"Nomen" is not always "omen" - two Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs
When Mercedes updated the already slightly graying R107 (built as the Mercedes-Benz 350 SL from 1971, series later supplemented by the 280 SL and 450 SL) in 1985 and named it the entry-level model 300 SL, a murmur went through the classic car scene. For some, it almost sounded like blasphemy to crown this safety-oriented seventies comfort cabriolet with the name of the famous gullwing and sports car of the fifties, while others simply saw it as a clever marketing strategy.
In truth, however, it was simple logic, because the new engine now simply had three liters of displacement. However, it could perhaps have been expanded to 3.2 liters back then to avoid the legendary name. The name certainly contributed to the success of the new 300 SL and today, well-maintained three-liters often achieve higher resale values than the originally more expensive eight-cylinder models. The fact that the three-liter was also the only SL of its time to be available with a manual five-speed gearbox, making it a little more sports car and SL (= super light) than the other convertibles, makes the "little one" even more likeable.
And, it has to be said, it doesn't look that bad next to its "grandfather". The picture shows the two 300 SLs peacefully side by side, the old one at the front (here a 1960 model), the descendant at the rear (1987 model).
