SLK/R171: SL & SLK question
I believe the first SLK was 1998? Not sure about the SL.
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 761
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From: Lausanne, Switzerland
SLK 55 AMG
The SLK came out with the hardtop in 1996 actually.
The new SL came out in 2001.
The SLK class was the first to have a quick and compact hardtop, but it wasn't the first. There were a few other cars that had similar contraptions decades earlier. They were not very practical however... The SLK brought it to the masses. Everyone else followed suit with the Peugeout 206CC, Opel Tigra, and now with a lot of many makers as well from VW to Opel and even to Mazda with a revised MX5 in the next 12-18 months...
The new SL came out in 2001.
The SLK class was the first to have a quick and compact hardtop, but it wasn't the first. There were a few other cars that had similar contraptions decades earlier. They were not very practical however... The SLK brought it to the masses. Everyone else followed suit with the Peugeout 206CC, Opel Tigra, and now with a lot of many makers as well from VW to Opel and even to Mazda with a revised MX5 in the next 12-18 months...
Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 82
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From: SF Bay Area, CA
2006 SLK350
Yup. SLK230 started in the U.S. back in February 1996, as a 1997 model. As for references to previous hard-top convertibles, there is a great site with historical info: http://retractable.free.fr/uk/index.html
