107 SL's 420 vs 500

[Powis]

Hi there,

Does anyone (Myros?) know the answer to this:

In terms of speed and acceleration, is there a big difference twixt a 420 and a 500 107 SL.

Also, how much horsepower would say a late 80's model have lost by now?

Powis

Audi A3 1.8T (thinking about an SL 107)

 

[stats007]

Very little in it. Not really something you should worry about to be honest. Each car will be different so go for one that feels solid and pulls well. 500s come with the horrible rubber spoiler.

Main thing to consider is rust - be suspicious of any with chrome wheel arch covers.

 

[v8 dreams]

Interesting question Powis and something I looked at quite closely when I bought mine last April.

420's were only made during the 86-89 years along with the 300 and 500. The 86 update brought larger wheels and brakes, front air dam better rustproofing and some other improvements. They are generally considered to be the ones to go for.
The difference in performance between the 420 and 500 is not huge so if you are thinking of buying one go for the best you can afford and don't be too hung up on whether it's a 420 or a 500. However 500's are more plentiful so you are likely to come across more of them. Only just over 2000 420's were registered in the UK. Interestingly the 420 is regarded as being the least economical of the 3 models.

I have a late 500SL registered in 89. I get 18mpg on short runs and up to 24 on a motorway run.

Now according to the handbook and an original brochure I managed to get from ebay the power figures are as follows (These are for UK spec 86-89 cars without catalytic converters)

420 - 218bhp, 500 - 245bhp

The 500 has about 20% more torque.

0-60 for the 420 is 8.2s vs 7.7s for the 500

Max speed is 136mph for the 420 and 141mph for the 500

The max gear speeds are slightly higher in the 500. It'll do 51mph in 1st, 82 in second and 136 in 3rd. I've seen the first two but not the 3rd ! Cruising at 70 is under 2500 rpm.Very few cars these days have gears as long as that. For me it makes them fantastic to drive, and quite a difference to a 300 for example. They are great too but in the V8's you just waft along using no revs at all most of the time.

As for losing power, these are very strong engines so if they have been looked after then I suspect very little would have been lost.

 

[Myros]

I can honestly say

I've never unleashed all the horses, so I don't know how many will have gone. As a rule, if the engine still feels and sounds young, and isn't belching smoke like the graf spee, or spewing oil like the torrey canyon, then most of them will still be there.

I once nudged the accelerator just a bit too far on the m'way at about 70 and she kicked down into 2nd and with a banshee wail I was on my way to 90 as though astride a rocket.

No-one buys these cars with economy in mind, or if they do, they'll be disappointed. I get about 19-22 on the work run, at least half of which is stationary traffic. In Germany and Austria a few years ago, we saw high 20's, as the roads were pretty clear and progress could be planned and maintained. Not cars to be sitting in jams with though.

I love the rubber spoiler, but miss the chrome bootlid handle.

 

[ianh2]

my 85' 500sl hasn't got a boot spoiler??

 

[stats007]

A lot of people remove them as they're rather Halfrauds-esque.

 

[Myros]

they are very "of their time"

and a factory-fitted item. Maybe it's the reason I get better consumption at speed?

 

[Powis]

Thank you

Thanks very much for your replies everyone! That's really useful.