Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

Mercedes-Benz SL at a glance

SL generations and timeline

The 1950s: 300 SL and 190 SL

The first SL was the 300 SL of 1954, a road version of a Mercedes racing car, with a tubular spaceframe and upward-opening doors. The Gullwing coupé was built until 1957 and a roadster with conventional doors until 1963; its story is told in our 300 SL article. The 190 SL of 1955 offered the same look for less money. It used a shortened floorpan from the W121 saloon and a 1.9-litre four-cylinder.

The meaning of the letters was disputed for decades. Some historians read them as "Sport Leicht". A notarised letter from engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut and a 1952 press release, published in 2021, both say "super-leicht". Mercedes-Benz used the two versions side by side until an archive discovery in 2017 settled on "Super Leicht".

W113 Pagoda (1963–1971)

The W113 made its debut in Geneva in March 1963. Paul Bracq and Béla Barényi designed it, with Friedrich Geiger as head of styling. Its slightly concave hardtop, patented by the two designers, earned the nickname "Pagoda". Barényi's work gave the roadster a rigid passenger cell with crumple zones front and rear.

Three six-cylinder versions followed one another: the 230 SL (2,308 cc, 110 kW), the 250 SL (2,496 cc, 110 kW, more torque) and the 280 SL (2,778 cc, 125 kW). In Germany the 230 SL cost DM 22,200 at its 1963 launch, about €11,350 at the fixed conversion rate, and the 280 SL DM 24,300. Of 48,912 cars built, 19,440 went to the United States. Eugen Böhringer won the 6,600 km Spa-Sofia-Liège Rally of 1963 in a modified 230 SL.

R107 (1971–1989): the long-runner

The R107 was the first SL with V8 engines and one of the longest-produced Mercedes models: the last car, a 500 SL, was built on 4 August 1989. Next to the roadster stood the SLC coupé (C107), built from 1971 to 1981 as the 280, 350, 380 and 450 SLC. Engines ranged from the 2.8-litre six of the 280 SL (136 kW) to the 500 SL (177 kW). The 560 SL with 169 kW was sold only in the USA, Canada, Japan and Australia.

North America was the main market. Of 300,175 R107 and C107 cars, 204,373, or 68 percent, were sold in the United States. The coupé also went rallying: Hannu Mikkola won the 1979 Bandama Rally in a 5.0-litre 450 SLC.

R129 (1989–2001): safety and the first V12

Shown at Geneva in March 1989, the R129 brought a hidden roll-over bar that rose automatically if the car was about to overturn. It was also the first Mercedes with a fully automatic, hydraulically operated soft top. In 1992 the 600 SL arrived as the first SL with a V12: the 6.0-litre M120 with 290 kW and 570 Nm.

The six-cylinder versions started at 140 kW in the 300 SL. The 500 SL had a 240 kW four-valve V8. AMG built small series on top, such as the SL 55 AMG and the SL 73 AMG with a 7.3-litre V12, 386 kW and 750 Nm. Sources give 50 or 85 SL 73 AMG built. The R129 was also the last SL offered with a manual gearbox.

R230 (2001–2011): the Vario roof

Production started in Bremen on 13 October 2001. The R230 replaced the soft top and hardtop with a folding steel Vario roof; the 2006 facelift cut its operating time from 20 to 16 seconds. Active Body Control suspension was standard on all versions except the SL 350. The electro-hydraulic Sensotronic brake system proved troublesome and was disabled in a large recall.

The R230 was the most powerful SL family yet. The SL 600 had 368 kW and 800 Nm from 2003, and 380 kW from 2007. The SL 65 AMG had a 6.0-litre biturbo V12 with 450 kW, and in 2005 it cost US$179,720 in the USA (about €144,500). The coupé-only SL 65 AMG Black Series of 2008 was 250 kg lighter; 350 were built. Of 169,433 R230s, about 100,000 were SL 500s and only 3,055 SL 65 AMGs.

R231 (2012–2020): aluminium body

Presented at the Detroit show in January 2012, the R231 was built almost entirely from aluminium and weighed 140 kg less than the R230. It was 4,582 mm long on a 2,585 mm wheelbase. The SL 350 V6 delivered 225 kW, the SL 500 biturbo V8 320 kW and later 335 kW. The SL 65 AMG reached 463 kW and 1,000 Nm, the highest figures in SL history.

A 2016 facelift for model year 2017 brought the nine-speed 9G-TRONIC automatic, a new front and Active Body Control with a curve-tilting function. The Vario roof could now move at up to 40 km/h. The SL 63 AMG was dropped in 2019 because of poor sales.

R232 (since 2021): an AMG with four seats

The R232 was presented on 28 October 2021 and is sold as the Mercedes-AMG SL; a Mercedes-Maybach SL followed in August 2024. AMG designed a new aluminium spaceframe; the shell alone weighs 270 kg. The folding steel roof gave way to a fabric top operated by electric motors instead of hydraulics, which saves 21 kg. Two small rear seats, for passengers up to 1.5 m tall, are standard.

The SL 55 and SL 63 use a 4.0-litre biturbo V8 with 350 kW and 430 kW and 4MATIC all-wheel drive with rear-axle steering. The SL 43 has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder with an electrically assisted turbocharger and 280 kW. The SL 63 S E Performance adds a 150 kW electric motor.

SL engines by generation

From the 230 SL to the R231 SL 65 AMG, peak output rose more than fourfold. Our power converter switches any of these figures between kW, PS and hp.