C280 Sport

Here is a funny Kill story..I understad about "Ricers" They are all over in my area. I just think its funny how teens with no money and usually no education take what little they make and throw it into a old car(Civic, Accord, Neon, Sentra) that has 200,000+ miles and is ready to die. They should take the money and put it into servicing it so it doesn't break down on them and they will have to walk everywhere. When I had my 600SL I was on the highway and a ricer(Accord with racing stickers, poor paintjob and all the cheap mods that makes a car about 4x its weight) wanted to race. I Dont race people even when I had my Mustang GT and 76 Ford Torino. But that day I said "lets race". Put it like this by 90mph he was long long gone and we started at around 55mph. A couple of days later I saw that same Accord in the down town area and there he was with his friends getting somehting to eat outside so I decided to walk over and "grab a bit to eat" and look at the car show that was there. As I am in line I over hear this teenager talk about "I SMOKED AN 600SL BENZ LIKE THEIR WAS NO TOMORROW" So as he was boasting about this I decided to walk over. Right in ront of his friends I go "OH you mean this 600SL with the 6.0V12 and 390BHP and 420LBS of torque". and pointed to my car in the parking lot. He was in shocK and didnt say anythig as his friends were all laughing. I didnt mean to embarras the kid but you shouldnt tell lies.

ECBAOBAO

sounds like a real story

Satan

3 out of 5 stars

beautiful car though, my friends shop is servicing a 94 sl600 mint condition like yours.

C280 Sport

Well the funny thing was is that it wasnt even a decent car. It was in the worste shape and it could have been in without being "totaled". I just dont understand why someone would do modifications if they cant even get the thing working properly. Now if he had a Supra or Skyline that would be a differnt story.

regor60

stormkenny3

good story

ApproachingZero

No offense,but the older SL 600's were slugs.

If that kid had a turbo or a little more work than a CAI and exhuast, you may have not posted this.

Z06EATER

true ur right, but that car may not still exist, if he turbos that little car he'd probably blow the welds off his intake

ApproachingZero

If he was racing a 2003-Present SL600... no chance... The 1990's SL 600.... most of the local tuner guys that I am aware of would not have a difficult time stomping him.

Of course their are exceptions.

HLG600

It's no W211 E55 but I wouldn't go so far as to call it a slug.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCs0uAHOSK8

ApproachingZero

I forgot your screen name but I figured you would have a response lol...

I have a personal vendetta against the older ones. Look great, love the options, but whats the deal with the power from a V12?

Before I bought the CLK 430 I test drove one and was not to happy.... Too much money for such little go... Sorry man, still love everything else about them.

HLG600

Haha, perhaps you drove one that wasn't running right? The motor itself is conservatively rated from the factory. I recall seeing a few dyno runs that showed the power output over 400 bhp and 450 ft-lb's of torque...all stock. Observing a few things, the intake is very restrictive as is the rest of the exhaust system. A real exhaust and some minor tweaking would do this bit wonders. Look at the video...the factory numbers don't quite justify that acceleration. Although in all fairness that fella power braked the launched.

As for the vendetta with the old V12...that motor was developed in the 80's and released in the early 90's. It has power anywhere and everywhere in the power band, making something along the lines of 75% of its torque from the get go, if I recall correctly. Today, Pagani still uses a variant of it in their Zonda. Says something, no? Plus, the SL cost what a CLK430 did at the time I got it.

So...no offense taken, just throwing in my two cents. I uploaded a few new photos if you are a fan of the body style. Click on the photo in my sig to go to the gallery page.

C280 Sport

Yes your right. But even if he had an 03 or newer or something new. This car was in such bad shape even with all the upgrades in the world it probably would of just died on the spot. The stuff that kid put on it he could of fixed the car instead. But that would be the right thing to do

C280 Sport

Yes. They use the 7.3 AMG motor in the Zonda. Also the 6.0. Its one hell of a car.

HLG600

The 6.0L was in the first version of the Zonda, which was referred to as the C12, and I'd love to experience how this motor would pull with 1800 lbs less weight to haul. Then Pagani progressed to a 7.0L and finally to the 7.3L still used today, which has been continuously modified as the years went by. The howl coming out of that titanium exhaust system is enough to give you chills. One helluva car indeed.

C280 Sport

Correct. I belive the new Zonda has a top speed also of 215mph. I think it is called the Zonda F Roadster. I keep up on that supercar becasue I can relate to its motor from my SL600.

E55AMGGG04

Its funny you say that because I know a guy whos in his 40's and has a 1992 Nissan sentra. He has a turbo and exhaust and all this other stuff. He smoked my freinds SRT8 truck with no problem and it even gave my W211 a little challenge. 99% of the ricers are crap but you might run into one of them and end up looking at the rear tailights of 1 signal light blinking on and off .

khantalha

not bad

HLG600

Same here.

C280 Sport

What year is your SL600?

JG26_Irish

Funny Story. Good for you for calling the boastful ricer out in front of his buddies. The little ricer rods are a crap shoot. A well tuned and turbo'ed ricer rod can be a very fast little bucket of bolts. Obviously not the case this time. I race against them all the time in SCCA and have seen SC'ed Miata's that would blow the V12 emblems off of a SL

I drove a SL600 (1998 model) similar to your old one. At the time, I was thinking of trading my old C36 AMG to it. My impressions were:
-Heavy (what was it over two tons?)
-Soft springs
-Too quiet
-Very Smooth
-Very pretty
-Geared very tall
-Accelleration was less than I would have expected for a V12 with 390 hp.
-Overall, nice car but not for me.

It did feel like it might be really good on top end but I never got it over 120. I concluded that either it had less than 390hp or AMG was sandbagging when they rated the old C36 at 275, lol. I did not trade. I would like to try a SL65, I have a feeling that after driving an AMG it sort of spoils you for all the other MB's.

Still, it is fun to shut down the tennis shoe punks off and on when you get the opportunity, no matter what you drive. Good one... Bravo.

HLG600

It's a '97 model.

HLG600

As the trend with several MB motors, the M120 is conservatively rated from the factory making a bit over 400 bhp stock. The main grievance I have is the sluggish tendency of the driver adaptive gearbox. Meaning if you are stuck in traffic or confined to city driving for a day, the car adjusts accordingly. Unfortunately, this can generate a lag in downshifting, making the acceleration lackluster. A transmission computer reset does wonders here, as the car feels much more responsive afterward.

The Miata comment is irrelevant. You modify any car to outrun another. I can strip out my interior, hook up a wet hundred shot of nitrous, and melt a blown Miata's bumper off from my exhaust. Apples to oranges my friend.

Even with BPU, I don't exactly see a C36 keeping up in a straight. They trap what, in the mid/high 90's stock? Handling wise, however, the C36 is the more balanced car. Although the SL has an incredibly sharp turning radius, you feel the weight when putting it through its paces on a windy stretch. It feels at home on the highway, not in the corners. A light seasoning of power breaking and some grippy rubber will give it a good launch, but the weight is felt there as well. So comparing those two, it depends entirely on what you seek in a car. I am a huge W202 fan by the way. Saw a factory C36 wide body for sale on some Japanese site recently. Drool.

What this car needs is some basic tuning and a half ton reduction in weight. Are there faster cars out there in the same price range, you bet. Are there more luxurious ones, you can bank on that two. But very few cars match the overall effect of an R129, from the crisp lines down to the triple digit pull and vault like security...all while top down.

Cheers.

Koru_Kinshi

Stories like this make me feel warm inside...especiall since I had a '99. Such a beauty. Heh, at least my stories are believable. And yes, HLG, you are right. The V12 was very conservatively rated, and tuned. Some basic tuning on the car you get you quite a chunk of horsepower without too much cost. At least nowadays.

MB Dave

Off topic a bit but this struck me hard, we are in a crazy horse power war! the c36 went to a c63 in what 10 years? form 275 to 454!! I hope this madness doesnt stop!!