The Mercedes_Benz 1982 380 Sl -- How It All Began

 

I rarely do things logically or after careful and thoughtful research, when it comes to my own cars. That was certainly the case in 2014 when I purchased a Mercedes-Benz 380 SL. It was February in Dayton, Ohio, a particularly dark winter Saturday and the demons that purse me must have been active. 

I made a similar mistake about 30 years later when I purchased a molested 1971 Porsche 911T targa. No ida what I was buying escape a cursory inspection. I had no experience with air cooled Porsches, or any Porsche for that matter. It would be a painful, long illness, finally ending with a sale to a buyer equally as ignorant as I was three decades prior. But it also served as a mechanical and technical education, though costly one.

Back to the Mercedes. It was advertised as an unmolested car with Southern California and Arizona homes. Purportedly it had good compression.  It looked great (most for sale Mercedes SLs  do!). 99K miles.  All original, everything in its proper place. So I made an impulsive bid, went to the gym, watched some tennis, and then discovered that I had just won a car I knew nothing about.

Before I gave the man who posted the ad -- an agent for a woman artist from San Diego who washout of money (who isn’t), my son-in-law and daughter living in SoCal took a look at the car and OKed it -- albeit not terribly enthusiastically -- and the money was handed over.  Arrangements were made for Pablo to haul the car to Centerville, Ohio, and I now owned a vehicle that would be a money pit without end.  But loved by me beyond all reason.

The car was a 1982 -- and came off the assembly line with a fatal flaw any intelligent buyer (but not me) would know -- the dreaded single timing chain. In time, it wobbled and then snapped, destroying the engine if not attended to.  Luckily I dodged one bullet, as a double chain had been retrofitted some time in the past. But there was more bullets to dodge, as I learned that this beautiful car that was pristine in several ways -- was the result of German over engineering, complex electronics an fuel system, and vacuum connections and actuators that befuddle even the best of mechanics, let alone me. I was in store for another education over the net 12 years.  

Oh, for the simplicity of my old 1973 Pinto with a Kent engine.

2026 Hungarian Grand Prix F1 -- Results

 

• Kimi Antonelli finished third with George Russell P7 in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
• Both drivers started on the Medium tire with George lining up P6 and Kimi P7. 
• George unfortunately dropped to the back of the field after suffering anti-stall off the line; the team is investigating the cause.
• Kimi moved up to P6 and held that in the opening laps. From there, he ran a two-stop strategy by switching to the Hard tire at both stops and built up a tire offset on those ahead.
• That enabled him to cycle through to P3 and, despite an unfortunately timed Virtual Safety Car, he held off the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton to take the final spot on the podium.
• George meanwhile fought back valiantly and scythed his way through the field and back into the points.
• He also ran a two-stop strategy and fell just short of passing the Red Bull of Isack Hadjar in the final laps, settling for P7.
• The team heads into the summer break leading both the Constructors’ and the Drivers’ World Championships and returns to action in Zandvoort next month.

• Kimi Antonelli

  It was not an easy race today. It was very difficult to overtake, even when we had significantly more pace than the cars ahead. We knew it might be like that today and so it proved. We did well to build a decent tyre offset to those ahead though throughout the race and that enabled us to get up into the podium positions.

  I initially wanted to target a one-stop race. It seemed like it might be possible in the opening stint but then we started to suffer with the rears. We made the call to go onto the two-stop and in the final stint, had really good pace. The Virtual Safety Car made our lives a little more difficult with Lewis (Hamilton) getting fresh tyres and being right behind us, but we were able to bring home P3. 

  We have had a much better first half of the season than we perhaps expected at the very start. This is where we are at now though and we need to keep going, keep pushing on and doing the best job we can. It is going to be an intense second half of the year, but we are ready for it. 

  George Russell

  That was another tough race. We lost lots of positions off the line and that ruined our chances of fighting for the podium. We’re not sure exactly what happened just yet. We did all the procedures as we normally do but it didn’t behave as we expected. The anti-stall then kicked in, and we dropped to the back of the field. The positive is that our pace across the rest of the race was strong and we were able to fight back to P7. That is not where we want to be finishing but is still points.

  It has not been a smooth first half of the season. I am looking forward to this break so we can reset and come back stronger after the summer shutdown. It has been a bit of a rollercoaster on my side so far and I am hoping the second half of the year can be much better. 

  Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

  Both drivers put in strong races today. Kimi did well to get onto the podium and P3 and George did brilliantly to fight back after the opening lap. His problem at the start was fully on us as a team and it isn’t good enough. He has suffered too many of these problems; we are doing everything we can to get on top of them, but it is unfortunately another issue that has cost him again today.

  We nearly got very unlucky with yet another ill-timed Virtual Safety Car, but Kimi defended well to hold off Lewis (Hamilton). It was good damage limitation after a difficult day yesterday. 

  We go into the summer shutdown with a points gap in both championships that we would have taken at the start of the season. That is good but we know we need to keep pushing after the break, keep developing and improve our reliability. That will be the key if we are to not only fight for both championships but win them.

  Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

  Today was the first race of the season where we were starting further back with both cars and therefore was about damage limitation. Kimi delivered a very measured race, and we used the flexibility of the two-stop strategy well. By managing the first two stints carefully, we were able to build a significant tire life advantage over the cars ahead, and that gave him the pace he needed to move into podium contention in the final part of the race. The Virtual Safety Car was not ideal as it reduced that advantage and brought Lewis onto our gearbox, but Kimi managed the situation well and defended strongly to secure P3.

  On George's side, we are obviously disappointed by the issue at the start. The anti-stall activation dropped him to the back of the field and made what was always going to be a challenging race even more difficult. We need to understand exactly why that happened, but once he recovered from the opening lap, his pace was very competitive, and he fought back through the field to salvage important points.

  We head into the summer break leading both championships, which is a good position to be in, but we know there are areas where we need to improve. Reliability remains a key focus, and we will use the shutdown to analyse the first half of the season and ensure we return after the break ready for a very competitive run to the end of the year.

1960 Plymouth Fury

 I saw this at the Kettering Ohio Cruise-In this afternoon and very much liked it. It was an example of the age of tailfins at its best, but also just as the age was in the last years of its life. Lter years would tone them done before leaving them to the auto graveyard. There are not many of these cars around now. In part, build quality at Chrysler was pretty low in 1960, plus sales were lower of these cars, perhaps because customers were now turning away from the tailfin design after 5 years of excess.

I love the oblong steering wheel, complex design of taillight, and push button transmission controls. It was the era of "Leave it to Beaver" and "Palladin."

My 1982 Mercedes-Benz R 107 380 SL

 Friday night Cruise-In, Greene County, Ohio. 

25 Years of the Mercedes-Benz R 230

 

Mercedes-Benz SL 500 (R 230). Driving shot from front left from the year 2001. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: A2001F2627)

• The R 230 ushered in a new generation of the Mercedes-Benz SL tradition
• Its vario-roof transforms the coupé into a roadster (or vice versa) in just 16 seconds
• From comfortable touring car to high-performance AMG model: Exceptional versatility
• Mercedes-Benz MB-80 warranty package: Added peace of mind for modern classics

The Mercedes-Benz R 230 SL launched on the market 25 years ago. It embodied the properties of a sporty touring car in its purest form. With outstanding comfort, sophisticated performance and a timeless design, it was equally suited for relaxed long-distance touring as well as dynamic driving. With technical and safety innovations such as the vario-roof, the R 230 carried the Mercedes-Benz SL tradition into the 21st century. All of this now makes it a highly sought-after modern classic. At the same time, the model series represents a generational shift in the SL tradition: never before had an SL so consistently combined the classic virtues of a roadster with the technological opportunities of its times.

The vario-roof makes the R 230 a true master of transformation: at the touch of a button or via remote control, it can be opened or closed in just 16 seconds. Eleven hydraulic cylinders, 17 limit switches and numerous sensors perform the precisely choreographed sequence – and even rotate the rear window around its horizontal axis so that luggage capacity increases when the roof is open. The R 230 therefore unifies the advantages of a sports coupé and a roadster. As a world first, it also came with a panoramic vario-roof featuring a glass element. This creates the feeling of driving in the open air even when the roof is closed.

Particularly exclusive are vehicles with special equipment features from the design program, a predecessor of today’s MANUFAKTUR lines of equipment options. Bespoke exterior colors, premium Nappa leather, two-tone color combinations and select trim elements give these vehicles an unmistakable character. To this day, SL models with designo equipment options remain among the most desired variants of the model series.

Refined performance with V8 and V12

The SL 500 celebrated its world premiere in Hamburg’s Deichtorhallen on 31 July 2001. With its 5-litre V8 and 225 kW (306 hp), it marked the beginning of a model range with an exceptionally broad performance spectrum – from comfortable touring car all the way to high-performance sports car. Shortly after the market launch, the range was extended to include the SL 55 AMG, featuring a V8 supercharged engine delivering 350 kW (476 hp). The range went on to reach its pinnacle with the V12 biturbo-powered SL 600 and the SL 65 AMG Black Series with 493 kW (670 hp).

Just two days before the world premiere of the new SL model series, the general public already witnessed a sporty representative in action. At the German Grand Prix on 29 July 2001, the SL 55 AMG took over as the Formula 1® Safety Car. Even before its official unveiling, the new model series thus demonstrated its sporty character. In its 12/2001 issue, specialist magazine “sport auto” shared its first impressions of the new SL generation: “The new model is not only visually stunning and technically extremely appealing, it also reveals itself as [...] no stranger to genuine sporting capability.”

Safety and aerodynamics

The R 230 also set new standards in safety. Its passive safety concept is based on a body structure which strategically combines high-strength steel, aluminum, magnesium and various plastics. Thanks to its lightweight construction the R 230 is 20 per cent more torsionally rigid than its predecessor, the R 129. A newly developed head-thorax side airbag, combining the functions of a window airbag and a side airbag, reduces the risk of injury in case of an accident. Optimized aerodynamics also offer occupants better protection from draughts when driving with the roof down, while the drag coefficient value is significantly reduced to 0.29 compared to the R 129 (c_d = 0.32).

2026 Hungarian Grand Prix F1 Preview

 

Toto Talks Hungary

We have shown at every race so far that the performance is there. We have not converted enough of that potential into results though. We have lost points through self-inflicted issues, and we know we need to improve. The team is working flat out to understand the problems, fix them, and ensure we are giving both drivers the tools they need to maximise every weekend.

Hungary presents a different challenge to the circuits we have raced at recently. Silverstone and Spa are more energy-limited tracks; Budapest is much more energy-rich, which changes some of the demands on the car and the way you approach the weekend. As always, the field is competitive, and small details will make the difference.

Our objective is straightforward: execute a clean, reliable weekend, and score the points that the car is capable of achieving before we head into the summer break.

Third Driver Insight

The Hungarian Grand Prix is always an important race on the calendar as it's the final event before the summer shutdown. Every team will be looking to end the first half of the season on a high and carry some momentum into the break.

In some ways, Budapest is similar to Monaco because it's an energy-rich circuit. It's a relatively traditional approach when it comes to both the PU and aerodynamic setup, with teams running maximum downforce and using maximum engine power throughout the lap. That makes it a really exciting circuit for the drivers.

The conditions are often very hot, which adds another challenge. It's a demanding track with lots of corners and very little time to rest during the lap, so it keeps you busy from start to finish.

I'll also be driving in FP1 this weekend, so I'm really excited to get back behind the wheel of the W17 and continue building my experience with the car. It's a great opportunity and one I'm looking forward to making the most of.

Did you know?

• This year, the Hungaroring is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Hungary first appeared on the calendar in 1986 and has hosted a race in every single season since.
• The circuit features 14 corners, six to the left and eight to the right. Many of these follow one after another in quick succession, meaning a well-balanced car that can handle directional changes is important for lap time.
• Despite a relatively short start/finish straight, the distance from pole position to the braking zone for Turn 1 measures 440 metres.
• Given the prevalence of slower corners, good traction is important here. That is why this circuit puts the rear tyres under a lot of stress.
• George scored his first F1 pole position in Budapest in 2022.
• Mercedes-Benz Power recorded its 600th F1 podium at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix.
• Two world champions have been crowned in Hungary - Nigel Mansell in 1992, and Michael Schumacher in 2001.
• Kimi’s maiden Formula 2 Feature Race win came in Hungary in 2024. At the time, he was the youngest multiple winner in the series history after also winning at Silverstone a few weeks earlier.