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Paris-Dakar Rally Specification: Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC 5.0

The Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC 5.0 may not seem like the first vehicle you would choose for endurance racing, but back in the late 1970s and early 1980s the car became an unlikely hero – winning many of the world’s toughest endurance rallies, often with a 1-2 finish.

Mercedes had developed the 450 SLC 5.0 specifically to homologate the model for the 1978 World Rally Championship, with a new engine and a number of modifications to make the car lighter and better suited to racing.

Fast Facts – The Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC 5.0

The Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC 5.0 became one of the most successful endurance rally racing cars of its time, with a 1-2 finish in the 1978 Vuelta a la América del Sur, a 1-2-3-4 finish in the 1979 Bandama Rally in Côte d’Ivoire, a 2nd in the 1979 Safari Rally, a 1-2 in the 1980 Rallye Côte d’Ivoire after which the factory team was disbanded.
After the factory team had been dissolved Albert Pfuhl bought all the cars and equipment, consisting of six 500 SLCs, spare parts, and 600 tires.
Pfuhl and his team would build a series of cars to compete in the 1984 Paris–Dakar Rally with a distinctive blue and white “BOSS” livery. Though the drivers put in their best efforts the cars finished well down the order, marking the end of the competition life for the model.
Today the 450 SLC 5.0 and its close sibling the 500 SLC remain lesser known race winning homologation specials, often a little more affordable than their period competitors.

The “Panzer Wagon” R107 + C107

Not long after the Mercedes-Benz 350 SL and SLC models were introduced in 1971 the model family was nicknamed the “Panzer Wagon,” after the relatively heavy kerb weight of 3,500 lbs (1,590 kgs).

The Panzer, or Panzerkampfwagen, was of course a hefty German battle tank used during the Second World War.

The Mercedes 500SLC in the Paris-Dakar Rally. Note the oversized tires that had been paired with lifted suspension and under-body armor plating. Image courtesy of Mercedes-Benz.

The internal model names for the SL and the SLC of this generation were R107 and C107 respectively, the letter stands for either “roadster” or “coupe,” and 107 was the chassis designation. It would be the second longest running model series for Mercedes, running from 1971 to 1989, beaten only by the G Wagon.

The reason the R107/C107 is a little on the heavy side is because it was designed more as a GT car than a sports car, in an era when Mercedes were building cars to last indefinitely, rust permitting.

The structure of the model series used steel unibody construction with independent front and rear suspension, disc brakes front and rear, and a front engined, rear wheel drive layout. The model was initially offered with the 3.5 liter Mercedes V8 and either manual or automatic transmissions, later a variety of V8s and inline-sixes were also offered.

In total, Mercedes built over 300,000 examples of the R107/C107. They’ve largely stood the test of time thanks to their sturdy construction and reliable drivetrains. The biggest problem for them tends to be the same problem faced by all steel-bodied vintage cars – corrosion.

The Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC 5.0 on its way to victory in the 11th Rally Bandama along the Ivory Coast in 1979. Image courtesy of Mercedes-Benz.

Thanks in part to the fact that so many were made the Panzer Wagon remains quite affordable in most world markets, depending on the specific model of course.

Most were built with automatic transmissions so manual cars tend to fetch a premium, but companies like the SL Shop sell bolt on kits to convert autos to manuals over the course of a weekend.

The Dakar Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC 5.0 Shown Here

The Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC 5.0 you see here was given a comprehensive rebuild to historic Paris-Dakar Rally specification by specialists SLC Racing in Slovakia four years ago. The total cost of the build was over €150,000 ($170,000 USD).

The 450 SLC 5.0 was a special homologation version of the 450 SLC fitted with the new all-aluminum version of the Mercedes-Benz M117 V8 engine with a displacement of 4990cc, 240 bhp, and 88 lbs less weight than the comparable 450 SLC V8 with its iron block.

Further weight reduction was undertaken in the construction of the body, with the hood, trunk lid, and wheels now being made of aluminum-alloy. The total weight reduction was said to be over 100 kilograms or 220 lbs.

This car was carefully built to Paris-Dakar specification by SLC Racing in Slovakia, the total cost for the build was over €150,000 ($170,000 USD). It would would likely make an excellent entry into the new Dakar Classic class if the new owner so wishes.

Just 2,769 examples of the 450 SLC 5.0 were built for homologation purposes between 1977 and 1981, they’re now among the most collectible of all the C107 SLCs.

Though not originally designed with endurance rally racing in mind, this is just what Mercedes did with the model starting in 1978 with a 1-2 finish in the Vuelta a la América del Sur, a grueling 7,000 kilometer race leaving from Buenos Aires and returning in a loop via Rio, Manaus, Caracas, Bogota, Lima, La Paz, Santiago, and Ushuaia.

In 1979 legendary rally driver Hannu Mikkola won the 1979 Bandama Rally in Côte d’Ivoire, with other 450 SLC 5.0s finishing 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Victory in the 1979 Safari Rally was lost due to suspension damage but the car still managed a strong 2nd place, followed by a a 1-2 in the 1980 Rallye Côte d’Ivoire.

The last major rally outing for the model, now known as the 500 SLC, would be the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally wearing a distinctive blue/white Hugo Boss livery, front bull bar, lifted suspension, and larger tires for handling desert sand.

The 500 SLCs would finish way down the order, classified 44th and 62nd, spelling the end of the model’s competition career.

The Dakar replica you see here is due to roll across the auction block with Bonhams on the 3rd of February with a price guide of $170,000 – $230,000 USD, you can click here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.

Images courtesy of Bonhams and Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC 5.0 Paris Dakar Rally

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A Rare American Giant Killer From 1959: The Corvair-Powered Devin C

This is an original factory-built Devin C built by Bill Devin and his team in 1959. The cars developed by Devin deserve to be more famous than they are, in period they won 32 SCCA races, the 1956 SCCA H Modified National Championship, and they were six-time Pikes Peak Unlimited Class winners.

There were a slew of other wins and podiums for Devin cars in the 1950s and 1960s, in fact the cars are still racing successfully today against some of the fastest Ferraris, Maseratis, Jaguars, and Aston Martins of the era.

Fast Facts – Bill Devin And The Devin C

Bill Devin was an accomplished racing driver who began designing and building his own cars in the early 1950s. He made use of a then-new material called fiberglass that allowed him to build lightweight car bodies quickly and easily.
The first cars built by Devin used a custom fiberglass body on a chassis he developed himself, fitted with engines and suspension components from a Deutsch-Bonnet Le Mans.
Interestingly, it was Bill Devin who invented the use of a toothed timing belt in an engine, he developed a version of the Deutsch-Bonnet engine with cylinders and heads from a Norton Manx and used timing belts to drive the overhead cams.
The Devin C you see here was built in-house by Bill Devin, it’s fitted with a high-performance Corvair engine, it established sports-car records at California drag strips in 1961, and it raced at the 1961 Los Angeles Times-Mirror Grand Prix at Riverside against legendary drivers.

Bill Devin – “The Enzo Ferrari of the Okie Flats”

Though he’s best-known today for the Devin series of sports cars he developed, Bill Devin was also an accomplished, race-winning driver in his own right, and he was a talented amateur engineer who pioneered the use of toothed timing belts for engines.

The lightweight fiberglass body was a trademark of all Devin’s sports cars, this one is fitted with a racing specification 180 bhp Corvair engine.

Working with Norton motorcycle racer Don Evans, Devin took the cylinders and heads from two Norton Manx motorcycles and adapted the two-cylinder boxer Panhard crankcase to work with them. He then drove twin belts to operate the overhead cams in the Norton heads.

Sadly he never patented his invention, if he had he would likely have become an exceedingly wealthy man due to the rapid rise popularity of belt driven overhead cams in cars and motorcycles in the decades since.

After buying a small Crosley Hotshot and modifying it to race in 1949, Devin enjoyed immediate success on track as a driver – winning the novice race on his first outing as a racing driver at Buchannan Field.

By 1953 Devin had ordered a Ferrari 250MM with the aim of racing it at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, when he arrived in Italy it wasn’t yet ready so he bought a Ferrari 166MM Touring Barchetta and a Ferrari 340 America.

He would debut the 240MM stateside in the Sports Car Club of America Madera race – he finished third in the novice event before turning the car over to Phil Hill, who won the main event.

It would be the sale of the 250MM that would change the course of Devin’s life, he took a small front-wheel drive Deutsch-Bonnet in part trade for the Ferrari and though he didn’t know it at the time, the Deutsch-Bonnet would start him off as an automaker in his own right.

This car is set up for both road and race track use, it can carry a passenger however they need to work their way into the car around the roll bar strut that is braced in their foot well.

He created his first fiberglass mould using the Deutsch-Bonnet body, modifying it and then fitting it to a chassis he designed powered by his unique Panhard-Norton engine with those belt driven overhead cams.

Thanks to his successes with his first Devin-badged car, Bill would develop a slew of cars in the years that followed including the Devin SS, Devin D, and Devin C. Many of these cars were sold as kits or bodies only for people to build themselves, a few were built by Bill Devin and his team – these are the cars that tend to be built to a very high level.

The Corvair-Powered Devin C Shown Here

The Devin C you see here was built by Devin in 1959, it’s one of the first of 21 examples built, and shortly after it left the factory it was used by the Granatelli brothers for supercharger testing at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

After this the Granatellis also ran the supercharged car at various Californian drag strips, setting a new sports car record 12.44 second quarter-mile run at 109.75 mph in the process.

Once the supercharger had been removed this car was entered by its first owner into the LA Times-Mirror Grand Prix at Riverside in October 1961 driven by Pete Woods.

This is a flat-six Chevrolet Corvair engine that has been built for performance, it now turns out 180 bhp, enough to make the lightweight Devin C a rocketship in the right hands.

In the 10 lap introductory qualifying race Woods would race shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Stirling Moss, Jim Hall, Dan Gurney, Roger Penske, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Ken Miles, Walt Hansgen, George Follmer, and Augie Pabst.

Sadly the engine seized before the main event, bringing Woods’ afternoon to an abrupt halt.

In the years after this, this car passed through a number of hands until it ended up with Phoenix-based Corvair specialist Tom Schrum in 1993. Schrum undertook a full restoration on the car, with the bodywork being taken care of by specialist John Lee.

Schrum became ill in 2012 and the car needed to be sold on to have the restoration completed, Bud Bourassa took on the car and completed the restoration incorporating a few minor changes which included a conversion to disc brakes, installation of a wraparound windscreen, covered headlamps, different taillights and gearshift, and a MOPAR gas cap.

The car is now fitted with a racing specification Corvair engine with forged pistons and Weber 40 IDA carburetors, capable of 180 bhp.

The car is now being offered for sale by RM Sotheby’s on the 27th of January with a price guide of $70,000 – $90,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

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British Army Training Film: Land Rover – Safe Driving Techniques

This is a 31 minute instructional film created by Land Rover UK for the British Ministry of Defense to teach new recruits how to drive Land Rovers, both on and off road, in a wide variety of conditions.

The British military has been using Land Rovers since shortly after the first Land Rovers were made back in the mid-20th century. Generations of new recruits have been trained to drive them, and many of these recruits have gone on to become lifelong Land Rover enthusiasts themselves.

Fast Facts – Land Rover: Military Operations

This film first shows recruits how to drive a Land Rover Defender safely on road, both with and without a trailer attached.
Most of the rest of the film is dedicated to driving off road and using the various systems built in to the Defender for off road use – things like high and low range, tire pressures, and locking differentials.
Even for experienced Land Rover and other 4×4 drivers this film will likely offer some useful lessons, possibly even a few tips and tricks they didn’t know before.
The British armed forces use a number of Land Rover Defenders including the short wheelbase 90, the long wheel base 110 (shown in this film) and the more unusual custom built 6×6 Defenders.

This film gives some great insight and lessons into driving off road competently, and how to prepare your 4×4 before you head off the asphalt.

The link between the military and the four-wheel drive has always been strong, in fact the first mass-produced off road 4×4 was the Willys Jeep – a vehicle specifically designed for military use.

The first Land Rover was designed to be a cross between the Jeep and a tractor, giving post-WWII British farmers a single vehicle that could perform as an automobile and a tractor to help reduce their costs.

Perhaps the most unusual Land Rovers used by the British militaries are the “Pink Panthers,” highly-modified vehicles designed to be used by SAS commandos in desert operations.

After experimenting with desert camouflage they discovered that a light shade of pink was best for use in late afternoons and early mornings – times when they would be setting out on missions or returning to base.

If you’d like to read more about British military Land Rovers you can click here.

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1 Of 29 Ever Made: The Rare Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing

When it was introduced in February of 1954 at the International Motor Sports Show in New York the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing sent shockwaves through the automotive world. It was both the fastest production automobile the world had ever seen.

The car you see here is one of just 29 alloy-bodied examples that were made, these cars were intended largely for privateer racers who wanted the best possible performance options all rolled into a single car.

Fast Facts – The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing

Mercedes introduced the 300 SL Gullwing in 1954, it was based on the earlier Mercedes 300 SL W194 – the first racing car developed by Mercedes after the end of the Second World War.
The W 194 had been remarkably successful, it took a 1-2 finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Carrera Panamericana, it also won the the Liège-Rome-Liège, and it took 2nd in the Mille Miglia.
The production version of the 300 SL was fitted with a lightweight spaceframe chassis just like the race car, this resulted in very high sills which necessitated the use of gullwing doors.
Only 29 alloy-bodied examples of the 300 SL were made, they were also fitted with sports suspension, the high-performance NSL engine, Rudge center-mount wheels, plexiglas windows (except the windshield), and vented front brake drums.

The Fastest Production Car In The World

The years immediately after WWII were a difficult time for Mercedes-Benz, and for all German automakers. No one knew if those in Allied countries would buy their vehicles or if they would be ostracized due to the horrific events of the war.

The 300 SL Gullwing has high sills due to its spaceframe chassis, this necessitated the use of gullwing doors and a steering wheel that can be tilted down to make entry and exit possible.

Mercedes opted to throw everything they had at developing what would be the most advanced sports car in the world at the time – the 300 SL W194. With its spaceframe chassis, lightweight magnesium alloy body, alloy transmission casing, and other weight saving measures, the Mercedes didn’t need as much power as its rivals from Jaguar and Ferrari.

First introduced in 1952, the Mercedes 300 SL W194 proved more successful than the German automaker could possibly have hoped for.

The model took a 1-2 finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, another 1-2 in the Carrera Panamericana, a 2nd place finish in the Mille Miglia, and wins in the Liège-Rome-Liège, the Jubilee Grand Prix for sports cars at the Nürburgring, the Bern Prize for Sports Car, and a slew of other events.

Having proven the design of the 300 SL Mercedes were asked by legendary Austrian-born, New York-based auto importer Max Hoffman to develop a road-going version for the booming American market.

At the time of its introduction in 1954 the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was the fastest production car on earth – over 1,400 of them were sold and they helped put Mercedes back on the map for buyers across Europe, the United States, and around the world.

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing

The 300 SL Gullwing is a sports car often referred to as the “sports car of the century.” Though this title could feasibly be applied to a number of 20th century vehicles, the 300 SL Gullwing makes a particularly strong case.

Power is provided by a 3.0 liter (2,996cc) M198 inline-six cylinder engine with a single overhead cam, two valves per cylinder, and a Bosch mechanical fuel-injection system.

Of all the Gullwings that were made, the example that shares the most DNA with the W194 Gullwing that came before it is the rare all-alloy 300 SL – of which only 29 were made.

The ultra lightweight all-alloy body of the Alloy 300 SL was one of a slew of changes made to the car to reduce its weight and improve its performance. All windows except the windshield were replaced with plexiglas and a set of alloy Rudge center-mount wheels were fitted.

Under the hood you’ll find a the high-performance NSL engine, fitted with a competition camshaft, higher-compression pistons, a unique butterfly throttle valve, and a recalibrated fuel distributor – all together this delivered over 215 hp.

Special vented brake drums were added up front to reduce the chance of overheating in competition use, and uprated springs and shock absorbers were fitted to offer better high-speed handling.

The unusual “eyebrows” over the wheel arches were added to help deflect road water and grime away from the windscreen. The rear pair were added for visual symmetry.

Just 24 Alloy Gullwings were made in 1955, with a further 5 completed in 1956. Today they represent the inarguable pinnacle of the model series, which is made up of the 300 SL Gullwing produced from 1954 to 1957, and the 300 SL Roadster which was in production from 1957 to 1963.

The 300 SL Alloy Gullwing Shown Here

The car you see here is the 13th of the 24 Alloy Gullwings built in 1955 and it was the only car delivered new to Africa, having been ordered by official Mercedes-Benz agent Joseph F. Weckerlé of Casablanca, Morocco.

By 1962 this car had been bought by its first American owner and imported into the United States, to Montgomery, Alabama. By 1975 the car was in new ownership, it was sent to the world’s foremost 300 SL repair facility, Paul Russell and Company in Essex, Massachusetts where it received a restoration worth $45,000 – that’s $172,000 USD in 2021 dollars.

The car has lived a privileged life since this time, belonging to the former-president of the Gullwing Group, Hyatt Cheek, for over 32 years.

It’s now due to roll across the auction block with RM Sotheby’s on the 27th of January with a price guide of $7,000,000 – $9,000,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.