The Mercedes Benz 107 SL Roadster 1971-1989

Standing the Test of Time

The legend lives on for the dream roadster of the 70's and 80's and now it's even more affordable to the enthusiast looking for a classy ride at a bargain price. This roadster model along with it's non identical twin the rally coup have long been recognized as one of the longest running production body's of the century and as well it has been one of the most desired and admired which begs the question why?

When you look back through time to take a look at what vehicles have held the consumers attention for long periods of time several attributes can be credited for the continual appeal the sticks with the consumer.

One close comparison that was produced during the same era's that these cars were produced is the Chevrolet Blazer.

Yea I know right now your saying it's not a car you cant compare the Mercedes Benz roadster to a truck that just doesn't make sense.

Well bear with me for a bit here and let me try to explain. The Chevy Blazer along with it's lookalike the GMC Jimmy stood the test of time as well as the MB 107 maybe even better by running production from 1969 to 1991 but for this comparison we need to limit the body style to the 1973-1991 models since a body style change was made between 1972 and 1973 models.

What you find is that both manufacturers squared up their production with these models, that is to say they went to a more boxy look or straight sleek lines giving them a more masculine look. Now look around today and what do you see? the Hummer all boxed up and ready to go and the Jeep Grand Cherokee getting boxy again.

So I think we can safely say that squaring up the Mercedes had some play in the longevity of it's run but certainly there is far more to it than that. The Mercedes Benz itself was a status symbol of the wealthy and the roadster was a toy to show you could afford more than just an everyday driver. Over the years though this long production run left the 107 to be plentiful for the picking and bargains can be had.

Models in the 107 class, also referred to as the R107 or W107 were the 280 6 cylinder model the 350 that was rebaged after the first year as the 450, the 380 then the 560. Other models include the Europeon 300, 420, 500 and the AMG