It looks like they would have been damn potent beasts... 380HP and 450Nm and a weight of only 1330kg (2932lbs) that's 185kg (407lbs) less than the 500SLC... oh... and even better... it was a manual transmission!
Vehicle: 1977 Mercedes 280SL, 2002 Mercedes CLK 320 Sport
Location: West Chester, PA
Posts: 106
Interesting story. Shame they didn't go ahead. Following on from my other thread - I wonder how they got the weight down (just kidding, obviously a stripped car for rallying is quite different). However, it's still impressive, since it had a roll cage and hard top - although the specs say the hardtop was both steel and plastic?
Interesting story. Shame they didn't go ahead. Following on from my other thread - I wonder how they got the weight down (just kidding, obviously a stripped car for rallying is quite different). However, it's still impressive, since it had a roll cage and hard top - although the specs say the hardtop was both steel and plastic?
I think the steel part of those specs refers to the rest of the body, it looks like some of the formatting is a bit out on the page. I'm guessing though, that like the 500SLC's they also had a few alloy body panels.
Hey, any info I find will be going up on here, so keep checking back...
Steve, any photos at all that you have would be incredible, in fact any data on them at all. Damn, what a waste, sitting in a warehouse. I hope they get taken out at least once in a while.
Information I have states that the 500SL rally cars (developed from the 500SLC rally cars of 1980 and the 450SLC 5.0 rally cars of 1978 and 1979) that were developed for the 1981 season were good for 370hp and still had the 4 speed auto transmission.
I have had a quick look through various publications I have and came across an article in "Mercedes Enthusiast" magazine Issue 37 (Nov. 2004) page 40 discussing the Colorado Grand event in which one of the 500SL rally cars was driven. That article suggests it is good for 320hp although I suspect that figure to be incorrect given that the last of the 500SLC rally cars were good for 340hp. The article also states that the 4 speed auto had first blanked out and was set up only change manually effectively making it a 3 speed clutchless manual. The short rear axle ratio meant that most of the time only 3rd and fourth were used.
Apparently the car was noisy and unforgiving and was really only set up to be driven hard. The writer, Tim Slade, commented that it brought out the hooligan in him and remarked "At the end of the day I thought the only casualties had been my hearing and my reputation. However, later I realised that my shoes had melted!" What a beast!
This article at least confirms one of the 500SL rally cars still exists and also includes a few photos of it. One photo, an almost two page spread of the front, shows no less than ten lights! The are the four headlights of the US style but with what appear to be halogen inserts, a pair of spread beam and a pair of spot beam Cibie Super Oscars (as were usually fitted to the 500SLC rally cars), and a pair of equally large Bosch fog lights. The car resembles the 500SLC rally car in most respects except that it is an SL.
Information I have states that the 500SL rally cars (developed from the 500SLC rally cars of 1980 and the 450SLC 5.0 rally cars of 1978 and 1979) that were developed for the 1981 season were good for 370hp and still had the 4 speed auto transmission.
I have had a quick look through various publications I have and came across an article in "Mercedes Enthusiast" magazine Issue 37 (Nov. 2004) page 40 discussing the Colorado Grand event in which one of the 500SL rally cars was driven. That article suggests it is good for 320hp although I suspect that figure to be incorrect given that the last of the 500SLC rally cars were good for 340hp. The article also states that the 4 speed auto had first blanked out and was set up only change manually effectively making it a 3 speed clutchless manual. The short rear axle ratio meant that most of the time only 3rd and fourth were used.
Apparently the car was noisy and unforgiving and was really only set up to be driven hard. The writer, Tim Slade, commented that it brought out the hooligan in him and remarked "At the end of the day I thought the only casualties had been my hearing and my reputation. However, later I realised that my shoes had melted!" What a beast!
This article at least confirms one of the 500SL rally cars still exists and also includes a few photos of it. One photo, an almost two page spread of the front, shows no less than ten lights! The are the four headlights of the US style but with what appear to be halogen inserts, a pair of spread beam and a pair of spot beam Cibie Super Oscars (as were usually fitted to the 500SLC rally cars), and a pair of equally large Bosch fog lights. The car resembles the 500SLC rally car in most respects except that it is an SL.
Greg
Thanks Greg,
That sheds some more light on the issue... or maybe brings more questions!!
Did you allso know that the first 450SLC 5.0 78 used the same 3 speed tranny from 6.9 W3 B50 that was bolted on to a 450 bell house. 450SLC 5.0 engine used the similar engine flange as the iron blocks did , i bet it was the same as 450 engines to, OK little of topic now but usefull i can even tell you guys that you can bolt a 6.9 tranny just the tranny now onto a 450se bell house and go i tried it my self. so that make sense for the thing mercedes did under the ralley time with 450SLC 5.0 in the later 70s.
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Supercharger6.9
Last edited by supercharger6.9; 03-11-2009 at 04:55 PM.
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