL variants.

R107: The swinging 60’s gave way to the 70’s, and the R 107 SL and C107 SLC models. Coming in a 280, 350, and 450 model, a total of 300,175 were built. For the first time, a Mercedes SL had a V8 engine.

The 2.8L straight 6 grew to 3.0L, while the V8 3.5L and 4.5L increased 3.8L/4.2L and 5.0L/5.6L respectively. The roofed version SLC began life in  1972, a year after thew SL convertible, and was discontinued in 1981. The SL went on to 1989, with the advent of the R129. Transmissions developed through 4 and 5 speed manuals, and 3 and 4 speed automatics.

R129: The R 129 ran from 1989 to 2001

Shaped along the lines of the W140 saloon, the R129 came in a bevy of engine choices, including 2 AMG versions. Starting with a 2.8L straight 6, then a 2.8L V6, the 3.0L straight six was replaced by a 3.0L V6, and later, a 3.2L V6. V8’s cam in 5.0L, 5.4L and AMG 6.0L versions, and finally, V12 engines were 6.0L with AMG 7.1L and 7.3L capacities. Transmissions were 4 or 5 speed automatics, and a 5 speed manual.

During this time, the “SL” was moved to the front of the engine denomination, as 600 SL becaome the SL 600.

R230: 2001 brought us SL versions with their metal folding roofs for the first time. This time, V^ engines ranged through 3.0L/3.5L and 3.7L versions from 170kw to 200/232kw versions, to the 241kw model. V8 and V12 engines pushed the boat out. The supercharged 5.5L topped out at 380kw, while the bi-turbo V12 finished at 493kw.

R231: the 231 ran from 2012 to 2020 and is now discontinued. For the first time, there is no SL model to follow. Mercedes revealed recently that any SL-like models to follow would be AMG-SL only. V6 engines of 3.0L turbo and 3.5L put out 245kw and 225kw respectively, the bi-turbo 4.7L V8 335kw was followed by a 395kw 5.5 V8 and 430kw Bi turbo, and a 6.0L V12 bi-turbo with 460kw.

Transmissions were either a 7 or 9 speed automatic.

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