Description
FSO 90V
1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SL (Sportline)
Red over black
Transmission Five-speed manual
Exterior Signal Red (568)
Interior Black (Sparco seats)
Engine 4. 5-litre
VIN WDBthe details below
PRINCIPLE FACTS
This is SLSHOP's take on a competition R107, a 450SL that's been honed for the circuit yet remains road legal and perfectly useable. After years of customer enquiries regarding stiffening up the R107's chassis or adding more power, we decided it was time to launch our own range of upgrades to do just that. The Sportline project was born and what followed was a whole new dimension of driver-focussed, bolt-on upgrades that didn't come at the cost of the character of these fabulous machines.
CONDITION SYNOPSIS
As a track/ rally car, this 450SL has been put on a diet, which means the stock seats and trim (plus any other interior fixtures that were no longer deemed necessary) have been removed. There are racing bucket seats, harnesses and tracking/ timing/ video mounting equipment to record your most exciting moments.
The exterior has seen the addition of custom decals that show the car's competition and track-day intent; it's destined to go fast and grab attention. All the modifications can be reversed, of course, but once you've had a drive, we suspect you'll leave everything well alone.
HISTORY FILE
We started this Sportline build with a great base; a 1979 450SL with a good deal of pre-conversion history, most of which came from Mercedes-Benz Normand. Although much of it's no longer relevant, it's nice to have, especially if the car is ever returned to factory standard in the future.
During our extensive Sportline conversion, no area of this 450 was overlooked. The flywheel has been lightened and balanced, coil-pack ignition has been added, free-flow intake and exhaust systems were developed and the throttle linkage was tweaked for a snappier response.
The chassis saw even more work, including the creation of a bespoke anti-roll bar, adjustable progressive springs and bespoke dampers. Alloy rear trailing arms were fitted along with squat links, uprated suspension bushes, high-performance brake discs and pads, a limited-slip differential and a full geometry setup. The new nimbleness of this R107 has to be experienced to be believed; it'll amaze and delight in equal measure.
SLSHOP SUMMARY
Tweaked further recently with a rally setup in mind, which included raising the ride height, changing the tyres and adjusting the damper settings, our 450SL Sportline is now as competent in the rough stuff as it was on the tarmac. The flexibility and adjustability of our Sportline upgrades allow us to cater to any driver requests as proven by this ultimate expression of the Sportline ethos.
