Mercedes-Benz R129 - Engine History

Engine History

Initially, there were three different engines available,

• 300 SL with a M103 3.0 L 12-valve SOHC L6 (190 PS (140 kW; 190 hp) at 5700 rpm),
• 300 SL-24 with a M104 3.0 L 24-valve DOHC L6 (231 PS (170 kW; 228 hp) at 6300 rpm),
• 500 SL with a M119 5.0 L 32-valve DOHC V8 (326 PS (240 kW; 322 hp) at 5500 rpm),

and joined in July, 1992 by the

• 600 SL with a M120 6.0 L 48-valve DOHC V12 (389 hp/290 kW) @ 5200 rpm).

There was a choice of 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic for the six-cylinder cars; the V8 and V12 could only be ordered with an automatic gearbox.

In Autumn 1993 Mercedes-Benz rearranged names and models. Also, the 300 SL was replaced by:

• SL 280 with a M104 2.8 L 24-valve DOHC L6 (197 hp(145 kW) at 5500 rpm)
• SL 320 with a M104 3.2 L 24-valve DOHC L6 (220 hp (161 kW) at 5500 rpm)

Only the 280 was available with a manual gearbox. SL 500 and 600 continued with their respective engines.

A second facelift, introduced in late 1998, comprised new external mirrors, 17" wheels and new bumpers. Also new were the engines,

• SL 280 with a M112 2.8 L 18-valve SOHC V6 (204 PS (150 kW; 201 hp) at 5700 rpm),
• SL 320 with a M112 3.2 L 18-valve SOHC V6 (224 PS (165 kW; 221 hp) at 5600 rpm)

and

• SL 500 (306 PS (225 kW; 302 hp) at 5600 rpm) — full throttle enrichment removed.

The V12 engine remained unchanged.