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 Cars
      • Classified Cars
      • Mercedes W113 For Sale
      • Mercedes R107 For Sale
      • Mercedes R129 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
      • W113
      • R107
      • R129
      • Heritage
      • Specialist
      • Modern Classic
      • AMG
    • Healthcheck
      • Complete Health Check
      • New Owner Check
      • Engine Check
      • Brake Check
      • Under Body Check
      • Pre Season Check
    • Servicing
      • Routine Servicing
      • Improve the way my Pagoda runs
      • Improve the way my Pagoda changes gear
      • Diagnose an issue
      • Rally & Competition Preparation
      • CARE Servicing plans
      • My account
      • SLSHOP MOT
      • UK Registration service
    • Restoration / Fabrication
      • Factory Correct Restoration
      • Welding repairs
      • Manual Gearbox Conversion
      • W113 Gearbox Rebuilds
      • Engine rebuilds
      • Soft Top replacement
      • Pagoda Interior / Trimming
      • W113 Repaint
    • Additional Services
      • Detailing
      • Hardtop Storage
      • Vehicle Storage
      • Valuation Certificate
      • Rust Protection
    • Help & Advice
      • Show me an SLSHOP restored Pagoda
    • R107
      • W113
      • R107
      • R129
      • Heritage
      • Specialist
      • Modern Classic
      • AMG
    • Healthcheck
      • Complete Health Check
      • New Owner Check
      • Engine Check
      • Brake Check
      • Under Body Check
      • Pre Season Check
    • Servicing
      • Routine Servicing
      • Improve the way my 107 drives
      • Diagnose an issue
      • Rally & Competition Preparation
      • Fast Road Upgrades
      • Improve the way my 107 Handles
      • USA to EURO Conversion
      • CARE Servicing plans
      • My account
      • SLSHOP MOT
      • UK Registration service
    • Restoration / Fabrication
      • Factory Correct Restoration
      • Bulkhead Repair
      • Manual Gearbox conversions
      • Engine Rebuilds
      • SportLine
      • Soft Top Replace
      • Interior trim for 107 SL’s
      • Gearbox Rebuilds
      • R107 Repainting
    • Additional Services
      • Detailing
      • Hardtop Storage
      • Vehicle Storage
      • Transportation Support
      • Valuation Certificate
      • Rust Protection
      • Engine Cleaning
    • Help & Advice
      • I’ve just acquired a R107 SL
    • R129
      • W113
      • R107
      • R129
      • Heritage
      • Specialist
      • Modern Classic
      • AMG
    • Healthcheck
      • Complete Health Check
      • New Owner Check
      • Engine Check
      • Brake Check
      • Under Body Check
      • Pre Season Check
    • Servicing
      • Routine Servicing
      • Improve the way my 129 drives
      • Diagnose an issue
      • R129 Hard/Soft Top Check
      • CARE Servicing plans
      • UK Registration service
      • My account
      • R129 SL MOT
    • Restoration & Upgrades
      • Preventative Rust Programmes
      • Cosmetic Upgrades
      • Parking Sensors
      • Audio & Sat Nav
      • Pimp My R129
      • Fit me a new soft top
      • R129 Repainting
    • Additional Services
      • Detailing
      • Hardtop Storage
      • Vehicle Storage
      • Transportation Support
      • Valuation Certificate
      • Rust Protection
    • Help & Advice
      • I’ve just acquired an R129
    • Heritage
      • W113
      • R107
      • R129
      • Heritage
      • Specialist
      • Modern Classic
      • AMG
    • Healthcheck
      • Complete Health Check
      • New Owner Check
      • Brake Check
      • Engine Check
      • Under Body Check
      • Pre Season Check
    • Servicing
      • Routine Servicing
      • Improve the way my classic Mercedes Drives
      • Diagnose an issue
      • Rally & Competition Preparation
      • CARE Servicing plans
      • My account
      • SLSHOP MOT
    • Restoration / Fabrication
      • Factory Correct Restoration
      • Welding Repairs
      • Manual Gearbox conversions
      • Interior Trimming
    • Additional Services
      • Detailing
      • Hardtop Storage
      • Vehicle Storage
      • Transportation Support
      • Valuation Certificate
      • Rust Protection
    • Help & Advice
      • I’ve just acquired a classic Mercedes
    • Specialist
      • W113
      • R107
      • R129
      • Heritage
      • Specialist
      • Modern Classic
      • AMG
    • Healthcheck
      • Complete Health Check
      • New Owner Check
      • Engine Check
      • Brake Check
      • Under Body Check
      • Pre Season Check
    • Servicing
      • Routine Servicing
      • Improve the way my classic Mercedes Drives
      • Diagnose an issue
      • Rally & Competition Preparation
      • CARE Servicing plans
      • My account
      • SLSHOP MOT
    • Restoration / Fabrication
      • Factory Correct Restoration
      • Welding Repairs
      • Manual Gearbox conversions
      • Interior Trimming
    • Additional Services
      • Detailing
      • Hardtop Storage
      • Vehicle Storage
      • Transportation Support
      • Valuation Certificate
      • Rust Protection
    • Help & Advice
      • I’ve just acquired a classic Mercedes
    • Modern Classic
      • W113
      • R107
      • R129
      • Heritage
      • Specialist
      • Modern Classic
      • AMG
    • Healthcheck
      • Complete Health Check
      • New Owner Check
      • Engine Check
      • Brake Check
      • Under Body Check
      • Pre Season Check
    • Servicing
      • Routine Servicing
      • Improve the way my modern classic drives
      • Diagnose an issue
      • Rally & Competition Preparation
      • CARE Servicing plans
      • My account
      • SLSHOP MOT
    • Restoration / Fabrication
      • Factory Correct Restoration
      • Interior Trimming
    • Additional Services
      • Detailing
      • Hardtop Storage
      • Vehicle Storage
      • Transportation Support
      • Valuation Certificate
      • Rust Protection
    • Help & Advice
      • I’ve just acquired a modern classic Mercedes
    • AMG
      • W113
      • R107
      • R129
      • Heritage
      • Specialist
      • Modern Classic
      • AMG
    • Healthcheck
      • Complete Health Check
      • New Owner Check
      • Engine Check
      • Brake Check
      • Under Body Check
      • Pre Season Check
    • Servicing
      • Routine Servicing
      • Improve the way my AMG drives
      • Diagnose an issue
      • Rally & Competition Preparation
      • CARE Servicing plans
      • SLSHOP MOT
      • My account
    • Restoration / Fabrication
      • Factory Correct Restoration
    • Additional Services
      • Detailing
      • Hardtop Storage
      • Vehicle Storage
      • Transportation Support
      • Valuation Certificate
      • Rust Protection
    • Help & Advice
      • I’ve just acquired an AMG Mercedes
  • Events
    • Pagoda Evening & Cotswolds Tour
    • Pagoda Meet & Pilgrimage
    • Autumn Pagoda Open Day
    • Open Days
    • 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

  • 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
  • mercedes enthusiast magazine

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 560SL Performance Road Car

    Mercedes 560SL Performance Road Car

    January 27th, 2023
  • Maradona’s Mercedes 450SLC & a Royal Alternative

    Maradona’s Mercedes 450SLC & a Royal Alternative

    January 24th, 2023
  • Sales Robust as Mercedes-Benz Marque Value Index Up 22.64% Year to Date

    Sales Robust as Mercedes-Benz Marque Value Index Up 22.64% Year to Date

    January 19th, 2023
  • Interview with Head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage: Marcus Breitschwerdt

    Interview with Head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage: Marcus Breitschwerdt

    January 10th, 2023
  • Breaking Mercedes R107 SL, R129 SL and W113 Pagoda for Parts

    Breaking Mercedes R107 SL, R129 SL and W113 Pagoda for Parts

    January 10th, 2023
  • 60 Facts About the Mercedes Pagoda

    60 Facts About the Mercedes Pagoda

    December 22nd, 2022
  • Mercedes W113 Pagoda Paint Codes

    Mercedes W113 Pagoda Paint Codes

    December 21st, 2022
  • 2022 End of Year Market Review

    2022 End of Year Market Review

    December 21st, 2022
  • SLSHOP LEADS 60TH PAGODA ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

    SLSHOP LEADS 60TH PAGODA ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

    December 20th, 2022
  • The Perfect Petrolhead Pressies

    The Perfect Petrolhead Pressies

    December 12th, 2022
  • The Mercedes R129 SL in the Headlines

    The Mercedes R129 SL in the Headlines

    December 8th, 2022
  • What Could a Petrolhead’s December Involve?

    What Could a Petrolhead’s December Involve?

    December 1st, 2022
  • Mercedes-Benz Classic Car Rally 2022 – India Coverage

    Mercedes-Benz Classic Car Rally 2022 – India Coverage

    November 28th, 2022
  • EXCLUSIVE OVP RELAY FOR CLASSIC MERCEDES MODELS

    EXCLUSIVE OVP RELAY FOR CLASSIC MERCEDES MODELS

    November 17th, 2022
  • Mercedes 300SL Bulkhead Restoration Project

    Mercedes 300SL Bulkhead Restoration Project

    November 16th, 2022
  • Taking your R107 to the next level with LSD.

    Taking your R107 to the next level with LSD.

    November 15th, 2022
  • Mercedes 280SL Pagoda Driven

    Mercedes 280SL Pagoda Driven

    November 4th, 2022
  • Movember at SLSHOP

    Movember at SLSHOP

    November 4th, 2022
  • Alex Brundle Drives SportLine

    Alex Brundle Drives SportLine

    October 29th, 2022
  • Nineties Knights in Photos

    Nineties Knights in Photos

    October 28th, 2022
  • Annual Classic Car Emissions Revealed

    Annual Classic Car Emissions Revealed

    October 19th, 2022
  • Elan Valley Pilgrimage, October 1st 2022

    Elan Valley Pilgrimage, October 1st 2022

    October 10th, 2022
  • MOT Exemption Doesn’t mean make an Exception?

    MOT Exemption Doesn’t mean make an Exception?

    October 10th, 2022
  • THE 6.3 LITRE V8 POWERED PAGODA

    THE 6.3 LITRE V8 POWERED PAGODA

    October 4th, 2022
  • Should you buy Used Mercedes-Benz Parts Online?

    Should you buy Used Mercedes-Benz Parts Online?

    October 3rd, 2022
  • 50 Years of the S-Class and which one to buy

    50 Years of the S-Class and which one to buy

    September 29th, 2022
  • Restored 1968 Mercedes 280SL Pagoda

    September 28th, 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
        • Car Sales Terms
        • CARE TERMS & CONDITIONS
        • UK Event & Experiences TERMS & CONDITIONS
        • Gift Voucher Terms
      • Privacy & Cookie Policy

      Connect

      Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram