The R107 SL: Where have all the colours gone?

Regular readers will notice that Signal Red appears in our showroom more often than any other colour, but why is that?

The Mercedes-Benz R107 SL was in production from 1971 until 1989, spanning almost two decades. In this time, buyers were offered over 100 different colours, but where are they all…? and why, in our position as the world’s leading R107 specialist, are there still R107 colours out there that we have never seen? In this article we’ll address those questions.

More time in brochures means more cars on the road

Of the 103 colours the R107 was offered in, only 5 were available to buyers consistently for the entire 18 year production run.

These are Anthracite Grey Metallic, Black, Light Ivory, Midnight Blue and Signal Red – all appearing in SL brochures from 1971 until 1989. Astral Silver is the next longest lived R107 SL colour, introduced in May 1972 and remaining until 1989. If these colours were available for almost 18 years, what about the other shades…?

Many of the wildest R107 SL colours were only offered for a few short years, so it stands to reason that if a colour was in production for longer, then more cars will be finished in that colour.

The colours shown below are all examples of ‘one year only’ colours, shades that were offered for barely more than 12 months. A dig back through the official brochures also reveals colours that were ‘special order only’. This means that despite being available to order from a dealer, there may never have been an SL finished in that particular shade. Have you ever seen an R107 in Agave Green? If one exists, we’ve yet to find it.

This goes some distance to explain the prominence of Signal Red in the marketplace – the colour was available for longer, giving it a larger share of the total number of cars built.

Popular Paint – Signal Red and the Dallas Effect

Further bolstering the appeal of Signal Red was the prime time television series Dallas. Broadcast around the world, show was immensely popular here in the UK, with viewing figures regularly reaching 20 million. Dallas even found itself discussed in Parliament thanks to a fracas over broadcasting between the BBC and Thames Television!

The show followed the affluent Ewing family and their various exploits, with Bobby Ewing well known for his red SL.

Dallas actually featured 3 different SLs, a 450SL, 380SL and 560SL, all in Signal Red. The popularity of this show would forever cement the SL shape with that iconic shade of red.

For many, picturing an R107 SL in any other colour is unheard of. The R107 SL is ‘the Dallas car’, or ‘that one from Dallas’, and therefore for many people, the R107 SL just has to be… red.

The net result of a prime-time television show featuring a Signal Red SL would naturally lead to more sales of cars in that colour. Indeed the draw of Signal Red was so strong we have even seen order forms with one colour crossed out and Signal Red inked over the top.

What we have then is a colour that was available for the entire production run; and a colour that was advertised on prime-time television for 12 of those 18 years. The market dominance of Signal Red is looking like less of a mystery.

The Passage of Time and Changing Tastes

We have established the longest-lived colours are so prominent in the marketplace, but what about all the other colours? Where are the unusual shades from the Mercedes-Benz back catalogue, why don’t we sell SLs in Pueblo Beige, Tobacco Brown, Sun Yellow and Reed Green?

As the 1970s gave way to the 1980s, tastes and fashions changed. The bright yellows and oranges of the 1960s fell by the wayside as a myriad of greens and browns of the 1970s arrived… by the late 1980s it was the smart and subtle flat and metallic paints that became popular, colours that are more akin to the conservative shades that remain popular today. (Diamond Blue, Midnight Blue, Smoke Silver and Impala Brown wouldn’t look out of place in a 2021 Mercedes-Benz brochure).

Although Yellows and Greens have always been available to new car buyers, the browns and beiges all but disappeared for almost two decades. It is only in recent years that these shades have made a comeback (albeit in metallic form).

Many of these bright and unusual colour cars have simply dropped off the radar during the years when SL values were at the bottom of the curve. There was a time when one wouldn’t wish to be seen in a lime green car from any manufacturer, much less flat brown or beige… What looks cool and unusual in 2021 would have looked dated, old fashioned and downright embarrassing in 2001. Brown might have seen a resurgence in popularity in a myriad of metallic shades, but we are yet to see any sign that Flat Brown is making a comeback (RIP Topaz, Tobacco, Russet and Golden).

Unpopularity and age were the curse for these colours – today we might look at a Mimosa Yellow 450SL with 80,000 miles and a three-page MOT fail sheet and think ‘this has potential‘ where a decade ago it wouldn’t get a second glance.

This is the harsh reality of the history of the R107 SL, it didn’t so much experience a fall from grace, it just moved out of the limelight during peak R129, a time when silver and black were all the rage and green was gross.

Colour for California, Beige for Britain?

Not only were tastes changing, but different markets preferred different colours. What sells on the West Coast of America might not be the same as what flies out of showrooms in London or Munich. Perhaps the more conservative nature of European buyers means there are more SLs on this side of the planet in ‘sensible’ colours than the wild shades ordered by the more flamboyant Americans…? Were some of the colour combinations too brash for British buyers? We can only speculate.

The 1986 Facelift… and the Early vs Late Debate

Finally we have to mention the important R107 facelift of 1986. For the final three years of production, the R107 was given a fresh range of engines, improved handling, larger brakes, bigger wheels, a wider track and an updated interior. These late cars have traditionally been more desirable in the marketplace, commanding a premium over their earlier counterparts.

By the time the facelift arrived, the wild and vibrant colours were all but gone, replaced by toned down pastel metallic shades and timeless flat hues.

For the best part of thirty years, potential R107 buyers would have read countless ‘buying guides’ extolling the virtues of the late cars, trying to buy the very newest car within their price range. Plant yourself in the shoes of a buyer in the early 2000s, and you’d be seeking out one of the very last R107s in the best condition you could find… falling into the trap of driving demand for a limited colour palette, whilst simultaneously and subconsciously contributing to the demise of the more vibrantly coloured SLs.Not that you’d be to blame, after all, the market is as the market does!

A conclusion.. Will we see those colours rise again?

So there we have it, a brief overview of why the Mercedes-Benz R107 SL market is dominated by modern metallic colours, sensible blues and greys and of course… Signal Red.

Those shades of Yellow, Brown and Orange…? They’re out there in small numbers, but we don’t often see them… and when these early and unusual cars surface, they tend to be a long way off the standard our customers require.

As we write in 2021, we are beginning to see a change in perceptions and attitudes to the early cars and the wild colours. Where traditionally buyers have sought out the most modern and advanced R107 SL, there is a new crop of customers who see no distinction between Pre and Post 86… These new buyers bring with them the opinion that all R107 SLs are old, and this is a classic car, so why not buy the most classic looking model available? If this trend continues then we will see more early cars with painted hubcaps as these climb in popularity and prevalence. Will these new buyers be searching for cars in English Red, Colorado Beige, Caledonia Green and Sahara Yellow? Only time will tell.

At SLSHOP we work hard to stock our showroom with a diverse range of cars and colours, taking great pride in finding those unusual combinations. Are you looking for a particular R107 SL? Speak to Bruce to discuss your requirements – though if you dream of finding a flat brown R107 SL, we might just have to build it for you.

Thanks for reading.