Today's car of the day is Matchbox's 1990 Mercedes-Benz 500 SL.
The Mercedes-Benz SL is a Grand tourer manufactured by Mercedes since 1954. The designation SL derives from the German Sport Leicht, or Sport Lightweight — and was first applied to the 300SL 'Gullwing' named also after its gullwing or upward-opening doors.
The term SL-Class refers to the marketing variations of the vehicle, including the numerous engine configurations spanning five design generations.
For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Mercedes-Benz 500 SL
This one has been in my collection since new, and another in the 'it's a shame they lost the tooling for this one' files.
The 1989 Mercedes SL base model was the 228 hp (170 kW) 3.0 L inline 6 300SL version in the US. In Europe the base model was the 190 hp (140 kW) 3.0 L inline 6 300SL with 12 valves, and the 228 hp (170 kW) 3.0 L inline 6 with 24 valves is known as the 300SL 24 . But it was the 322 hp (240 kW) 500SL (with a 5.0 L V8 engine) which made the most headlines. The specification was high, with electric windows, mirrors, seats and roof.
1994 saw a huge facelift for the SL, and the 300SL was replaced in Europe by the SL280 and SL320 (with 2.8 L and 3.2 L I6 engines). The SL500 continued with the same powerful engine. A 389 hp (290 kW) 6.0 L V12 SL600 topped the range. Introduced in 1993 as the 600SL, it was re-badged the SL600 in 1994.
The SL320 replaced the 300SL in the United States in 1995, but the SL280 was not offered. The 6-cylinder SLs were dropped from the US lineup in 1998, leaving just the V8 and V12. The SL500 got a new 302 hp (225 kW) 5.0 L V8 for 1999.
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