Queens of elegance, the 1972 Mercedes-Benz 350SL and her sister the 1986 560SL

Comments · 105

• LE

  @lensman5762 · 1 year ago · pinned

  You can clearly see the difference in design philosophy and perception of quality and beauty in the design of not only this car, but also a lot of the early to late 70s cars and what we have today, which to my mind is nothing but a travesty of design and engineering. Cars are unnecessarily large (creating the misconception of being safe), heavy, far too powerful for their intended purposes, wasteful, unsustainable and just designed as a throw away in addition to being plain ugly. They all look the same, more or less drive the same and have very little in the way of character or individuality.  Sad times for automotive engineering.

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• JO

  @jonwarshawsky5288 · 1 year ago

  Nicely done, but those aftermarket wheels on the '86 are catastrophic.

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• CA

  @candidmoe8741 · 1 year ago

  There was a time when you could spot a Mercedes from 200 meters away. Now you can't tell if it's a Hyundai until you see its emblem.

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• SN

  @Snakepliken · 1 year ago

  They were built when Mercedes was a Mercedes

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• BE

  @bennyhannover9361 · 1 year ago

  The presentation of the 107 SL took place in June 1971 in Dallas Texas, it was hosted by Rudi Uhlenhaut the father of all Silver Arrows between 1935 and 1955!

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• SP

  @sprezzatura8755 · 1 year ago (edited)

  I had a 350 SL with a 4-speed manual, wish I never sold it. Wonderful car with Incredible build quality DIY friendly and plenty of new and used parts available. Just a little snug for taller fellows.

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• BA

  @BallroomDanceCraze · 1 year ago

  I have a 1986 560SL. 55,000 miles. Fabulous car. Its amazing that all the parts are available. I needed a muffler and didn't want the aftermarket stuff. I call a dealership near me. They had three in the warehouse.... and the associated bolts.

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• TO

  @TonyLiveTV · 1 year ago

  Best vehicle Mercedes ever built. I completely dismantled my 560SL and put it all back together using only genuine MB parts (engine, trans, diff, all suspension, everything). Built like an armored vehicle? Absolutely! My 560SL now drives like the day it left the showroom floor in 1987.

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• AN

  @anthonydietmeier6524 · 1 year ago

  I've sat in a few MB's of this vintage, and they've all been a bit ratty, and I'm still always blown away by how well the interiors have held up and the quality and tactility of all the switchgear. Knobs and buttons just don't click like that anymore.

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• TH

  @The_R-n-I_Guy · 1 year ago

  I would like to have any car from this chassis. Not much of a Mercedes fan. But this era car is just about perfect

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• RO

  @RocketCityTim · 1 year ago

  Two of the most perfectly designed cars - the R107 and the W126.

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• 4W

  @4WHEELBIKER · 1 year ago

  It would've been nice if they stuck with the more reliable early a/c units. Otherwise, iconic dependable convertible cruiser.

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