They called it der Panzerwagen. The “armored car”, as it translated from the Teutonic tongue,
wouldn’t seem to be a very dignified name for an automobile that’s become one of the most
coveted status symbols of our times. But those in Mercedes-Benz engineering who coined the
moniker for the new 350SL had a point. Compared with the lovely, svelte 280SL that it was to
replace, the 350SL did indeed look brutishly impregnable.
Of course, given the regulatory climate at the dawn of the Seventies, that was the point,
Mercedes engineers knew the new design would have to meet not only the desires of consumers,
but also the safety (and emissions) standards of U.S. lawmakers.
The 350SL ended up heavier and less efficient that the 280SL of the Sixties, far less sporting that
the legendary 300SL of the fifties, and almost homely next to the two previous beauties. Yet the
design worked– so gloriously, in fact, that it persisted almost unchanged for nearly two decades,
selling about a quarter of a million copies along the way.
Unfortunately for poor but enthusiastic SL fanciers, prices also rose along the way, by about 500
percent — from $10,500 in 1972 to $ 64,200 in 1989.
But now, for us less monied enthusiast, there’s been a happy confluence of events that has made
owning an SL affordable. Thanks to the introduction of the current 300/500SL, the nation’s
sluggish economy and the vast numbers of these SLs on the market, you can put a fine example
in your garage for a little as $12,000. Intrigued? Then read on.

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