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 Mercedes
SLK Kids Ride On
The sophisticated
Mercedes SLK is also available as a pedal or 6v electric miniature ride on
version for your child. But why not read up on the history of the Mercedes SLK?
Article courtesy of Ken Rockwell. Please
see here
for the original piece.
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1885
Karl
Friedrich Benz (25 November 1844 - 4
April 1929) invents the world's
first car. Like most guys he tinkers
with it endlessly and never actually
takes it for a useful ride. Early
one morning his wife makes history
by loading up the kids in the
contraption and driving clear to the
next town! That never dawned on
Karl. The world's first car had
three wheels, a rear differential, a
1 cylinder, 0.4l engine making 1hp
at 700 RPM with a top speed of 10
MPH. This first car also was a two
seat roadster, just like the SL500
120 years later in 2005.
1886
26
January 1886 Karl Benz is issued the
patent for his car. The motorcycle
and motorboat had been invented
earlier. Of course the world's first
car was topless. Hard tops didn't
come along until decades later. For
the next 50 years the cars went from
one to two to four cylinders and
supercharging was added at least as
far back as the 1920s. All these
cars were convertibles and
convertibles only.
1893
Benz
invents the world's first
four-wheeled car, the Victoria. He
also gets a patent on his brilliant
idea which made two-front-wheel
steering possible.
1894
The
world's first production car is the
Benz Velo.
1895
Benz
invents the world's first truck.
1899-1900
Street racer Emil Jellinek
(1853-1918) wins a race against
street racers either Wilhelm Maybach
or Gottlieb Daimler (I forget).
Gottlieb Daimler (17 March 1834 - 6
March 1900) also helped make the
gasoline engine practical and
invented the carburetor. Emil's
prize was getting to name the next
car made by Daimler. In this case it
was named after Emil's daughter,
Mercedes. What you may not know is
that most of these creative
pioneers, like most creative people
who imagine things no one has
imagined before, were crazy in the
eyes of ordinary people. Thus Emil's
daughter Mercedes actually had 26
middle names, one for each letter of
the alphabet.
In
those days and for the next four
decades automobiles were the purvey
of playboys, even more so than
owning a helicopter is today. These
playboys often wore disguises and
used assumed names while out street
racing to avoid recognition. This is
because they were usually very well
known in business and it would not
have helped their professional
images to have been caught throwing
up rooster tails racing around town.
Loads
of swell convertibles came out in
the next 26 years, I'm just not
covering them all.
1909
"Blitzen
Benz" race car with a 21.5 litre, 4
cylinder, 200 HP engine sets all
sorts of world speed records, faster
than any car, boat, train or even
aircraft. These records stand until
the 1920s. It had close to 700
foot-pounds of torque, more more
than any other car made even today.
1911
Invents the first multivalve engine.
1921
Invents the first supercharged
engine.
1926
The
6.2l six cylinder supercharged
Kompressor Mercedes 630 comes out
with 140 hp at 3,000 RPM. As all
great cars, the 630 only came as a
convertible.
The
companies founded by Benz and
Daimler merge to form Mercedes-Benz.
The company exists until 1999, when
it changes its name after buying
Chrysler. Prior to this the two
competed against each other.
Ferdinand Porsche is the chief
engineer, coming over from Daimler.
Even through the 1990s Gottleib
Daimler's signature is on a
permanent white sticker on the
windshield of every Mercedes. Only
around 2000 did Daimler's signature
come off to be replaced by
"Mercedes" on the sticker.
1928
The
SSK 27 debuts with a 7.1l
supercharged six with 225 hp at
3,000 RPM and a top speed of about
120MPH. Of course it's a two seat
convertible.
1929
The
first 8 cylinder 460 Nürburg has a
4.6l inline engine making 80 hp at
3,200 RPM. It's a dull sedan with a
top speed of 60 MPH, whoo hoo. It
set a record of driving 12,500 miles
at the Nürburgring racetrack over 13
days.
1930
Introduction of the 770 Grosser with
a 7.6l 8 cylinder engine. It was
made through 1938 and weighed over
6,000 pounds.
1931
Invents independent suspension.
1934
The
500K (W34), a blown 5.0l straight-8
convertible made 160 hp at 3,400
RPM. Mercedes made 760 of them. It
was a brand new style introduced in
1934 at Berlin Motor Show and
weighed about 4,500 pounds.
1936
The
Mercedes 540K is introduced. It's a
two seat convertible with a 5.4l
straight-8 engine and a Kompressor
(blower) with 180 hp at 3,400 RPM
and takes the 4,000 pound car to
over 100MPH. Only 319 were made and
it, like the 1990s SLs, cost the
same as a house. Mercedes also
invents the world's first Diesel
car.
1937
Mercedes' blown V-8 W125 Silver
Arrow race car makes 600 HP and goes
200 MPH, depending on gearing.
1939
A
1939 Grosser Mercedes 770K was
Hitler's parade car. It used to be
on display at a casino in Las Vegas
and today I think it's at a museum
in Danville, CA. It had 2" thick
bomb proof windows and armor
plating. By comparison, Al Capone's
1930 V-16 Cadillac at the same
casino museum only had 1/2" thick
bullet proof windows. I'm unsure if
the two ever raced against each
other. The 770K was made from 1938 -
1940 and weighed 8,000 pounds with a
blown 7.6l straight 8. Of course
bonehead Hitler's ideas for annexing
Europe ultimately halted car
production at Mercedes for the next
decade. Nice going, goofball, and it
beats me why anyone would armor a
convertible.
1950s: 1954 - 1962 300SL and 190SL
(W198 and W121)
Mercedes invents the crumple zone in
1951. All cars today use this, which
means that in a crash the trunk and
hood squish first and the passenger
compartment gets crushed last, if at
all. Mercedes also invents fuel
injection in 1954, also used in all
modern cars.
The
SL name started as the 300SL (W198)
in 1954. It was based on the 300SL
race car which had gull wing doors
to satisfy the race requirements to
have functional doors. Since it had
a tubular frame the doors had to
open up, instead of out. It had a
straight six. Beats me why people
trace modern SL history back to this
car, since it was a hard top and the
SLs have far more in common with
other earlier cars.
A guy
in NY thought the 300SL was such a
great car that he convinced Mercedes
to make a production convertible
version for him to sell. The 300SL
was made until 1963. They were not
popular and only built about 1,800
of them. Its 3.0l straight six made
215hp at 5,800 RPM. It was the
world's first production car with
fuel injection. I see claims of up
to 150MPH top speeds for the
production version, but I doubt this
with only 215 hp and questionable
drag coefficient for the
convertible. It weighed about 2,800
pounds.
The
less expensive 190SL (W121) was
introduced in 1955. It had a 1.9
liter 4 cylinder with 105 hp at
5,700 RPM and went a little over
100MPH. It weighed about 2,500
pounds. It also was built until
1963, and 26,000 were made.
1960s: 1963 - 1970 230SL, 250SL,
280SL (W113)
The
all new 230SL (W113 nicknamed
"Pagoda") was introduced in 1963 to
replace the 190SL. It's 2.3l six
cylinder made 150 hp at 5,500 RPM
with a top speed of 125 MPH. It was
the first to have a removable hard
top, a concept continued through the
2002 SL series.
The
similar 250SL came along in 1967,
and the 280SL in 1968.
1971 Mercedes SL280
49,000 were made through 1972. Most
had about 150 HP and weighed 2,900
pounds.
Also
around 1971 there was a convertible
version of the 280SE 4-seater with a
3.5l 8-cylinder with 200 hp at 5,800
RPM and a top speed of 130 MPH.
1970s and 1980s: 1972 - 1986 280SL,
380SL, 450SL, 560SL (R107)
Mercedes patents the air bag in
1971.
Introduced in 1971, Mercedes made
the new R107 SL for 20 years. The
R107 was designed to meet many
future years of crash safety
regulations, was built like a tank
and weighed a ton, actually, 1 - 3/4
tons. It was the strongest
convertible ever made, before the
even stronger R129 SL of the
1990s.An icon, you can see it on the
cover art of the 1984 film "Beverly
Hills Cop." (I don't recall seeing
the car in the film.)
Mercedes made 237,000 of the R107
through 1989. I once drove a 1982
280SL. It was OK, but not a fast car
as the V8s are.The 450SL had an
advanced aluminum SOHC fuel injected
V8 and a primitive 3 speed
automatic. It had 4 wheel disc
brakes.
The
last one was the 560SL. I almost
bought one until I got to go for a
real test drive and realized it
handled just like my mom's 1967
station wagon: big, torquey V8
engine, huge steering wheel and
floppy suspension.
Mercedes' 2006 full line brochure
includes a two-page spread of a 1985
560 SL. These true SLs are more
significant than many of the 2006
models.
1990
- 2002 SL500, 500SL, 300SL, 320SL,
600SL, SL600 (R129)
(click)
2003
- 2006 SL500, SL55, SL600, SL65
(R230) The current
2003 - 2006 SL500 has the same
lower-output, three-valve engine as
the 1999 - 2002 model and otherwise
is a completely different car. The
latest SL500 has most body panels
made of aluminum and a metal folding
roof which collapses into and takes
up some room in the trunk. Thank
goodness the 2006 S-Klasse sedan
again uses the original quad-can,
four-valve engine design for even
more power and torque; hopefully
these will make it into the SL500
soon.
There's a well- written comparison
of this latest SL500 to the Porsche
911, a Lexus and the Jaguar XKR
convertibles here.
The
experts write that the newest SL500
is a great car and I agree. They
also have issue, as I do, with the
low quality materials used, unlike
the real Mercedes of years past. The
newest SL feels more like a Dodge in
terms of materials, appearance, fit
and finish. Not that's that's bad,
since new Dodges also tend to have
better reliability than Mercedes
these past few years, at least if
you believe word-of-mouth and
Consumer Reports April 2004 and
April 2005 editions. More later at
"The End of Mercedes."
Consumer Reports' April 2005 issue
has some interesting things to say
on the latest SL. Interestingly it
rates among the very highest of
vehicles for satisfaction. (See page
10, April 2005.) More new SL owners
said they'd definitely buy another
one than the owners of almost any
other vehicle. Turn to page 18 and
you'll see the new SL is also one of
the absolutely least reliable cars
made. It's specifically called out
in the table of least reliable cars.
Again on page 81 the 2003 SL is
specifically called out as a used
car to avoid. To go on, the trunk
lid, which feels like a bank vault
on the 1990 - 2002 SL500, is wobbly,
worthless and weak on the 2003 -
present SL500. On the other hand,
there's a lot of aluminum in the
latest SL500: the roof, hood, trunk
lid, both doors and all four
quarter-panels, which is pretty much
the whole exterior.
The
trunk on the newest SL disappears
because the metal top collapses into
it. The latest SL500 has no soft top
and the hard top is no longer
removable as it was for the past few
decades. With the newest SL you're
forced to take your hard top
everywhere with you in your trunk
instead of being able to leave it in
your garage.
The
gauges have been destyled making
them less legible and more showy.
There are fewer gauges in the 2003 -
on SL500 since cost reductions have
marginalized these functions into
part of a completely
incomprehensible menu system. I have
never been able to figure out the
menu system on the current Mercedes,
and I've read the manuals and have
an engineering degree. Good luck not
crashing just looking up something
like outside temperature which
previous cars show all the time. The
gauges on a VW Rabbit Cabrio
Convertible are far better than
those on the 2003 - 2006 SL.
Everyone should order the "Keyless
Go" option. With this option you no
longer have to pull out your key!
With Keyless Go the car knows your
key is with you, so all you have to
do to unlock the door is pull the
handle, and all you have to do to
start or stop the engine is to press
the button on the shifter. Your keys
stay safely in your pocket or purse.
Brilliant, and something I suggested
to Mercedes in 1993!
If
the boss hands me the keys to a
White/Java 2006 SL500 as a company
car you won't see me complaining,
otherwise I'm sticking with my 1997.
SL55
AMG, SL600, SL65 AMG
The
very best news is that with the new
SL body style Mercedes is offering
several insanely more fun versions
other than the base SL500. There are
three other engine versions of the
SL500 today, all of which are
unreal.
Only
in the most recent three model years
has this crazy stuff been out. For
decades my SL500 and the
conventionally aspirated SL600 V-12
made about the same power which I've
already got. If anything the power
actually dropped in 1999 with the
current three-valve engine which is
still used in today's SL500.
These
new crazy versions seem to be
selling well out here, or at least
the badge kits. More good news is as
you may know Mercedes bought AMG
some years ago and today the AMG
cars are completely serviceable at
any dealer with lots of parts out
there and designed not to blow up.
I've driven the AMGs on the
racetrack and it's wild knowing you
can drive these everyday without a
hiccup.
SL55
AMG
The
SL55 adds a blown V-8 for 516 ft-lbs
at 2,750 - 4,000 and 493 HP @ 6,100
RPM. It lists at $125,000 and is
rated at 4.5s 0 - 60.
The
blown V8 SL55 is from a totally
different universe. I couldn't wipe
the smile off my face for a week
after I drove one.
Hammer on it in traffic and it's
beyond anything: faster than a
motorcycle and worlds more torque.
Other 300+ HP cars have been limited
by the rubber below 90 MPH so I had
thought all the latest factory super
AMG cars were solely to impress the
neighbors unless you get above 120
MPH and the traction control can
finally turn off. The 350HP AMG
SLK32 I drove had the traction
control trying to keep the wheels
from spinning at every legal speed.
The
SL55's traction control did its best
when hammering it on a sharp left
turn from a side street; it
unleashed all it could when it could
which was almost scary. Heaven
forbid you're on a straight since it
keeps the 285mm wide tires from
spinning and takes off more quickly
than I thought possible. My 1997
SL500 only has 225/55R16s which are
at the verge of liquefying
throughout all of 1st gear. I was
more intrigued with the power of the
SL55 AMG, however for the first few
minutes before it warmed up I
noticed that it was a nice, tight
small feeling car unlike my 1997 SL.
The
new SL seats were perfect (my SL500
has fat-man seats) and even the bun
warmers worked great and warmed up
your back and most importantly
sides, as opposed to mine which
mostly heat up your bottom which
needs no heating. Anyway, I was very
impressed.
Most
of these cars seen today are the
base SL500 and probably many of the
fancier ones I see are re-badged.
Beware counterfeit SL55s which are
just SL500s with the trunk badge and
wheels changed. I had a BMW dealer
try to sell me one of the fakes.
The
real SL55 is insane!
SL600
The
1993 - 2002 SL600s are
conventionally aspirated 48-valve
V12s. As of 2003 the SL600s add twin
turbos to the 12 cylinder, 36 valve
engine for 590 ft-lbs of torque from
1,800 - 3,500 RPM and 493 HP at
5,000.
It
lists at $127,000 and weighs a
little more than the SL55. It's also
rated at 4.5s 0-60.
SL55
versus SL600
The
SL600 (twin-turbo V12) and SL55
(blown V8) have identical power
ratings and almost identical price.
God bless Mercedes for giving us the
choice! The SL600 has more torque,
but with more weight and a turbo
instead of a blower.
Thus
the difference isn't seen on spec
sheets or in race numbers.
The
difference is that the SL600 tends
towards comfort while the SL55 is
more brutal and racy. If you want a
sports car for nimbleness and
deliberate driving get the SL55. If
you want something comfier get the
SL600.
The
color and trim options differ
between the two. The SL600 comes in
the more reasonable colors while the
SL55 comes in the Darth Vader colors
favored by high school kids. I want
White and Java (tan), and the AMG
for 2006 comes in White for the
first time but not yet Java for the
inside. That leaves the SL600 for my
color choice.
SL65
AMG
The
SL65 AMG has the same turbo V12
configuration of the SL600, however
it has more displacement and 738
ft-lbs from 2,000 - 4,000 RPM and
604 hp @ 5,500 RPM. Even the SL55 is
unlike anything I've ever driven.
I'd be afraid of the SL65 if it
weren't for ESP keeping the wheels
on the ground.
The
SL65 AMG lists at $180,000. It's
kind of a silly car and the most
expensive in the line, so you'll see
people buy them for no purpose other
than arbitrage (buying to resell
them at an immediate profit due to
their perceived scarcity.)
2007
S-Klasse Sedan Engines
Hooray: the original 4-valve design
returns!
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