Mercedes Benz R107-C107-W107 Production Statistics

• What Model is Your Car? Decode Your Vin#

• What Model is Your Car? Decode Your Vin#

• Index of Production Numbers

• Production Modification Enhancements

• Chassis and Engine Specifications

• Technical Specifications

• Mercedes Paint Codes

SL PRODUCTION

The Mercedes-Benz 107 SL "R 107" for "Reihe" (series) was a two-seat open roadster produced by Mercedes-Benz with various engines. Distribution 1971 to 1989.

In October 1970 Mercedes presented the 350 SL, an open-top two-seat Roadster as successor to the 230/250/280 SL line featuring a 3.5 litre V8, as its name implies, and code-named Mercedes-Benz R107. The 107 model stayed in production until 1989, when it was finally superseded by the R129 SL.

The U.S. market imported the R107 ranging from the in-line 6 cylinder 280 to precisely double that - with the 560 V8 1986-89 and its exclusive 5.6 L V8 engine.

• Badged 350 SL 4.5L 1972
• the 450 SL 4.5L 1972-1980
• the 380 SL 3.8L 1981-1985
• the 560 SL 5.6L 1986-1989

With the introduction in 1971 the 4.5 liter was first badged as a "350 SL" (230 hp) when it became available in the USA (the designation 350SL for the US market was designed to fool the German market who did not have access to the larger engine. In October 1972 the official tag "450SL" began being installed on US cars). The 350/450SL was a rather low compression 4.5 liter engine (230 hp SAE, later reduced down in stages for fuel economy and to meet US emission control laws where the final 1980 models sported 160 hp SAE)

Later, a higher compression 450 SL (250 hp SAE) was made accessible to Europeans and followed by the 280 SL with a fuel-injected six (185 hp), in wake of the first fuel crisis by the "economy".

SLC PRODUCTION

• In the US from 1973 the 350 rebadged 450 SLC in 1974-1980
• from 1981-1985 was the 380 SLC when oil prices became a concern
• In Europe there were 280/350/450/450-5.0/500 SLCs

SLC production reached 7.000 units in good years, with the United States absorbing the majority. The most collectible version is the 450 SLC 5.0 of 1978, the first Mercedes-Benz car with the new light alloy 5.0-litre engine and hood (bonnet) and trunk (boot) lid both aluminum.

Mercedes Benz 107 European Models

European models of the 107 offered more performance horsepower than U.S. models from the beginning.

• the 5.0-litre model (240bhp) making its debut in 1981
• the 220bhp 380SL replaced the 350SL and was produced into 1986
• fall of 1986 brought on changes including revised engines and a line-up consisting of the
  • 300SL (188bhp),
  • 420SL (218bhp),
  • 500 SL (245bhp) and
  • 560 SL (300bhp) special-order, though the U.S. 560 model only produced around 240bhp.

Nearly 237,400 Mercedes R107's were produced over the 18-year period of production, two-thirds of these were imported into the USA with their bigger bumpers and round headlights.

The more powerful 500SL with 5.0 liter engine, produced from 1980-1989, was not available in the U.S. through Mercedes-Benz but it was popular in the "gray market" prior to the arrival of the 560SL (only made for the USA and Australian markets) 1986-1989.

The last 107 made, a 1989 500SL painted Astral Silver, resides in the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart, Germany.

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