A Mercedes-Benz convertible of any era is a special thing. A statement of wealth and well-being, of taste and decorum, they showcase a life well lived. And ever since the 1950s, the SL has been at the top of the three-pointed star hierarchy.
The SL, it’s fair to say, has enjoyed more reinventions than Cher. From the racing-inspired 300SL of the Fifties to the big-bumper R107 so beloved by Bobby Ewing in the Eighties, and from the suave and super-cool R129 to today’s all-new, more sporting take on the recipe, the SL has long ferried glamorous people to equally glamorous locations in style.
Thing is, glamour doesn’t come cheap, and the SL has always been an expensive investment, out of reach for many. Which is where the SLK came in.
Launched in the UK in 1996 to both cash-in on the burgeoning demand for small, two-seat roadsters and to attract a younger, more dynamic demographic of buyers into Mercedes showrooms, the SLK was an instant hit. Waiting lists reflected buyers’ appetites for a smaller, more affordable open-top ’Benz and, by the end of production, more than 310,000 examples of the original ‘R170’ had been sold.
A large part of the SLK’s appeal lay in its roof, the model boasting an electro-hydraulic retractable hard-top ‘vario-roof’ at a time when canvas hoods were the norm. The vario-roof enabled a classy coupe-esque profile when the lid was up and, in just 25 seconds, the same wind-in-the-hair thrills as any of its rivals.
Ah, but is ‘thrills’ the operative word? You see, the SLK landed at around the same time as the Porsche Boxster and BMW Z3, and journalists were only too happy to put the three cars head-to-head, at which point concerns were raised about the SLK’s dynamics. Beside its fellow Germans - not to mention the (much cheaper) Mazda MX-5 - the baby Merc was criticised for its numb steering and the extra weight brought on by that clever roof. Even with a supercharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine enabling a 0-60mph time of 7.5 seconds, the SLK was more cruiser than out-and-out sports car.
With the benefit of hindsight, I reckon those criticisms were unjustified. It was only natural that magazine road testers would put the SLK up against the Boxster 2.5, what with their price and power similarities, but in reality the Mercedes was indeed aimed at a different sort of buyer, someone who preferred the idea of looking good at a cruise over nailing every corner apex. Thus, to them, the novel roof, three-pointed star emblem and overall 'mini-SL' style more than made up for any shortcomings in outright dynamic prowess.
I could talk about the SLK’s propensity to rust, and mention that it arrived during a time when Mercedes-Benz had rather taken its eye off the ball in terms of build quality. But that path has been well trodden, and the fact is that these days, an original SLK makes for a fine modern classic at a seriously tempting price. A solid one continues to ooze desirability, in exactly the same vein as its bigger brother always has.
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