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1979 Mercedes Benz R107 450SL with Black Race Seats

Signal Red (568) with Black Race Seats / 450SL

Principal Facts:

This is SLSHOP’s take on a competition R107, a 450SL that’s been honed for the circuit yet remains road legal and perfectly useable. After years of customer enquiries regarding stiffening up the R107’s chassis or adding more power, we decided it was time to launch our own range of upgrades to do just that. The Sportline project was born and what followed was a whole new dimension of driver-focussed, bolt-on upgrades that didn’t come at the cost of the character of these fabulous machines. 

Tweaked further recently with a rally setup in mind which included raising the ride height, changing the tyres and adjusting the damper settings our 450SL Sportline is now as competent in the rough stuff as it was on the tarmac. The flexibility and adjustability of our Sportline upgrades allow us to cater to any driver requests as proven by this ultimate expression of the Sportline ethos. 

Condition Synopsis:

As a track/rally car, this 450SL has been put on a diet, which means the stock seats and trim – plus any other interior fixtures that were no longer deemed necessary – have been removed. There are racing bucket seats, harnesses and tracking/timing/video mounting equipment to record your most exciting moments.  The exterior has seen the addition of custom decals that show the car’s competition and track-day intent; it’s destined to go fast and grab attention. All the modifications can be reversed, of course, but once you’ve had a drive, we suspect you’ll leave everything well alone. 

History File:

We started this Sportline build with a great base; a 1979 450SL with a good deal of pre-conversion history, most of which came from Mercedes-Benz Normand. Although much of it’s no longer relevant, it’s nice to have, especially if the car is ever returned to factory standard in the future.  During our extensive Sportline conversion, no area of this 450 was overlooked. The flywheel has been lightened and balanced, coil-pack ignition has been added, free-flow intake and exhaust systems were developed and the throttle linkage was tweaked for a snappier response.  The chassis saw even more work, including the creation of a bespoke anti-roll bar, adjustable progressive springs and bespoke dampers. Alloy rear trailing arms were fitted along with squat links, uprated suspension bushes, high-performance brake discs and pads, a limited-slip differential and a full geometry setup. The new nimbleness of this R107 has to be experienced to be believed; it’ll amaze and delight in equal measure.

SLSHOP Summary:

This 450SL Sportline is the ultimate expression of what we can do to revise an R107’s charm to suit a more focussed driver. We’d like to think that it can even match the expectations of a modern performance car owner too. The tweaks to this essentially road-legal racer have been vast, but essentially centre on three basic principles; to make an R107 handle sharper, make more power, yet without upsetting the original car’s legendary strengths.  As our demonstrator, this 450SL Sportline shows just how far we can take the concept, yet a host of its improvements can be fitted to more road-orientated SLs. Despite the depth of this conversion, this car nevertheless remains perfectly useable on the road. There’s now 294bhp on offer, thanks to ported & polished cylinder heads, a revised camshaft, tweaked injection and Omex standalone engine management.  
  • 1979
  • Manual
  • Signal Red (568)
  • Black Race Seats
  • Petrol
  • Exempt
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I have followed SLSHOP with interest for some years now and recently took the plunge and purchased my dream car – they did not disappoint!
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[RB]

I have just purchased a 280SL from SLSHOP. I have already purchased several parts from SLSHOP and have found all members of staff most helpful and it is more like dealing with a club than a commercial enterprise I would highly recommend using SLSHOP for cars, parts and most importantly impartial advice.

[RA]

They put up with my indecision, inexperience and last minute demands and my car is the best thing I’ve ever bought. The most impressive thing about them is the after care though. Nothing is ever too much trouble and they’ve given me the best advice to make sure I get the most out of my car. Can you tell I’m obsessed with them all?

[GJ]