Skip to content
  • We Are SLSHOP
  • The world’s leading classic Mercedes destination. Welcome to SLSHOP.
tel +44 (0) 1789 337 070
SLSHOP
  • HOME
  • Buy or Sell a Mercedes
    • Mercedes For Sale
      • Showroom Stock
      • Appraised Stock
      • Classified Stock
      • Mercedes W113 For Sale
      • Mercedes R107 For Sale
      • Coming Soon
      • New Builds
      • Consultancy
      • Previously Sold
    • Sell Your Mercedes
      • Let us help you sell your car
      • Showroom Consignment
      • Appraised Sale
      • Classified Sale
      • My Adverts
    • Buying Guides
      • W190 SL
      • W113 SL
      • R107 SL
      • R129 SL
      • R230 SL
      • The SL Market

      • Buying

      • SLSHOP Warranty

      • We are SLSHOP

  • Workshops
    • W113 SL Tailored Services
      • W113 Pagoda Servicing
      • W113 Pagoda Setup
      • W113 Pagoda Restoration
    • R107 SL Tailored Services
      • R107 Servicing
      • R107 Bulkhead Repair
      • R107 Correct Restoration
      • USA to Euro Cosmetic Conversion
      • Hard & Soft Top Adjustment
      • Bulkhead Check
      • SportLine
    • R129 SL Tailored Services
      • R129 Servicing
      • R129 Diagnostics
      • R129 Restoration
      • R129 Roof operation fix
    • BN COL 1
      • Epic Restorations

      • Improving

    • BN COL 2
      • SLSHOP TV

      • We are SLSHOP

    • Classic Mercedes-Benz Workshops
      • Complete Health Check
      • Structural Check
      • Engine Check
      • Brake Check
      • Under Body Check
      • Classic Mercedes Restoration
      • Modern Classics Servicing
      • Pre Season Check
      • SLSHOP MOT
    • SLSHOP Supporting services
      • Detailing
      • Hardtop Storage
      • Vehicle Storage
      • Transportation Support
      • Valuation Certificate
      • Rust Protection
      • SLSHOP Service Process
    • CARE
      • Certified Servicing
  • Events
    • Cotswolds Tour
    • The Borders Tour
    • Open Days
    • 60 Years of the Pagoda
    • Track Days
    • Rally Experience
  • Parts Store
    • W121 Parts
    • W113 Pagoda Parts
    • R107 Parts
    • R129 Parts
    • R230 Parts
  • JOURNAL
  • We Are SLSHOP
  • SLSHOP Membership

Classic Mercedes – Super Coupes

1970s SLC The so-called energy crisis triggered by the 1973 […]

  • Understanding
  • Enjoying
  • Improving Advice
  • SLSHOP TV
  • The Market
  • Proud Owners
  • In the Press
  • 190 SL
  • W113 SL
  • R107 SL
  • R129 SL
  • R230 SL
  • All Other

1970s SLC

The so-called energy crisis triggered by the 1973 Middle East war, and which for the first time tightened the oil supply, obliged Mercedes-Benz to offer ‘economy’ versions of the SL and SLC. The result was the 280SLC, powered by the M110 2.7 litre six-cylinder engine then serving in the W114 and the 116 S-Class. 

That this model was arguably more of a public relations exercise than an actual fuel saver can be seen in Mercedes’ claimed consumption figures of the day, which put the 280SLC at 22.6mpg, a mere 1mpg more miserly than the 350LL and 3mpg more than the 450SLC. But it brought a new virtue to the C107 range in the form of a slightly more responsive car thanks to the M110’s fondness for revs, and a nimbler one, too, due to the reduced weight over the front axle.

The 280SLC was not sold in the UK at that point, so all C107s delivered in Britain throughout the 1970s were V8s and mostly 450s. Between November 1975 and February 1976 all three engines were modified for lower emissions, the freshly developed electromechanical Bosch K-Jetronic fuel-injection replacing the first generation, electronic D-Jetronic. This was a welcome simplification given that the latter was more complicated and did have its problems, even it if meant that the 450SLC’s output dropped slightly to 214bhp. And transistorised ignition replaced the time-honoured mechanical points set up.

The ultimate C107 was the 450SKC 5.0, later rebadged 5000SLC, which despite being the homologation car for Stuttgart’s World Rally Championship campaign from 1978 to 1980, still has a very low profile in the classic market. Introduced at the Frankfurt motor show in 1977, its five-litre all-aluminium V8 was 40kg lighter than the 4.5 and produced 237bhp/296lb ft, a further 80kg shed through use of aluminium for the bonnet, boot lid and bumpers, and special lightweight wheels.

Badge apart, you can tell it from a regular C107 only by the small black plastic wing on the boot, and the grey finish on the lower side bodywork. The seats are marginally lower. It received a four-speed automatic gearbox and slightly modified engine for 1980, when it became the 500SLC, although output remained the same. Road trim production of both models totalled 2,700, all left-hand drive. 

The final mainstream C107 is the model many regard as the best, the 380SLC that replaced the 350SLC and used the new, all-aluminium 3.8 litre V8 generating a comparatively high 215bhp. In October 1980 the 280SLC was finally imported to the UK, its output having dipped in 1976 and then being restored in 1978 to its original 183bhp. The 450SLC ceased production in October 1980, while the 280SLC and 380LC continued for a further year.

The most popular model was the 450SLC, its 31,737 worldwide sales accounting for half of all C107 production, followed by the 350SLC with 13,925 sales and the 280SLC at 10,666. Just 3,789 of the 380SLC, built for only 16 months, were sold. In the 126-series cars Mercedes returned to producing a couple based on the S-Class salon, and with a strong visual link to it. This continued for four model generations but, interestingly, the current S-Class two-door has moved away from that premise and is lower and sleeker, and with its own character. A blind alley is how some might describe the C107, but what goes around can come around. 

Driving the 280SLC

‘Economy’ SLC model offers a different experience to the V8s.

The idea of a mere 2,746cc under the bonnet of a car that at 1,550kg was no lightweight for its day, and which also looked pretty big, is not an instantly engaging one. The reality is quite different, though, because if any six-cylinder engine of that era could do the C107 justice then it was the M110 with its revy 183bhp.

This particular 280SLC, in Signal Red paintwork, was one of the last registered in 1981. Its first owner resisted ticking the alloy wheels, leather trim or air-conditioning boxes on the order form (although a black rubber boot lid spoiler is present), and the Mercedes was transferred to its second owner after just three months, who kept it until recently, covering a mere 33,000 miles.

Entering the C107 involves tugging fully-chromed door handles to swing open a door that is not only very long but hugely thick as well. Once you are installed in the low-set seats, an over the shoulder glance reveals the one big difference between this and the R107 – the presence of the rear seat, hardly spacious, but one that will take two adults. The front cabin is the same tight fit as the R107’s with its hardtop on, your head quite close to the roof lining, knees near the steering wheel and knuckles almost touching the dashboard as you steer. The fascia is a classic, the three orange-marked dials clear and good looking, and the walnut veneer below the trio of circular air vents retaining a sparkle.

You’ll soon learn that the 280SLC is a car with a split personality. On winding roads where there is a frequent change of pace the engine struggles to maintain momentum unless full throttle is applied, and this must be one reason why fuel economy is not much improved over the V8s, which take this kind of route in their stride.

But show the 280SLC a motorway, and it comes into its element. A classic German ‘autobahn’ engine designed for high speed cruising, the M110 really sings once 4,000rpm is passed, and due to the transmission’s low gearing plenty of acceleration is still available at 80mph and above. The SLC is also surprisingly quiet and refined for a 1960s designed car, there being little wind noise and the main intrusion to the cabin a degree of transmission whine.

Another noticeable trait is how steady the SLC feels at high speed, probably more so than an R107 thanks to the longer wheelbase. Its 14-inch wheels wearing high side-walled (by today’s standards) 195/70 tyres provide a pliant ride despite a suspension tauter than most other luxury cars of that era. 

1970s SLC

The so-called energy crisis triggered by the 1973 Middle East war, and which for the first time tightened the oil supply, obliged Mercedes-Benz to offer ‘economy’ versions of the SL and SLC. The result was the 280SLC, powered by the M110 2.7 litre six-cylinder engine then serving in the W114 and the 116 S-Class. 

That this model was arguably more of a public relations exercise than an actual fuel saver can be seen in Mercedes’ claimed consumption figures of the day, which put the 280SLC at 22.6mpg, a mere 1mpg more miserly than the 350LL and 3mpg more than the 450SLC. But it brought a new virtue to the C107 range in the form of a slightly more responsive car thanks to the M110’s fondness for revs, and a nimbler one, too, due to the reduced weight over the front axle.

The 280SLC was not sold in the UK at that point, so all C107s delivered in Britain throughout the 1970s were V8s and mostly 450s. Between November 1975 and February 1976 all three engines were modified for lower emissions, the freshly developed electromechanical Bosch K-Jetronic fuel-injection replacing the first generation, electronic D-Jetronic. This was a welcome simplification given that the latter was more complicated and did have its problems, even it if meant that the 450SLC’s output dropped slightly to 214bhp. And transistorised ignition replaced the time-honoured mechanical points set up.

The ultimate C107 was the 450SKC 5.0, later rebadged 5000SLC, which despite being the homologation car for Stuttgart’s World Rally Championship campaign from 1978 to 1980, still has a very low profile in the classic market. Introduced at the Frankfurt motor show in 1977, its five-litre all-aluminium V8 was 40kg lighter than the 4.5 and produced 237bhp/296lb ft, a further 80kg shed through use of aluminium for the bonnet, boot lid and bumpers, and special lightweight wheels.

Badge apart, you can tell it from a regular C107 only by the small black plastic wing on the boot, and the grey finish on the lower side bodywork. The seats are marginally lower. It received a four-speed automatic gearbox and slightly modified engine for 1980, when it became the 500SLC, although output remained the same. Road trim production of both models totalled 2,700, all left-hand drive. 

The final mainstream C107 is the model many regard as the best, the 380SLC that replaced the 350SLC and used the new, all-aluminium 3.8 litre V8 generating a comparatively high 215bhp. In October 1980 the 280SLC was finally imported to the UK, its output having dipped in 1976 and then being restored in 1978 to its original 183bhp. The 450SLC ceased production in October 1980, while the 280SLC and 380LC continued for a further year.

The most popular model was the 450SLC, its 31,737 worldwide sales accounting for half of all C107 production, followed by the 350SLC with 13,925 sales and the 280SLC at 10,666. Just 3,789 of the 380SLC, built for only 16 months, were sold. In the 126-series cars Mercedes returned to producing a couple based on the S-Class salon, and with a strong visual link to it. This continued for four model generations but, interestingly, the current S-Class two-door has moved away from that premise and is lower and sleeker, and with its own character. A blind alley is how some might describe the C107, but what goes around can come around. 

Driving the 280SLC

‘Economy’ SLC model offers a different experience to the V8s.

The idea of a mere 2,746cc under the bonnet of a car that at 1,550kg was no lightweight for its day, and which also looked pretty big, is not an instantly engaging one. The reality is quite different, though, because if any six-cylinder engine of that era could do the C107 justice then it was the M110 with its revy 183bhp.

This particular 280SLC, in Signal Red paintwork, was one of the last registered in 1981. Its first owner resisted ticking the alloy wheels, leather trim or air-conditioning boxes on the order form (although a black rubber boot lid spoiler is present), and the Mercedes was transferred to its second owner after just three months, who kept it until recently, covering a mere 33,000 miles.

Entering the C107 involves tugging fully-chromed door handles to swing open a door that is not only very long but hugely thick as well. Once you are installed in the low-set seats, an over the shoulder glance reveals the one big difference between this and the R107 – the presence of the rear seat, hardly spacious, but one that will take two adults. The front cabin is the same tight fit as the R107’s with its hardtop on, your head quite close to the roof lining, knees near the steering wheel and knuckles almost touching the dashboard as you steer. The fascia is a classic, the three orange-marked dials clear and good looking, and the walnut veneer below the trio of circular air vents retaining a sparkle.

You’ll soon learn that the 280SLC is a car with a split personality. On winding roads where there is a frequent change of pace the engine struggles to maintain momentum unless full throttle is applied, and this must be one reason why fuel economy is not much improved over the V8s, which take this kind of route in their stride.

But show the 280SLC a motorway, and it comes into its element. A classic German ‘autobahn’ engine designed for high speed cruising, the M110 really sings once 4,000rpm is passed, and due to the transmission’s low gearing plenty of acceleration is still available at 80mph and above. The SLC is also surprisingly quiet and refined for a 1960s designed car, there being little wind noise and the main intrusion to the cabin a degree of transmission whine.

Another noticeable trait is how steady the SLC feels at high speed, probably more so than an R107 thanks to the longer wheelbase. Its 14-inch wheels wearing high side-walled (by today’s standards) 195/70 tyres provide a pliant ride despite a suspension tauter than most other luxury cars of that era. 

More from Journal

  • Mercedes R129 Parts by SLSHOP

    Mercedes R129 Parts by SLSHOP

    June 29th, 2022
  • Mercedes 280 SL or SL 280, which is correct?

    Mercedes 280 SL or SL 280, which is correct?

    June 22nd, 2022
  • Flying the flag for British Craftsmanship. SLSHOP launches new in-house Trim Team

    Flying the flag for British Craftsmanship. SLSHOP launches new in-house Trim Team

    June 21st, 2022
  • AMG Saints: The CLK63 AMG Black Series

    AMG Saints: The CLK63 AMG Black Series

    June 15th, 2022
  • New Digital Parts Store Launched

    New Digital Parts Store Launched

    June 14th, 2022
  • SLC – Super Leicht Cotswolds Tour

    SLC – Super Leicht Cotswolds Tour

    June 9th, 2022
  • Why the Mercedes Pagoda is Unrivalled

    Why the Mercedes Pagoda is Unrivalled

    June 7th, 2022
  • 5 Things to Consider Before Driving Across Europe

    5 Things to Consider Before Driving Across Europe

    June 1st, 2022
  • SLSHOP SHIFTS GEARS

    SLSHOP SHIFTS GEARS

    May 26th, 2022
  • Silver Mercedes Pagoda Restoration Project for Sale

    Silver Mercedes Pagoda Restoration Project for Sale

    May 25th, 2022
  • Mercs & Munitions, 25th June 2022

    Mercs & Munitions, 25th June 2022

    May 24th, 2022
  • TRACK DAY EXPERIENCES

    TRACK DAY EXPERIENCES

    May 19th, 2022
  • The rarest of opportunities

    The rarest of opportunities

    May 18th, 2022
  • Inside SLSHOP: Craftsman Eliot  

    Inside SLSHOP: Craftsman Eliot  

    May 15th, 2022
  • Revving Reviews From You

    Revving Reviews From You

    May 11th, 2022
  • Bicester Heritage Scramble

    Bicester Heritage Scramble

    April 28th, 2022
  • VIBRANT BUT MENACING, R107 350 SL SPORTLINE RALLY CAR

    VIBRANT BUT MENACING, R107 350 SL SPORTLINE RALLY CAR

    April 26th, 2022
  • CARE: Securing You a Return on your Investment

    CARE: Securing You a Return on your Investment

    April 21st, 2022
  • Strassenkultur at Caffeine & Machine April 2022

    Strassenkultur at Caffeine & Machine April 2022

    April 11th, 2022
  • Mercedes 190 SL Restoration project for sale

    Mercedes 190 SL Restoration project for sale

    April 11th, 2022
  • The R129 SL Killer

    The R129 SL Killer

    April 7th, 2022
  • Pimp my R129

    Pimp my R129

    April 5th, 2022
  • A 190 SL Fine Tuned for Driving

    A 190 SL Fine Tuned for Driving

    April 1st, 2022
  • Rare 280SL Pagoda in Exceptional Condition Recently Sold by SLSHOP

    Rare 280SL Pagoda in Exceptional Condition Recently Sold by SLSHOP

    March 30th, 2022
  • Spring Market Review

    Spring Market Review

    March 28th, 2022
  • Welcome to the Award Winning SLSHOP

    Welcome to the Award Winning SLSHOP

    March 26th, 2022
  • 2022 Open Day Review

    2022 Open Day Review

    March 24th, 2022
CARE

THE ULTIMATE CERTIFIED SERVICING INVESTMENT PLAN

Your ownership journey matters to us, which is why we have created a simple certified servicing investment plan, tailored to your individual needs and aspirations.

Start investing today and our dedicated CARE team will work with you to increase the value and enjoyment you receive from your vehicle.

SLSHOP CARE Certified Saving Investment Plan

ENJOY YOUR VEHICLE WITH CONFIDENCE AND PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT FOR AS LITTLE AS £55.00 PER MONTH

DISCOVER CARE
STAY IN TUNE WITH SLSHOP MOMENTS

As part of SLSHOP’s community of enthusiasts, you’ll be the first to hear about events and tours, key product offers, exciting stories from owners around the world and of course… our latest additions to the showroom. So, be the first to know and you might just sneak a car on your driveway or take your car’s condition to new heights with our exclusive replacement parts.

Or, visit SLSHOP Journal

Contact

What are you waiting for? Drop us a line and let us know which car you would like to hire and when you would like it. We’ll guide you through everything from there on in.

    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

    More From SLSHOP

    Experience
    Workshops
    Parts Store
    CARE

    Contact SLSHOP Showroom

    Whatever your Mercedes-Benz, Whatever your needs are, Let the SLSHOP help you. It all starts with getting to know you and your needs. We have designed this contact form to be quick and easy and we never share your data.

      This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

      Contact

      Location

      T:01789 337 070

      [email protected]

      SLSHOP

      Unit 1a, 2, 3, & 4b Drayton Manor Drive
      Stratford Upon Avon, Warwickshire
      CV37 9RQ

      Hours:
      Mon-Fri 9:00am – 5:00pm
      Saturday by appointment only
      Closed Sunday

       

      Services

      • Showroom
      • Workshops
      • Events
      • Parts Store
      • Additional Services

      SLSHOP

      • We Are SLSHOP
      • Careers
      • COVID-19 Information
      • Visit or Contact
      • Terms
        • Part Sales Terms
        • Car Sales Terms
        • CARE TERMS & CONDITIONS
        • UK Event & Experiences TERMS & CONDITIONS
        • Gift Voucher Terms
      • Privacy & Cookie Policy

      Connect

      Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram

      Connect