Growing up when it was new, the tenure of the #R107 #Mercedes seemed interminable - like it had been around forever and always would be. A model of solidity and quality, this evergreen #MercedesSL lasted eighteen model years, from April of 1971 to August of 1989 - a spectacularly long tenure by the standards of pricey GTs. At the time the longest ever run of any Mercedes (since eclipsed by the G-wagen) and just as long as venerable hangers on like the MGB and Fiat Spider. The R107 had replaced the breezy, glamorous "Pagoda" SL in Europe 1971 although U.S. sales didn't begin for another year. The 107 was based on a cut down version of the W114 chassis and, over time, featured virtually every V8 #MercedesBenz built during the 70s and 80s. Base models could also be had with 2.8 and 3 liter straight sixes, but these lighter, leaner cars were not generally availalble in the U.S., and are very rare here. The R107 was glam too, like the W113 Pogoda, but it was Roxy Music to the Pogoda's Eartha Kitt. A hit from the beginning, it was in the late 1970s that the 450SL became the definitive incarnation for most Americans - made famous first by Lauren Hutton and Richard Gere's use of the 450SL in "American Gigolo" (if this car had a theme song it'd be Blondie's "Call Me") and Pamela Ewing (played by actress Victoria Principal) driving one on "Dallas." They were a huge symbol of success by 1980 - every inch a status car - but by then quite different from the original SLs. R107 (and related C107, best known as the 450SLC) were so well engineered that even after 18 years they were still basically contemporary, if a bit dated, but they were always considered boulevardiers compared to the older cars, which had more sporting pretensions. By 1985 Mercedes was already far along on what became the 1990s-era R129 replacement, a faster and more modern car. For many years R107s were cheap classics (you can still find them cheap, but they usually don’t stay that way if you do), trapped between the vintage Pagoda and the faster R129, not so much these days. 280sl #450sl #benz #blondie #americangigolo #youngtimer #practicalclassics #ig_autoshow #kings_transports #loves_vehicles #70s