In 1980, Björn Waldegård and Hans Thorszelius as well as Jorge Recalde and Nestor Straimel finished in positions one and two at the 12th Bandama Rally in Ivory Coast (between 9 and 14 December 1980) with the 500 SLC rally vehicle. The victory marked the last works-team rally deployment by what was known as Daimler-Benz AG at the time
Coupé triumph in Africa in 1980: 40 years ago, in December 1980, Björn Waldegård and Hans Thorszelius finished in first and second place in their Mercedes-Benz vehicles at the 12th Bandama Rally, now officially known as the Rallye Côte d’Ivoire. The duo took the 500 SLC rally vehicle to first place at the challenging rally in Ivory Coast, ahead of their team mates Jorge Recalde and Nestor Straimel. In 1980, the 500 SLC represented the last evolution stage of the C 107 model series V8 Coupés that brought Mercedes-Benz rally sport success. This particular era started in 1978 with the 450 SLC rally vehicle at the Vuelta a la América del Sur long-distance rally and led to the 450 SLC 5.0 starting at the 1979 Bandama Rally in Africa as well as the 500 SLC in 1980. An R 107 model series 500 SL Roadster had been prepared for the 1981 season. However, the vehicle was never used.
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