The SL's have the same manual transmission. The only SL's of this time period that came to the US with a manual were M103 sixes.

There are no manual transmissions designed to go behind V8's of that era, either for the US market or the worldwide market. I expect that the very few V8's with manuals that were built by Renntech or AMG were with non MB transmissions and a lot of custom adapter fabrication.

IMHO, with every passing year there are fewer and fewer people that can even drive a car with a manual transmission. Of that number there are fewer that are competent doing it. Of that number there is a smaller number that truly ENJOY driving a manual.

I am one of the few people who totally LOVE and ENJOY driving a manual transmission under ANY conditions, even stop and go or freeway traffic jams. I don't like freeway traffic jams, but I don't dislike them any more because I'm driving a stick.

Both of my kids fall in that very small group with me. They both are EXTREMELY competent driving a stick and really enjoy it. My daughter absolutely INSISTS on having a car with a stick.

Since there are few of us around, the market is limited for now. I still say, though, that the possibility exists that these cars will be saught after in the distant future. My baseball cards were nothing when I was a kid. After all they gave them away in bubble gum, they were only little pieces of cardboard worth nothing unless you needed something to kindle a fire. If I only had back my Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris cards that I threw in the trash I could own all the manual transmission cars I want.

If I had known the future, I would not have passed up the '70 Mustang Boss 429 with 10,000 miles for $2,400. I needed the money for tuition.

None of us know what the future holds.

Have a great day,