MotorWeek | Retro Review: '90 Mercedes Benz 500SL
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 19 июн 2024
- Big power, bigger price tag. Catch MotorWeek's Retro Review of the extremely fresh 1990 Mercedes Benz 500SL. How much do you think this piece of machinery would go for today? Comment below!
Авто/Мото
26yrs later, and this car still kicks ass....
Someone has great taste in cars!
My '93 SL320 is still trooping, albeit with some soft top issues to work on over the winter. The paint is still perfect and she looks absolutely beautiful. Compliments every day!
It’ll kick your ass till the shit comes out of your ears! Er...or something.
Seth Gallup Sorry
And plenty of low mile ones out there for under $10000.
"20 years from now the cars we know might not exist and this is the SL we will brag about having driven"
"it may end up being the greatest SL of all time"
Oh, how right he was...
Back in the 80s, it felt like the future of automobiles was pretty bleak. So I can understand his statement about the Merc in 1990. 322 HP seemed like such an insane amount of power in a contemporary engine back then. Thankfully, all of the dire predictions turned out to be wrong and we now have Ford and Chevy producing Turbo 4 bangers that can nearly match the V8 in this 90 Merc. Cars today are more powerful, more efficient, far safer, with better reliability and expected lifespan. What Motorweek couldn't foresee is the explosive growth of technology in our vehicles including the distractions caused by cell phones. It will be interesting to see what passenger cars will be like 20 years from now.
All of that crash safety structural support, though, has led to cars with barely there rear windows, and "snug" interiors with little storage apart from the glovebox, door bins big enough for a single water bottle, and a tiny center console tray. The physical size is so ridiculous that if you parked a Toyota 4Runner, a midsize family crossover, next to a 1998 Hummer H1, which was by an order of magnitude the biggest thing on the road at the time, the crossover would be bigger if a bit lower, and yet the tiny capsule of an interior on a modern full-size sedan can't even approach the roominess of the compact 1991 Accord. Ridiculously wide a- and c-pillars create blind spots the size of houses (not that it matters since you can barely see out of the windows anyway) and render the jaws of life all but obsolete, and beltlines are so high that windows are tiny slits.
Cars that die after parts are no longer made have to be thrown out because the locked-down, illegal to modify ECU will reject non-OEM parts. The reason styling, which is admittedly less important than the other safety and serviceability issues modern car designs create, is getting so "crazy" now is because designs can only be differentiated by incredibly ugly tacked on sheetmetal (Toyota Camry or Nissan Murano) because it's nearly impossible to build a car without the same basic shape as the competition's if you want to meet safety standards. The goal of all this, turning LA's toxic smog dome into a mild haze and making highway speed crashes survivable, was achieved more than 10 years ago, and the newer standards are just going way further than necessary.
Honestly the transformation of cars into windowless tanks, along with the 25-year import ban also known as the Mercedes-Benz protection act, was something that I was hoping Donald Trump (who I did not vote for and completely hate) would accidentally fix as his party takes a blanket slash and burn approach to gutting regulations. In 1978, Mercedes essentially bought off every congressman so they would stop people from importing the cheaper, more powerful, prettier, better made models Mercedes sold in Europe. Just about everyone sane supports some easing if not outright repeal of the 25-year ban, even if it's just legalizing cars that pass actually stricter Euro crash safety standards, but nobody's bothered to spend a Senate session doing so because it's not seen as something that's important or unpopular enough to electorally benefit someone who votes to repeal it. The auto industry to this day benefits massively from not having to worry about people ruining their brand image by importing and driving cars meant for other markets that don't fit their American lineup, even if they meet or can easily meet American safety and emissions standards. But nope, they're just confirming the assumptions I'd always held about them and targeting with laser precision only the agencies their donors have paid them to gut, and the auto industry is among those donors.
Robert Karma -- Oh, they saw the technology coming. But as was the case with most gearheads, they just didn't like it. Not one bit. The comment about wanting to actually see the engine under the hood, instead of the plastic cover, was chief among such sentiments. Gearheads had been in Fear of the Future since 1975 or so and saw nothing good with fuel economy or emissions requirements, considered them major failures on all points. Some still do.
But, the instant you show them what an electric car can do today...? They suddenly embrace the very same technology that they feared until now. The engine management computers and variable valve lift and timing systems that replaced carburetors and pushrods,; the antilock brakes and stabilization systems that prevent the worst of crashes; the continuously variable automatic transmissions that did away with the manual transmission for good; and the hybrid electric and turbocharged engine systems that have allowed gasoline powered vehicles to extend their life and hope to meet CAFE requirements...? Oh! Then, those are all GOOD things.
storck08 I agree with your salient points except for the CVT. I had one in my Honda HRV and it sucked. Now I have a Ford Escape with a Six-Speed automatic that plays well with the EcoBoost engine. Ford and GM cooperated on the development of a ten-speed automatic now hitting the market. Until they improve the CVT, I'll stick with the automatic.
Still have mine garaged & covered. 500Sl 1991 with removable steel top, only 32,000 miles needs a little work. Sell for $15,000.
It's hilarious to think that GM thought they could compete against this car with the Cadillac Allante. What a joke.
hahahaha
anyThing made in Germany is the best n3XT to Japan
@@zoka3593 yep
Lol
mercedes outranked any of its competitors with the w126 from 1979 till 1991 and w140 s classes from 1992 till 1998.
Still looks fantastic today.
still looks like a 2 door cab
Ugly as fuk. What's wrong with your eyes?
Dan McCarthy MERCEDES BENZ THE BEST OR NOTHING !!!!!!!
@@sekhemel326 let me guess. You're a millenial.
@@ajf5745
No, it's just ugly as fuk.
This is what I imagine when I picture what a Benz is supposed to look like
For me, it's the slr mclaren in silver. That was the poster car that was everywhere when I was younger and getting into cars, so that's what stuck with me
The original 300 SL or the 190 Evo ll
I have the same SL500 in Vermont.. White out blue in.. Needs some cosmetic restoration inside and a few mechanical & electrical repairs, also needs new soft top but excellent runner
The W140
I personally prefer the later 5G cars, which is also why I like E55s and CLK55s
This is back when a Mercedes-Benz was a MERCEDES BENZ!!!
Through 1991 they were "the last of the hand-mades"....after that, the junkiness started invading their manufacturing
here here!
Mercedes was at it's peak when they made this car in my opinion. These early 90s SL's are going to be worth a lot of money soon considering how gracefully the design is aging.
Just bought this car in black for 12,500 from a guy in Florida who maintained it well. 106k on the odometer. Only really I payed that much is because the car is so well maintained & I really love classic cars. 90s baby I was born in ‘97 this car is 7 years older than me
@@TheHankersonits a good price
This was (and still is) a dream car of mine. I had several scale models of them when I was a kid, mostly in Red. Still a timeless design.
What a beautiful car. Timeless design for sure.
Remember when the number on the deck lid of a Mercedes (or a BMW for that matter) coincided with the engine displacement? 500 SL for 5.0 liter, and 300 SL for 3.0 liter, etc.?
Now they just pick a number out of hat for naming nomenclature. Oh well, I still want one, and have since they debuted.
yeah now it may as well be a trim level
It was like that until like what, 1995?
They had funny naming a while ago: 280se 3.5, 190e 2.6, etc, but I agree with the new models
not really cause 450sl was actually 350 sl
Same with BMW. 320i, 535i, etc
I like how he throws that disk.
lol right.
Now it's just plug, plug, plug!
I liked that too. I suppose that what makes MotorWeek, MotorWeek. MotorWeek does things like this.
savage
disc
Designed by Bruno Sacco, an Italian! No wonder why it looks perfect!
He believes that the 190E and the S-Class before 1991 was his crowning achievement.
That's because they really were! But for me, his best were this SL and the W140 S-Class!
MafiosoItaliano458 Those are my FAVs of mine too.
Likewise! But I do have an attraction to the 560 Sel as well
I do too. The 560 is my FAV S-Class of the 80s.
I knew people who spent more than $90K for these cars when they first came out. Legendary build quality. Assembled on a special side of the factory separate from the other production models.
Away from the... (raises chin) lesser models.
I remember the first time I saw this SL bodystyle in person way back then. It looked like a spaceship coming at you on the road! Still looks great today.
one of my fav body style Mercedes back in the day
Eric David Berkus I do too
The r129 is a great design.
Its a timeless design
Yes still is.
This car is still seriously fast and it's better built than the new ones that's for sure..
Not exactly "seriously fast" but definitely quick enough to get one in trouble. Seriously fast by todays standards is something that gets into 12s in a 1/4 mile.
@@mberezh you always have that one person who disagrees
@@mberezh seriously fast gets into the 5s
These are the Mercedes to have. They were classy, timeless, and fast. New ones just don't have the feel the old ones did, like this SL.
These R129s are tanks - literally. They feel heavy and massive. My dad has a 1989 500SL R129, one of the first 500 cars to leave the factory, actually. It's fully-loaded with complex gizmos and features, and yet despite having traveled over 210,000 km everything works just fine. Only the folding roof mechanism will need some minor alignment adjusting every 50,000 km or so, not a big deal.
I do think the newer Mercedes' cars are extremely well-built, especially after the quality slump of the mid-1990s to early-2000s. That forced them to improve quality. And unlike that idiot Schrempp (who was responsible for the quality slump), Dieter Zetsche is a man of his word and actively worked to improve Mercedes quality and bring it up to the good old days. I truly believe that the newer Mercedes' are well-made cars and have a high degree of quality. They might not "feel" as solid as older models, but that's because they use lighter materials to save weight and get better fuel economy.
We used to have a well-spec'd 2002 Mercedes E320 Avantgarde W211 and kept that car until 2010 and almost 150,000 km IIRC - no issues whatsoever except for a dead battery when the car wasn't driven for over 2 weeks. The car was replaced by a fully loaded 2010 E350 CGI Avantgarde W212, which now has over 120,000 km and has been problem-free. Like NO ISSUES. None.
A lot of people (usually Mercedes' haters) will claim that these cars are "high maintenance", but the truth is that simple and basic maintenance will extend their life and their reliability. Take care of the car and it will take care of you.
Likewise
I still think this was the BEST of any of the SL models both previous and current. Based on the results from the 600SL, there is no advantage to buying the V12 over the V8. The V12 just uses more fuel for the same performance and options. The 500SL from 1990 was a huge improvement from any of the previous SL models. Those track numbers are very impressive and still are today. My choice would be the 1990+ 500SL hands down, alongside the new 1993 Cadillac Allante that was vastly improved for its final year.
This car is just @&$# timeless. One of MB's most successful designs.
superchan7 you have to love the Mercedes Benz SL series.
This is still a sexy and classy car 26yrs later. 5.9s is still impressive too. My neighbor bought a used 600SL in mint condition with 56k miles. 2mos after purchase the transmission failed. $3500 it had a new transmission. I had similar experience with my 1987 300E. Slipping transmission by 100k miles. These MB weren't the most reliable out there, but damn they were classy cars.
When these came out, they were THE status symbols to have. At the going price, if a person had 1, everyone knew that the owners weren't exactly circling the drain to the poor house. I can't imagine what 80 large would be in today's $...
I use to daydream about this everyday back in the 90's.
This was the last good looking SL... They've been exercises in overstyled garishness ever since. And the latest one is downright ugly.
I agree about the current SL for sure....eeeeeek! The SL65 AMG on the other hand...LOVE IT!
I think the new SL is the nicest one yet.
:)
I got to drive one of those at our shop, umm..yeah, twin turbo V-12, unreal acceleration!
I think the original R230 SL was an attractive car and a worthy successor to the R129.
BUT - Mercedes sure ruined it with the facelift. Those headlights were just awful. The snout was just offensive.
The original R231 SL looks like a barely redesigned R230. Terrible. Just felt like a half-assed effort.
Thankfully, the facelifted R231 looks somewhat decent, especially with an AMG body kit. I saw one in a local Mercedes showroom recently and while I don't look at a facelifted R230 SL or an original R231 SL, the facelifted R231 caught my attention. Not bad. It actually makes the SL somewhat attractive again.
And you can't argue with the performance. The facelifted R231 I saw in that showroom was an SL400 with a 367-horsepower V6 and it does 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds! Damn! And 367-horsepower was the output of the Benz V12 engine found in the W220 S600!!!! Now a "lowly" V6 has the same power output...
This is one of my most favorite Mercedes-Benz vehicles, I'm glad to see this review posted!
Damn fast, beautiful, and I love those red interiors. German burnout!
Wow, what a machine! And 5,9s from 0-60 is fast even today.
But for everyone who might not be aware of this:
In 1990, $83k was the equivalent to $190k in 2022 dollars. So it was exorbitantly expensive back then.
🤔 then again, the 2022 SL63 costs almost the same…$180k…
the rare Motorweek brake stand!
You were?
LOL
Definitely didn't expect to see you here but then again I'm not exactly surprised 😂
As a kid back then This car was in a gang of movies and music videos this car is so nostalgic to me Man I cant wait to get one in great condition. This in my opinion was the car to have of the yester years I love it to death but I would want a silver arrow one because its the most up to date in the R129 body style
I love the retro reviews…especially of sports and/or luxury cars….i like seeing how far car technology has come in 20+ years.
He says "In 20 years, cars like this may not exist, this is the pinnacle!" little did he know we'd be making cars with 400+ horsepower at affordable prices.
In todays money, adjusting for inflation, this car costs $153k.
The AMG SL73 variant of this car was such a brilliant car since to most people it looked just like the base model. The SL600 was the ultimate luxury roadster with how it could cruise along at super low revs with super smooth V12 power. The R230 that replaced this car in 2001 diverted from the SL tradition of a simple removable hardtop and went to retractable. The fly by wire SBC braking system was also a really bad feature on R230. Every SL since this gen has strayed from being about the driving experience to just adding technology unrelated to driving the car.
There was an SL73 version of this? How big was the engine???
@@dr.lyleevans6915 m a n ,it was an amg fettled 7.3 litre v8 -the same one in a pagani zonda, like nothing else!
@@kenlee-97 V12 not V8.
Was a bored out version of the normal 6 litre M120 if I’m not wrong
“20 years from now cars as we now them may not exists” he didn’t know how right he was 🥲
Adjusted for inflation, this car is *$156,493.82*
Jesus christ!
and the 600 were almost one third more than 500
That's about what an S-Class coupe costs.
benanderson89 holy Toledo.
All that and you get the Euro oil leaks to go with it.
benanderson89 / convert our salary from then to now. People always forget. Unfortunately our salary has not grown. We could afford things like this back then if you had a decent job. Today, a decent job can only get you to just get by.
This year SL (1990) had the renowned M119 V8, from the famed Saber C9 that hit 400kph at Lemans, 1989. The M119 had the higher output in the first 3 years, before emissions required reducing the wide open throttle of the fuel injectors, which effectively reduced the power to about 312hp.
That WAS the time of the REAL Mercedes. That car was a pure thrill to drive. Everyone looked at you, if they could keep up with you:), and you know they thought, you were either a drug dealer, or a doctor. Is there a difference?? hehehehe I loved that car. WOW!
My favorite style of SL.
likewise
I still own a 1989 560 SEC!
Thanks for the upload, love the retro vids.
Borat testing out the roof at 3:10
Andrewh1994 lmao
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I LOVE IT THEN & I LOVE IT NOW!!!!! THANKS FOR SHARING!!!!
Just picked one up for cheap, love watching these classic motorweeks
The design is absolutely lovely!
I have this exact car! 30 yrs old with 164k on the odometer, I love her!
Correction, mine is a 92
My all time favorite SL Cant wait to own one! This car is so Nostalgic to me I practically grew up with this car.
Car Connoisseur You can get them used for like $5k
Always a head-turner, gorgeous car!
A luxury car classic. A major breakthrough for the SL line. Needed a glass rear window.
Merc knew how to do interiors then, this was the golden era for them..... gorgeous car, always wanted one!
Even in 2022, the car looks striking. The fact that it costs $83,000 dollars and it's the 500 sl (& not the 600 sl with the V12) is absolutely scary 😮
Love my 96 SL500...one of the best Benzes of all time. Power, comfort, quality & style.
I love how the top switch looks like a little roof. My SLK has the same one. :)
Parts bin
I love my SL500 what a great ride and so wicked fast even with 108K miles
Whenever you saw one back in the day you had to take another look. These were the real deal! I felt like the most popular place to see them were at a college football game at an elite Northeast private college. Lots of Colgate, Lehigh, Yale, Amherst, Hamilton, Lafayette, Cornell, Villanova etc. alums in their 50's and 60's had theses in the 90s. They generally had white hair, a sweater vest and a lanyard for their glasses.
They also had a babe twenty five years their junior in the passenger seat!
what a fantastic test!!!!!!!!!!
Those were quick times for a Merc from that year. I used to love these cars esp with those deep dish AMG rims ;)
3 piece AMG Aero :)
Monoblocks
I’m 19 with the exact combo lol. 96 SL500 black on black
Watching in 2018 and still want one of those.
Finally a retro review!!!!
One of my favorite Mercedes SL ❤️👍🏽
$83,500 would be $154,432 today (2016). And it would be worth it :)
Crazy it looks 90's but actually good. Reminds me of a fox body classic look
Only reason why I own one. Had a 92’ GT last year, now I have a 96 SL500
The SL is still very good looking. The last few SL's haven't been looking that great, but I really like the look of the new S-Class Coupe.
Such nice reviews
Damn what a nice video! Love the oldness! Damn Mercedes was out there tryin to beat BMW out there in the 90s 😂
Great video, great car, one of the best Benz's...
Love the test driver's purple helmet...what a randy lad
what an amazing car! even today :)
Looks like something is going down on the drivers lap at @3:52
One of My favorite cars ,500 SL 👍
i remember this episode like it was yesterday. i remember those spinning tires and tossing the cd in the back. i'm sure i've got it on tape somewhere--
The previous generation (R107) of these SLs ran from 1972-89 in the USA. The C107 SLC coupes were discontinued after 1981 in favor of the SEC series that rode atop the then-current (W126, 1981-91) S-Class sedan chassis.
The 300SL came with an optional 5 spd manual? Cool! Wish they did that for more of them...
A stunning beauty that is.
I remember seeing a red one of these in the showroom as a kid...I was enamored. Obviously. I remember it ~30 years later. lol
I'll always remember going to my MB dealer just to see their first one. I cried because it was over $90k and in those days that was like $275k today. I thought I'd never be able to afford one.
It’s about $150k today, but it’s all the same thing at that price range
My 1990 R129 500SL i bought in July last year I paid $1700.00 and the body is mint and an old lady owned it and sat in a garage. V8 is So fast it scares me I got the hard top stock wheels with tires and a set of nice aftermarket wheels and tires. I need a key fob and headlight the radio is history came with kenwood it black w tan interior
the old lady paid $123.000.00 I got the reciepts.
@@dr.lyleevans6915 Cars are relatively cheaper today than in 1990. Exchange rates are one of many factors, not just inflation. You also get different results depending on which measure of inflation you are using for your calculations. In 1989 I bought a house for $135k that is now worth $1.4 million, according to zillow and redfin.
@@carluvrsd9374 True. Exchange rates especially affected imports from Japan in the 1990’s.
All that said, exchange rates don’t affect much these days, since virtually all vehicles are manufactured domestically, whether foreign or not (BMW has their largest factory in South Carolina, Toyota has huge factories here, etc.)
Que sensacional amigo 👍👏👏 curtia muito Mercedes bem no clássico na década de 90
look at all those beautifull stash spots
Yea Pac had a lot of weed in his lol
And it was the greatest SL of all time!
Phil Garner classic Mercedes Benz
My moms 2003 SLK32 AMG still has that exact same convertible top button with the red light! MB must have used they same switch for nearly 20 years!
Wow, that cranberry leather interior!
It blew my mind seeing that flip key, my 2012 Acura has one too smh.
So funny, the powers of prophecy from Motorweek... Or lack thereof.
My favourite Merc even today along with g class
I had one of these. 1990 500SL in Graphite Grey. LOVED IT!!!! Only thing I did was put 18" OZ rims on it. Amazing car.
God damn this car still looks good today. I use to have a huge die cast car just like this one. The red interior is the only flaw.
Still the best looking SL ever made, IMO
Hope The next SL in 2020 will bring the Beauty back
And it is still the best SL ever made. At least in looks. Next to the W126 S Class, the R129 is probably the most beautiful Mercedes Benz ever made.
Mr Davis was right in my opinion, this was the best SL ever to own and drive to date. It pre-dates the moment when Mercedes started to introduce costsavings to maximize profit rather than maintain build-quality. The R129 was developed on the same platform as the W140 S-class, hence it's wide stance. Take note that the platform was to costly to be used in mass production for the next generation S-class W220, so they used it as a base for the Maybach instead...
Wonderfully over-engineered and if properly maintained these automobiles can take lots of miles without major issues. Many features in terms of steering, undercarriage, saftey and construction methods were way ahead of what other manufacturers had on the market or were even developing. The engine, the M119 5 liter V8 with racing pedigree was twice as expensive to produce as it's successor introduced in 98'!
When you drive a good example of one today, it still feels like you're driving an expensive and well engineered modern car. People still turn their heads if you drive down the street and you can easily park it at the Mercedes dealer next to a new SL.
My dad owned one, bought a SL500 new in 95'.
The depreciation was terrible, but what a car it was, nobody in town had anything like it! I was just a kid at the time, he had an additional option for 2 small rear seats to be placed behind the front seats. Unfortunately I grew to tall too quickly and he had to sell it after a year or so.
He still regrets selling it, like he regrets selling his E500 W124 he traded in on the SL500. They never made cars at Mercedes that could match the level of quality of pre-96' cars. The fact that these cars are now slowly becoming more valueable is due to that they are finally being recognized for their engineering quality and design, and not least that they are of the last generation of Mercedes-Benz automobiles to be built by a company run by engineers instead of accountants.
FYI: I'm an accountant :-)
Dad should of kept it and bought a cheap car to drive tall boy around town to spread tall stories!
I have a 1992 500 SL and it's awesome. two tone white with black leather ANDDD only 68k on the clock with Full history.
my 3 favourite cars were diablo, F40 and the 500SL and I'm not quite ready for the first two yet
My dad always keeps his SL in the garage. Only drives it every other month. Wish it still had its cassette player...
4:59 Guy chucks a CD after trying to jam it into a Cassette Deck...oh the subtle humor!
Back in the day everyone insulted the Becker radio's, but now they are worth their weight in gold, because they are still high quality products and very sought after.
I use to to always dream about owning 500 SL, these cars were beauties and they still are.
LoL 😁 that's a good one.
Really, well all I have to say is good for you and I hope you are taking good care of it and I hope I find one myself that I can afford to buy it.
LoL 😁 now that's a good one but so true.
Mustang GT 5.0 of this era was 225 hp, MB 500SL over 300 hp. A muscle car in its day.
True… I’ve had both and the SL is faster stock for stock. How ever the fox is super light and with minor work it can be turned into monster, where as in my SL, after market upgrades are limited. Love both though. One of them is so comfortable and modern feeling the other makes me feel like I’m going to die. Just depends what I’m in the mood for lol.
@@Loujr2250 lol I had an '86 and '88 5.0 5M. both were quick the '88 was quicker stock. The Fox platform can be modded easily to run 13s N/A. The SL is wayy more stable no doubt. Did have to Fox's up to 135+.
It was the most alluring car from the 90s for me after the absolutely gorgeous nissan 300zx turbo z32.
You have good taste in cars… those models were way ahead of they’re time….. don’t forget about the Dodge Viper
30yrs later, now look at our vehicles. Amazing.
Did you review the W 116 ? 280 SE
Just picked up a 1 owner 1992 500 SL. What a beautiful car. Power and class. Only got to drive it for a month before it had to be put into storage for the winter. NH isn't kind to classic cars
I just did the same, hope you enjoy yours pal. My top doesnt work, lucky for me I prefer the hard top look.
**See's that their is obviously no cd player.. tries to stick cd in anyways...**
Haha then throws it over his shoulder. Awesome
😂
Looking at a 92 for only $1700 tomorrow in good running condition. Don't think I can lose for less than I can get a Civic of the same year.
man i would have loved to work there during that time
alright, now I've seen an R129 SL500 do a burnout. That's a new one.
That thing sounds healthy!
Well it's fuckin almost new vehicle!
@@kenlee-97 There is no need to use that kind of language to make your point.