R107 AMG in the neighborhood...

[BioPOWER]

A neighbor of mine has had a brown R107 parked in his driveway for some time, never seen him drive it, the only emblem on the back besides the star is "AMG" on the right-hand side.

The car has small Euro bumpers, quad US-spec headlights, a single round exhaust pipe, and AMG-logo front and rear valences. The brown hardtop is on.

Wheels are gold AMG Pentas, look like 15".

I walked by today and peeked inside, it has a 4-speed manual and cloth/leather-trimmed seats, didn't check for manual A/C or windows...I haven't talked to the owner but I would like to find out which engine it has inside..

What do you guys think? Is it a "real" AMG?

[Bondavi]

Being a manual, its most likely a dressed up 280SL with AMG a la carte parts.

But if its a 500SL, then you've located the holy grail of 107's, 5.0 conversion with a manual shift. Make friends with your neighbor FAST.

[BioPOWER]

I'll try and catch him when he's home, like I said I've never seen him drive the SL and have no idea what it sounds like.

My normal hangout is diesel-land and my garage is filled with diesels, so by my standards would a 280SL be quite peppy?....maybe not, I have caught myself using the words "diesel" and "quick" together in sentences regarding my new TDI

[t walgamuth]

i have never driven a 280 sl but my euro 280e is pretty quick. the 280e is probably actually a little lighter than an sl and mine has the 369 gear like in a 240 and a five speed.

if i wanted a 107 i probably would prefer the 280 with a five speed over one of the v8 models unless it were a euro 500sl with a stick.

the us spec v8s are more bolovardiers than sports cars imho. too soft and heavy.

tom w

[BioPOWER]

So today my neighbor (finally) popped the hood, jumped the battery, and got the car running. After removing the hardtop, he took it for a spin. While the hood was open I had a chance to walk down there; the car is in fact a 280SL, the M110 clearly visible. Still, it has all the Euro and AMG parts, and is a stickshift. Now, about that gargantuan 560SEL sitting a block down the street....

[Jim B.]

Originally Posted by Bondavi

Being a manual, its most likely a dressed up 280SL with AMG a la carte parts.

.......then, ipso facto, it is an AMG SL.

....because that's how AMG made it's cars in the 1980's, both in Europe and America, with the customer ordering the modifications a la carte style, and then AMG built the car for the customer.

The AMG rule was that to obtain the right to purchase the AMG trunk lid script (which this vehicle has), the car had to have at least three separate and distinct AMG modifications made on the car.

So,as a result of that policy, generally, few AMG cars from the era were alike. Each conversion reflected the individual wishes of its owner.

Some of the rarer AMG modifications included additional burlwood interior trim, a refrigerator, picnic tables for the seatback, and such.

[POS]

And of course, someone/anyone could put on a body kit in their driveway and buy a badge. Papers are everything for authenticity.