Mercedes R107: The Essential Guide to Buying, Owning, and Restoring the Classic SL (350SL 450SL 380SL 560SL) - Tapa blanda

Sinopsis

A $15,000 Mercedes-Benz SL looks like a bargain. To the expert, it's a grenade with the pin pulled.

The R107 is the last true cost-no-object grand tourer, built like a bank vault. But after forty years, the automotive legend can turn into a financial abyss.

Buyers eye the chrome and revel in Bobby Ewing nostalgia without understanding what's necessary to maintain a top-of-the-line German roadster. These were always six-figure cars, with the repair bills to match. Parts and labor haven't gotten cheaper since the 1980s -- in fact, they've gotten a lot more expensive.

Survive the R107 experience and evade the abyss:

• "Walk-Away" Inspection & Water Test: Spot hidden plenum chamber rot before your R107 has you managing a $10,000+ custom metal fabrication project.
• Engine Time Bombs: Verify the 380SL timing chain right in the seller's driveway before you sign the check -- unless you don't mind springing for a new engine next week.
• Evil Servo & Climate Control Maze: Bypass the janky 1970s Chrysler HVAC before pressurized coolant floods your interior.
• NLA Terror: Navigate the shrinking parts supply without eBaying a kidney, find authentic German Sonnenland canvas, and avoid spending thousands on cracked and brittle plastics.
• Model Hierarchy: Practical verdicts on the 450SL Iron Giants, the underpowered 380SL, the rockstar 227-horsepower 560SL, and all the Euro-spec gray market imports.
• Panzerwagen Maintenance: Inspect front subframe reinforcements, tame K-Jetronic fuel injection, eliminate self-combusting catalytic converters, and restore the bank-vault door latch.

The R107 is a legend. Treat it like one. Read this book, buy the right car, and don't go broke.

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