Description
Rumours and scoop-shots of prototypes were around long before the R129 Mercedes models broke cover in 1989. Yet none of them could have prepared observers for the car which appeared on the Mercedes stand at the Geneva Show that March. For that car not only embodied the Mercedes trademarks of timeless good looks first-rate build quality and high performance, but it also exceeded its makers own reputation for engineering ingenuity in pursuit of passenger safety. Perhaps the most telling testimony to what Mercedes had done came literally by accident.
During the press launch of the car, one journalist exploited its performance with a little too much exuberance; the car rolled end over end – and when it came to rest, the shaken journalist simply walked away from the wreckage. Mercedes could hardly have wished for a better demonstration of the effectiveness of what they had done. Fortunately, most SL drivers will never experience such a situation Many of them will probably never even explore the limits of the cars performance and handling, because the SL is one of those rare machines which is as competent a (small) saloon for town use as it is a high performance supercar for derestricted roads. The fact that it is a sports car does not intrude on its driver; and yet its sporting nature is instantly on call for the moments it is wanted.
This Mercedes roadster is in every way a complete car, as the articles reproduced in this book confirm. And in that, it is in every way a worthy successor to the SLs which have gone before. This is a book of contemporary road & comparison tests, new model intros, racing & drivers reports. Models covered: 300SL, 500SL, 600SL, 300SL-24 & AMG SL60.
With a total of 140 fully illustrated pages. SB.
