A question of Sport

The SL badge is arguably the most hallowed of model designations affixed to the boot of Mercedes-Benzes, backed by a history that goes back more than half a century.

SL stands for 'Sport Light' (or Sport Leicht in German) and the first car to wear this badge was the 1954 300SL 'Gullwing', so named because its top-hinged doors opened up like the wings of a gull.

The distinctive gullwing was followed in 1957 by the 300SL roadster, and there was also the more mainstream four-cylinder 190SL -- obviously more affordable and therefore the volume seller. Both models could be had with a removable hardtop (a two-person job), a conventional soft-top, or both.

These models were built until 1963 before being replaced by the supremely elegant W113 Series 230SL, commonly referred to as the "Pagoda" as its hardtop had a pronounced dip in the centre, tapering upwards at the outer edges.

The 230SL made way in 1968 for the 250SL, essentially the same car but with a displacement increase to 2.5-litres, and there was another upsize a couple of years later when the 2.8-litre 280SL debuted. The latter also gained revised switch knobs and wheel trims.

Low-waisted and wide-stanced, the W113 Series SLs are still highly sought after today, and a 280SL in good condition will set you back plenty. The Carsales Network recently drove both a Pagaoda 280SL and a classic rally-prepared 300SL. Both cars are part of Mercedes-Benz's own historic collection and will be the subject of a feature to appear at the Caresales Network soon.

The R107 had grown in dimensions and weight, so the engine line-up grew accordingly. This SL was initially offered with a 3.5-litre V8, but towards the end of its lifespan, the range was topped by the 5.6-litre 560SL.

The long-serving R107 was replaced by the more wedge-like R129 in 1989, and this model debuted a host of new safety tech (such as an automatically deploying rollover bar) and various mod-cons.

Although the SL designation was initially applied as a suffix (as per its predecessors), Merc introduced a new protocol in 1993 whereby the body style (SL, S, E, C etc) became the prefix to the numeric designation indicating engine size.

The engine range for the R107 spanned from a 2.8-litre six to a thumping 7.3-litre V12 in the extremely rare SL73 AMG, the most powerful SL of its day with 392kW.

The R230 Series SL (the current generation) arrived in 2001, bringing with it a folding metal hardtop (dubbed 'Vario-Roof') that could be raised or lowered at the touch of a button. This tech had earlier debuted (in 1997) in the smaller SLK.

More safety gear (such as adaptive front airbags and head/thorax sidebags) and mod-cons meant more weight, so the engine line-up was beefed-up accordingly.

Although the entry-level SL made do with a 3.0-litre six, the more serious SL55 AMG scored a supercharged 5.4-litre V8 with 380kW, while the totally bonkers SL65 AMG copped a 450kW twin-turbo 6.0-litre V12.

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