R/C107 Differential Ratios

The R/C107 models had an extremely long production run – 18 years. There were a variety of different models and specification changes. This included the differential ratios that can have a big impact on the performance and economy of the vehicle.

In compiling the table below, I have tried to research the various country specific variants. It is possible I have missed a few. Please indicate in the comments below if that is the case.

The SL and SLC of the year had the same mechanical specification (at least during the SLCs production run). The only exception was the 450SLC […]

Mercedes-Benz Australia price list – April 1982

In April 1982 Mercedes-Benz was pretty much king of the hill when it came to mainstream luxury cars. Rolls Royce was in a league of its own, and Jaguar was at its quality nadir. BMW were just releasing the E30 which would propel them to a leadership position in the small, luxury market. They still could not touch Mercedes-Benz in the mid or upper tiers.

As a result, Mercedes were able to charge premium prices for their offerings. This was before the introduction of fringe benefits tax in Australia, so many of these cars were purchased as company cars with […]

Yorkstar Motors – December 1969 Price List

I recently came across a price list from Yorkstar Motors, dated December 1969. Yorkstar motors were at that time the main dealer in Sydney and I think they had something to do with the overall importation of the cars. This era Australian delivery cars have a Yorkstar motors tag on them regardless of where they were sold.

Unlike in later years, nearly the whole range was offered in 1969. It was only have the ADR regime became stricter in the mid 60s that Mercedes-Benz started to limit the vehicles they offered in Australia. This was probably due to the cost […]

MBCNSW Drive to Bilpin

Today I joined an event with the MBCNSW for a drive to Bilpin. Bilpin is to the West of Sydney and is half way up the Blue Mountains. It is know for its Apples. The purpose of the drive was to raise money for one of our club members, Sam. Sam is the proprietor of the Bilpin Apple Pie Cottage, our destination. He suffered quite a loss during the big fires last summer, losing buildings and part of his stock. It was then a long time before he could start trading again due to clean up. Finally, when things were […]

Replacing CIS injectors on my 450SLC

This week I replaced the CIS injectors and the spark plugs in my 450SLC and the car is running much better for it.

I’ve been thinking about swapping the fuel injectors in the SLC for a while now. When cold, the car wouldn’t run that well at first and you would need to blip the throttle a few times to get the idle to settle down. This can be a sign that some of the injectors are not atomizing the fuel properly. The car is less sensitive to this as it warms up, but proper atomization is important for smooth […]