December Car In The Room - 1977 Mercedes-Benz 350SL by David Tomlinson
At short notice I brought my 1977 Mercedes-Benz 350SL to December’s club night. This model replaced the “Pagoda” type roadster in 1971, and was in production until 1989. Introduced as a roadster, it was also manufactured as a hardtop coupe. This car has a 3.5L V8, during the production run they also made six cylinder models and ended in 1989 with a 5.6L V8. Mercedes-Benz models like this with the big logo in the front grille do not have the upright badge fitted to the bonnet. The soft top on these cars folds away under a fiberglass panel behind the rear seat, but does take some effort and a tool to put it up and down. I also have a hard top for the car which is a 2 person job to put on and take off. This example was sold new in the UK and came to NZ in 1985. It has a 3 speed auto, power steering and power brakes. The alloy wheels are correct for the car, but I fitted these and I still have the original steel wheels with matching green hubcaps. Fleur and Kate have used this car on a Sulphur City Rally.
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Side Curtains February 2021
