[V8] 450SLC

[Roger M. Woodbury]

The 450SLC was a dog.  In fact, the 450SL was a dog.  VERY heavy and not
very powerful, coupled with enormously expensive Mercedes parts and service.

When the car first came out, it replaced the 230SL/250SL/280SL series that
began in 1964.  I almost bought a slightly used 230SL coupe/roadster in
1967.  The car was a deep green car...and get this:  it had manual steering!
In the end I came to my senses and realized that this was just not the car
for us.  The manual transmission shifted with a long, thin stalk that was
like moving gears around with a straw, and it definitely did NOT want
spririted driving.  

Anyway, the 280SL was a nice, pleasant car, and the lack of power of the
230SL was no longer an issue. These cars are still coveted and worth quite a
bit of money in fine condition.

Then came along the 350SL series, which was made initially with a straight
six cylinder engine from the 280SL, but was primarily built with the 3.5
litre V8.  The 350SL was far from a success (nor was the 350SE/SEL) because
the cars were too heavy and the engine really was a slug...plus the engine
was equipped with a single row chain for the camshaft timing, and these had
an ugly propensity to failure.  Later cars had a double row chain, and
earlier cars could be retrofitted ($$$)which made them more reliable.

Then, due to emissions regulations as much as anything else, the 4.5 litre
V8 came along and became the 450SL (or in sedan form, the 450SE/SEL).  The
SE stood for S series of the body, and E for Einspritzer, or fuel injection.
The "L" for Lang, orlong wheelbase.  The SL stood for "super light" and it
was neither.  

The SLC was someone's joke, I think.  I was always attracted to the SL in
coupe form with the back seat, but the car, always slow, was now even more
so, ungainly, and rather strange...ok to carry clubs to the golf course, I
suppose, or perhaps to cruise around Miami Beach, but if you wanted a car to
drive, it was either a Porsche or a BMW.

A very nice SL or SLC is worth something now, but the resale value of these
cars is low, and they have never reached anything on the order of
"collectable".  And, they remain a true Mercedes of the era:  parts and
labor are VERY expensive.

Roger

P.S.  I lusted after a 560 SEC for a long time before I bought my last '93
V8.  On the whole, I would rather the V8 because my friends that I made on
the now, demised Mercedes pages told me all sorts of stories about
unreliable and difficult issues with the Mercedes that made me think that an
Audi V8 would be like owning a Toyota Camry in comparison.