This Car Is Related To The One Above because...

The Pagoda SL certainly wasn’t comparable in any form or manner with American muscle, yet it would appear that it was precisely the American approach which inspired Mercedes-Benz when they looked for solutions for a more performance induced SL. They quite simply took their very biggest and most powerful engine, the vast 6.3-litre V8 from the equally vast 600 limousine, and shoehorned it into the engine bay of the comparatively petite SL roadster. The operation included fuel injection, automatic transmission and the whole caboodle – it was frankly a bit of a miracle that I could fit.

Truth be told, the bonnet did nonetheless require a larger power bulge than the subtle, long and narrow bulge which the SL normally made do with. But the huge power bulge was justified through 250hp and a torque figure worthy of an ocean crossing tanker! The whole project was overseen by Erich Waxenberger who is no doubt better known for the parallel project of fitting the same M100 powerhouse of an engine in the W109 saloon. Not least because that project evolved into a mass-produced road car which quickly became nothing less than a legend in its own right.

In stark contrast, there aren’t many who are aware of the M100-powered SL – naturally because it all ended with the prototype. To put it bluntly, its handling characteristics were horrendous due to the much too big engine. The power was certainly there as intended, but the big V8 lump weighed a hefty 75kg. more than the stock 6-cylinder engine, and this was further amplified by the physical size of the V8 dictating that it needed to be placed unusually far forward in the chassis. All of this led to a very nose-heavy SL and its handling capabilities suffered severely due to this.