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  #31  
Old 02-28-2002, 04:33 AM
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South America Rally

Quote:
Originally posted by mcarboni
Hello Pentoman !!
Your posted pictures are FANTASTIC !!

About your SLC Rallye question, did you know that a 1978 SLC was the winner in 1978 SouthAmerica Rallye, and taked the 2º and 4º place position ?? See the picture magazine posted here !

About you "some sort of SL" question, this is a SLC model . Look the rear right window Blind detail !

Its possible to see more pictures about Goodwood Festival of Speed in last year, on the Net ??? Where is this famous place ??
I am from Brazil, and its almost impossible for me, visit there, because the plane tickets here are expensive when going to Brazil outside !! The diference between ´Dolar´and ´Real´ money its so high !!

I will apreciate if you send to me information about this place or other MB festival place in the world !!

Thanks for your attention
Hi Marcos

You might be interested in this report:-

MERCEDES 450 SLC RALLY
BEST IN THE LONG RUN

If you've got to go a long way in very rough and tough conditions, like 30,000 km around South America, there'd be a lot worse ways of doing it than behind the wheel of a mildly-modded Benz coupe than those that took the honors in the 1978 Sudamerika-Rallye. After driving one, Jerry Sloniger realised that for a car that is really very nearly standard, the rally 450 SLC is something very special.

Drive a Mercedes 450 SLC in rally trim?, glad to, of course. But isn't that a semantic contradiction?.

At first glance, nearly two tons of luxury GT car with automatic gearbox, servo steering and full carpets hardly seems your ideal pro rally weapon. The competition idea after all, is reaching the finish first, not necessarily with the most pampered drivers.

Yet Mercedes entered four such sybaritic specials (plus four 280 E backup sedans like the London-Sydney team) for the 39 day, 30,000 km circuit of South America. And the eight cars took the first five places against French and Japanese works teams, plus ninth and tenth with only one retirement. That can't be bad in an event which ranged from Amazon mud to Cape Horn ice and from sea level to 5000 m in the Andes.

Overall, 57 car started and a mere 19 were scored. Mercedes' only real problem was in trying to dampen the competition within its own team since the best non-MB car was eight hours behind at the finish. As a matter of record, unflappable Andrew Cowan won while Timo Makinen set virtually all the fastest stage times, between flips which cost more than the hour he finished behind in fourth place.

Mercedes which sees Group 1 events as a way to prove the product, would call the Southern Cross a mere sprint. Its battle cruisers prefer 1000 km stages at least. Erich Waxenberger, godfather to this Stuttgart-registered private armada, notes that in Germany you could buy one of the small sedan rivals for perhaps $A6000 and make it rally-worthy for another $A16,500. Or you could pay the $A16,500 for an SLC, add $10,000 and buy a lot of laurel leaves for the four-grand surcharge.

South American rules allowed only roll cages, protected brake and fuel lines, undershield and suspension stiffening. So M-B used 195-section Dunlop M+S tyres, up-angled suspension arms and Bilstein shocks about three times as stiff as normal, to get 19.5 cm ground clearance. That went with a Duraluminium undertry stretching from nose to behind the gearbox, extra front bumper stops, rebound limiters for the rear axle and a 60% limited-slip differential.

Under the hood could only be standard so the cars used V8s with maximum power under production tolerances but compression at the lower end of the tolerance range, considering Ecuador's 80-octane fuel. Removing the middle muffer may have added a pony or two but it was actually done to further increase ground clearance.

Rally brake pads wore at about thrice the rate of normal hard driving but the heavier 450 SLC had no higher front-pad wear than a 280 E, despite automatic box and lef-foot braking. That's correct - Mercedes has no homologated manual box for this car so picked three-speed automatics off the line which offered maximum pressures within the tolerances, to give a little harder bite. Servo steering was stock as well.

The rear seat acame out but addition of an undershield, roll cage, second spare, oxygen bottle and emergency gear put weight about 45 kg above the norm if you assumed a standard 80-litre tank. Actually the rally cars carried 120 litres.

So what was the secret for cars built in a merse six weeks and serviced by local dealers plus Waxenberger and 13 mechanics in three service vehicles?. That secret can only be spelled:- Solid.

I drove Sasada's scond-place car, with its original rally engine intact and no measurable suspension droop although it had used up the average number of dampers and tyres around the circuit. That taped windscreen was due to some wandering South American horse but a couple of small dents had appeared later, during a trip to Poland.

This car could have won just as easily since the Pole was leading late in the going when his battery broke on a special stage. He had to wait for the following Fowkes to backtrack and collect another. That let canny Cowan slip past and lead into Buenos Aires. Mutter as he might, Zasada stuck to Waxenberger rule that a Mercedes driver simple does not overtake his teammates.

With eight nationalities - since Cowan insisted Scots were separate - speaking at least six tongues, it was not easy task for the development engineer, one-time racer and head of Mercedes sport-service to rein in his charges but driving again for Mercedes means more than breaking the rules.

By now I was itching to drive the car too, confident that it could absorb anything we might try. The first thing I learned was that oversteer is instant, due tup up-angled suspension members and brakes biased extremely strongly to the rear wheels. You drive this one with finger tips, not brute muscle ultimately praising that ultra-light steering which isolates potholes. Adab of the left foot brake brings the tail out now, hopefully anticipated by ample opposite lock well beforehand, along with a nudge on the shift lever. Thre is no detent to hinder ultra-quick ratio changes.

The ride is jolting over bumps, as expected of a rally car and equally typically smoother when you get real speed up. Throttle control is quick and effective from 3000 rpm upwards. In fact MB left the small tach in its usual place. Half-hidden by the wheel since you drive by ear and acute car angle approaching each bend, not by minute change of revs.

In that sense it is an extremely easy car to hurry along. On the other hand, delayed anticipation brings an immediate spin. Assuming due attention it would be hard to conceive of a more comfortable way to rally. This car is so eager, balanced and civilised it almost seems indecent for it to be a winner too!.

Waxemberger admits that if he controlled homologation they could do with less weight and overhang as well as a four-speed automatic but he remains certain the only way to rally a big V8 is with two-pedal box. It keeps the fatigue factor within reason, no small matter at 30,000 km.

What counts even more is the total commitment. The three-pointed star may not do more than one such event per year - but then it's first cabin all the way!.

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  #32  
Old 03-01-2002, 09:00 AM
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Thanks for your replies! I had never realised the SL Rallye was so succesful, that makes great reading!

The 2000 festival was some sort of MB centennary, hence all the Mercedes. That doesn't make other years any worse though - there's always an amazing collection of cars there.. I won't try to describe it, but can assure anyone that they will not be disappointed, even travelling from the USA to get there.
Be sure to get there early in the morning as it gets busy later on.
I went in June and September, June is the festival of Speed (on hillclimb circuit), September is the Racing Circuit Revival (the race track).

It's hard to say which is better. There's more cars at the Festival, including newer cars too, and anyone will enjoy it even young kids. The Revival meeting has proper racing, the air display (see pics), a better atmosphere, but is strictly historic. The air display is a highlight, even if you aren't interested in aircraft. Watching and listening to the original pilots flying V12 Merlin engined spitfires and hurricanes in formation 50 feet above your head (they fly over the crowds) cannot be beaten. Its no 'display' either - they do rolls, loops, everything. I prefer the Revival because of its authenticity, even though I'm only 19, to the Festival with its flashy Chrysler stands and modern supercar display - you must go to the Festival once, in your life, though. Its fairly similar from year to year however (although safety measures are tougher each time, so go sooner rather than later if you still want to be close to the action).
At both events the cars are always driven, usually in anger, and often by their original drivers, and you can get very close to the action - my pictures are taken with very little zoom from the standard spectator areas.
I live within 2 hours of Goodwood, so can just drive there when I feel like it, N.B. The roads around it are excellent to drive, and not a single speed camera! Watch out for those Porsches though.


I'm including some more pics, but I put the Festival of Speed pics up a while ago at THIS PAGE. Forgive me, I don't like thumbnailed pictures but it should load quicker. Not every picture is up there, so I'm posting some here from Festival and Revival, feel free to copy / use them as you wish, I can mail you the full 1600x1200 pictures too.






Enjoy!
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Last edited by pentoman; 03-01-2002 at 09:07 AM.
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  #33  
Old 03-02-2002, 06:03 PM
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ALL SL models in same picture !!

Hi Deltacom !! Nice too find you again !!
I Liked very much about your SLC rally Post !!
Really, in 1978 , our SLC car model was BEST !!

Hi Pentacon ! Again, Congratulations for your GoodWood Pictures !!!

Thank you all For the Posts !

I found other interesting picture about SL model Generation ! All togheter in the same picture !!

Enjoy,
Attached Thumbnails
SL Pictures !!  All Generation of SL models !!-sl-5-geracoes_2.jpg  
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  #34  
Old 03-03-2002, 09:31 PM
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Hi..

As you know, more than 1400 people visited this post subject (SL Generation), looking for pictures, memories, details, models, identifications and more about SL´s Cars !!

We have many members collaborations, talking about your knowledges, experiences, and love of SL´s Cars Models.

I want tell you all one thing !! Thanks about all your opinions and all technical informations !

This helps all of us to learn and know, a little more about this desired "Dream Magic Star"

Enjoy with this new pic !!
Attached Thumbnails
SL Pictures !!  All Generation of SL models !!-sl300-sl500_2.jpg  
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  #35  
Old 03-20-2002, 11:58 AM
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Hello,

I am posting this picture, to ilustrate more the SLC Rallye - Best in Long Run, posted by Deltacom.

I think that this car, is the same 500 SLC Rallye, posted by Pentoman in Goodwood.

Regards and Enjoy,
Attached Thumbnails
SL Pictures !!  All Generation of SL models !!-mercedes-benz-slc500_1.jpg  
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  #36  
Old 06-20-2003, 01:56 AM
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Thumbs up Hello SL OWNERS !

Dear SL Friends !

Have a long time that nobody post any picture or articles like described above, about SL pictures ! We have on this all SL pictures Subject, many interesting articles about the best car in the world !

Please, if you have any other interesting pictures or any comments about SL or SLC Cars, please will be our pleasure read all this words writed by you !

Regards
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  #37  
Old 04-03-2004, 12:54 PM
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Cool

This is my 1989 560SL silver blue on dark blue top/interior that I bought in 1999 with 30K miles, tweeters in the door pockets, upgraded dash speakers, 6x9's in the rear, factory Becker cassette that I connect to my portable MP3 player. It currently has 60K miles with new 15" chrome wheels (original style). It lives in sunny Southern California.

http://home.hiwaay.net/~gbf/107/rt.html

http://home.hiwaay.net/~gbf/107/107chron.html
Attached Thumbnails
SL Pictures !!  All Generation of SL models !!-560sl.jpg  

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Last edited by lynns; 04-04-2004 at 06:29 PM.
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