(first posted 11/9/2017) I never got to all the cars I shot in Portland a few months back, but this set needs to be released from the digital vault. I’m in the throes of an absurdly long article, so this one is going to be short. I’ve long meant to write up the C107 coupe, but a linger write-up will have to await another day, or year. Meanwhile, let’s savor this rather complementary pair.
I distinctly remember the first time I saw an SLC in the flesh: It was shortly after participating in a Student-Worker Alliance protest march in Washington DC in the spring of 1971. Was I a pinko? Not really; I did it to get a free bus ride from Iowa City to the Baltimore-Washington area and back, so I could get some of my stereo gear, after having split a month or so earlier with only a backpack. Yes, I’ll march for a few hours for a free bus ride on a charter bus. On which I actually laid down on the aisle floor in order to sleep.
I have digressed. Anyway, shortly after the march I was standing on a Georgetown sidewalk, when a 450SLC in the same brown metallic comes gliding by, piloted by an affluent guy with his teenage daughter next to him and a younger boy in the back, out for a Saturday shopping trip or such. So much for the revolution…
I had of course seen pictures of the SLC in magazines, but it was a bit hard to get a sense of its size and proportions. The whole notion of a four passenger fixed-roof coupe version of an SL seemed quite odd to me. And that didn’t change when I saw the real thing go by. It seemed too long and low to work properly. Clearly, the coupe version had to have been an afterthought. It just wasn’t harmonious.
That’s not to say I wasn’t impressed, nevertheless. This is a car that has never induced the slightest pangs of lust in me.
The odd rear quarter window treatment only confirmed my sense that this was something of a hack job. It just wasn’t working for me. Still doesn’t. There had to have been a better solution. Even if that meant the window didn’t go down the whole way. Or? Couldn’t those Mercedes engineers perform magic, or had they lost their touch.
If you can do this, then sure as hell you can figure out something better than the hack job on that SLC.
Why the slats? Mercedes wanted to avoid the solution that Chrysler had to use with its 1961-1962 Valiant and Lancer coupes: an awkward split rear side window, since it too was too big to go down whole. The slats on the Mercedes coupe are just there to make it look like something other than what it really is. A gimmick, in other words.
The front is of course just like every R107: nice. Except for the steering wheel, which needs to be replaced by a Nardi wood rim. That thing is just so big and black and overpowering.
The back seat? For kids only. Like the guy driving that one in Georgetown, with his two kids aboard. That’s who this car was made for. Divorced dads with kids who always wanted an SL.
I’m assuming this clean F250 belongs to the same owner. Something about their condition, never mind their location. It’s not the most obvious pairing of vehicles, but I’ve long stopped trying to guess what folks like in an older car or truck. One for varying purposes; makes sense. Which would you rather have?
Ford truck, all day long. I like the MB but I don’t love it. Make it a 190D sedan from the same era and maybe we have a horse race.
The Ford truck would fit my lifestyle perfectly as an occasional-use mulch hauler. If I had the space to keep it indoors, that is.
An older Mercedes (and maybe the old Ford truck, too) reminds me of a house in that it’s built of durable materials built to last a long time, and be timeless in its style and appeal. No planned-obselesce here.
Too bad the new ones are a gimmick-filled fashion statement, built to be traded in after a few short years. Are there any new cars with that timeless style and quality?
Frankly, I thought the SLC’s roof/rear side window design was a gimmick-filled fashion statement at the time.
Mercedes being Mercedes, I always assumed those slats were there for some logical Germanic reason. It would be very disappointing if they were indeed just a styling affectation.
It looks to me as if the slats exist for a bit of rear-seat privacy, but are angled so the driver can still see out of them, when doing the over-shoulder blind-spot check.
There… a logical Teutonic explanation for the fashion statement!
I don’t think so much privacy, which was really not an issue back then. The rear side window obviously was too big to go down all the way, and they didn’t want it looking like the Valiant/Lancer hardtop, with a split rear side window. So the slats are a way of differentiating the two sections of the rear side window, stylistically. And so yes, actually, they are strictly a styling gimmick, a solution to a technical/design problem they could not solve otherwise.
Arguably everything this side of a Trabant is a styling gimmick. It looks cool, regardless. Good for Mercedes to lighten – up on the styling once in a while.
And unlike todays’ gimmicks, it won’t break down because its not powered by cheap electronics. 🙂
I can’t look at this pair without the theme to “Dallas” playing in my head…
OntarioMike: good statement
Paul: totally agree with the rear quarter window, never understand this
But nice pair, one for work and one for fun
In the early 80’s, I worked for a guy who drove a 1979 Mercedes 450 SLC. He had nothing but trouble with it. When people would say that they wished that they owned it, I’d tell them to be careful of what they wished for.
In 1982, my parents and I were looking for a secondhand Mercedes-Benz to buy in Germany and ship it to the United States. That was when the dollar appreciated greatly against Deutsche Mark. And before the loophole in personal importation closed in a few years later.
We found a 1971 Swiss-registered 350SLC in same colour in Waldshut-Tiengen and a 1977 450SEL in Donaueschingen. We drove both and decided unanimously and quickly that 450SEL was better and more practical choice albeit costing 5,000 DM more than 350SLC.
No buyer’s remorse here…
“The whole notion of a four door fixed-roof coupe version of an SL seemed quite odd to me.”
Pretty sure you meant to write “four seat”.
Yup.
Unlike Paul, I don’t have a good story about the first time I saw one of these. However his statement “not a car that has never induced the slightest pangs of lust in me” sure works for me. I did have a brief exposure to the SLC about 20 years ago. A family we met through our kids’ school had a silver one. The man told me the history one day: when he and his wife-to-be met, she was driving the SLC, passed down from her parents, and he had a 1st gen Tercel. When their family grew to two kids, they needed to get a bigger car and bought a Camry, so it came down to selling the Mercedes or the Tercel. The wife won and the Mercedes became his daily driver, as she usually had the Camry with the kids. He told me he like the Tercel much more.
These do nothing for me and never have. Now, the W-113.roadster, as the 230SL, was another matter. Its “pagoda” roof made it look lean and graceful. When my neighbor traded hers for a (ugh) Saturn, it was a sad day.
Paul, I felt the same way too and especially admired the R107 roadster (SL) when it first appeared – with short bumpers and color matching wheel covers.
It took a long time, but the SLC eventually piqued my interest. Oddly, the SLC was raced (as an endurance rally car) and the SL was not. I think the survival rate of the SLC as compared to the 107 SL is much lower and the price differential for decades showed very little interest in the SLC. Today it is very hard to find an SLC that has been taken care of – like this very ’70s brown one in PDX. The SLC lasted only through about 1981 or so, giving way to the luxury coupe properly designed from the get go – the 126 SEC. The SLC covered fewer years and much fewer were produced yearly than the SL. So finding a nice one is an accomplishment, I’d say.
Oh, and yes I would certainly prefer the SLC over the Ford pickup.
Definitely the Benz – I have always loved the 107 variant of the SL – today’s models border on the vulgar.
The Ford, hands down. Nice find! What part of Portland?
Benz steering wheel isn’t great but it’s handsome enough, a Nardi wood rimmed affair would look very strange and outdated.
I’ve always thought that the SLC was a better-balanced design than the R107 roadster due to the extra length – the coupe doesn’t look quite so top-heavy. The only messy details are those side window slats.
+1
I completely agree with your comments on the SLC’s quarter windows. Thought the same thing when I first saw one, still looks awkward to me all these years later. Other than that, a fine car in all respects.
My brother-in-law had a new 77 450 SLC and I’ll never forget the time he let me drive it. Compared to my 66 LeSabre the SLC felt like it came from another planet. The steering was a revelation, it required much more effort but on center feel was amazing and it felt like I was guiding the front wheels with my hands. The car felt glued to the road, cornered so flat and the structure was so solid that one felt invincible driving it. I’d tempted to buy one if I could find one that has been well maintained because they’re so much less common than the SL.
For a couple of valid comparisons, look towards the Jaguar XKE 2+2 and the Datsun 260Z 2+2. Along with the SLC, these two got some awkward re-proportioning in order to gain a (mostly vestigial) rear seat. None of them are really pretty.
I’d take the Ford Truck. These 70s F-series are my favorite pickup trucks, particularly from 73-77. It’s the single pickup I would take if I needed a Pickup for any reason, so that’s my answer. The SLC, I don’t hate it, but there are other Mercedes I would take before it. Plus, I would only take it if it was the European market version instead of the American one, as like a lot of other people, I find the American version looks butchered
That shade of brown looks great on the Mercedes. Not a favorite color of mine but a nice reminder of when a variety of colors were available and popular. And such well-cared for vehicles are always a pleasure. These M-Bs s sold reasonably well here in SoCal and I still see examples from time to time.
Mercedes 450 SLC is one of my favorite cars even I never drive or sit in on. Mu guess is it is probably a very respectable but not very good handle vehicle. I just like its glamour look like all the S class coupes afterward, like the beautiful ladies in centerfold. Other day, I saw a current model of S class coupe in royal dark blue, it is absolutely beautiful car, that is uber brougham . Now I realize why coupe was so popular in the past.
Even around the S.F. Bay Area these are not as common as the SL version. These do have kind of a gimmicky stretched look and those window slats remind me of the Jaguar XJS, although I guess they are supposed to mimic some Italian exotic. I have sat in these and the back seat is a tight fit for an adult. The looks have kind of grown on me and I seriously considered one a few years back. One of the things that I like best is the instrument panel. Those large clear dials just looks so purposeful, I even like the big wheel. I did have a ’77 Datsun 280Z 2+2 for several years while my two kids were younger. I actually found it to be quite useful and it gave me the opportunity to drive the Z most of the time. I imagine that the SLC would fill a similar role. This was back in the day when some folks really wanted to drive a sporty two seater but really needed that rear seat. On the other hand the SL roadster reminds me of the classic two seat Thunderbirds.
Not a bad look.
Yes, Jose – when I became aware of that SLC my attitude about the car changed.
I have a BBurago 1/24 scale die cast model of what you’ve illustrated. That was a very purposeful car.
I wonder how the car would work as a shooting brake? Here is 5 seconds’ effort, plenty of room for improvement in the styling themes not just the shoddy execution. It still looks too long though!
Well, I always much preferred these over the convertible. The latter always looks as if the passengers are sitting more or less in the boot, and with the hardtop in place, the cabin appears to finish past the back wheels. The whole is such a heavy-looking design it ends up looking like a fat man crouched on roller skates. All most unsatisfactory. And all fixed by being longer.
So I’ll have the Mercedes, and have my garden man drive the lovely-looking F-250.
My father bought a silver 450 SLC brand new in 1976 from Worldwide Motors in Indianapolis for the breathtaking price of $24,000. I found the fuel enrichment system on the car’s mechanical fuel injection system interesting. As airflow through the throttle body increased, it pushed down on a diaphragm enriching the fuel mixture. My father’s car had hubcaps instead of the “bundt” wheels so I am assuming the featured car is a ’77 to ’80 model. I also found the 76’s climate control system rather complex with its knobs and levers. By 1980 the system had been greatly simplified with buttons and a temperature wheel.
I’d have to take the ’75 F-250, if only for reasons of familiarity. But both are unbelievably clean.
Put me down as one who likes the SLC. Better than the SL in my view. Certainly no hack job. The Milan Brown paint looks cool too!
Of course Paul understands the rear quarter glasses of the 300d Adenauer lift out when the cabinet hardware catches are released. It is not made clear that the framed pieces are then stowed in soft covers and placed in the trunk.
Not the most convenient process and one that risks promoting Mr V Exner’s love of asymmetry in auto design
I wouldn’t mind taking the Benz for a drive – I’ve never ridden in one, much less driven it. The F-250 is more familiar territory for me, and I always liked the styling of the big Ford pickups. That said, the baby-blue paint would have to go. Red or black would be nice. Still, both vehicles are great finds and the only ones you’d find here in Ontario are likely put away for the winter by now.
If Mercedes wanted the entire rear window to roll down, they should have employed the same technique the Japanese used on hardtops for years. The whole window went down then when the trailing edge hit its limitation at the wheel arch the leading edge would drop down further for a raked appearance. The Acura Legend coupe, Lexus LS/ES and Subaru Legacy used this design for quite some time and while slightly inelegant was a very nice compromise to splitting the side windows.
I have a perverse love for the SLC. I suspect their oddity and rarity will begin to lift prices for the investor. To me the SL (with hard-top on) had a totally unresolved rear quarter window. The chrome around the triangular glass doesn’t line up with the sill of the door.. it’s just a little clunky. On the SLC, I’ll concede that the louvers on the back quarters are imperfect but I dig that quirk. And there is a stuffy weight to the design I love -especially with non-US bumpers.
Pretty sure this M-B hugely influenced the design of the ’79 Mustang notchback coupe. In those the slats cover up the fact that the rear side window is smaller than it appears to be – there’s no glass underneath the slats. And the part that is glass doesn’t open up anyway.
I like these mid-’70s Ford trucks for their front styling. It was still socially acceptable back then for pickup truck to have grilles that looked like they were lifted from a full-sized sedan. It wasn’t necessary to feed the driver’s big-rig trucker fantasies by having a long, level, tall hood that ends with a giant grille that looks like it could swallow you whole. I blame Ford for kicking that trend off with the ’78 pickup line, which aped the look of the 18-wheelers Ford still made in 1978. Dodge/Ram kicked it up a notch or two with their overhauled ’94 models, and it’s been a race to make the tallest, most massive grille ever since, never mind being able to see what you’re about to run over.
Being school boys, my father’s son and friends used to nickname the SLC “the dentist’s widow car”.
It’s a 78-80 based on the bumpers & automatic climate control. In the us, the W116 got acc in 1977 and the r/c107 got it in ‘78.
I’d take the truck, those were great years for Ford pickups… Dodge too for that matter. I could take or leave post ’72 Chevys. The M-B… meh.
I really like the Mercedes, slats and all. I find it to be a very lovely car, especially in that color.
But I am a practical person and am very familiar with that era of F-series. That was a solid and somewhat overbuilt truck so I’d have to go with that.
I still miss my ’79 Bronco.
I remember the 450 SLC being a very wanted car in the late 70’s. MB didn’t make too many of them and naturally dealers with one to sell commanded a very high price for the car. Like Paul though I never saw the attraction. The 450 SEL 6.9 however……
I remember them when they came out, I really liked them. Shortly thereafter I found out how slow they were and that they didn’t handle well so that diminished my enthusiasm some. Didn’t matter much as my finances were such that if they’d cut a zero off the price tag I still wouldn’t have been able to afford it, let alone taking care of it.
To my eyes it’s aged ok, not great, but not bad. Still turns my head when I see one on the road.
They always caught my eye, but I find the already stretched propostions are not helped at all by the US bumpers of the period. To my eye, cutting off 18″ of bumper helps enormously.
I always liked the styling of the SLC, more like the SL and less ungainly than the SECs that came after, which looked bloated to me. I had a relative who had a 450SEL in the late 70s and gave me the S-Class brochure which I longingly perused as a lad; still buried in a box somewhere in the garage.