R129 Exterior styling

Two door roudster with soft and removable hard top

The Mercedes-Benz R129 exterior boasts timeless elegance with its sleek, aerodynamic lines and iconic SL-Class roadster design. Featuring a retractable soft top or optional hardtop, stylish alloy wheels, and distinctive grille, the R129 exudes luxury and performance. Its classic design elements ensure it remains a standout in automotive history.

SL-Class roudster features

• Sporty, dynamic lines fit seamlessly into the grand tradition of Mercedes-Benz sports cars;
• Styling fulfils high standards of practicality and all criteria of active and passive safety;
• Excellent aerodynamics without ostentatious features;
• Powerful, dynamic appearance whether as open-topped sports car or with the elegant coupé hardtop;
• Bumpers and protective side panels form part of a logically integrated design;
• Redesigned radiator cow with titanium-grey an-odised louvres - striking, but not ostentatious, in form and detail;
• Large side windows, virtually flush with body Sharply tapering rear - aerodynamically optimised;
• Styling reflects the main elements of the SL con-cept: performance potential, calm elegance and ex-clusiveness.

The SL label stands for a grand tradition in our Mercedes-Benz passenger car range and is synonymous with refined, sporty motoring. The styling expresses dynamism and sportiness on the one hand and comfort, elegance and exclusiveness on the other. In line with the Mercedes-Benz product philosophy, the styling is underpinned by tradition and is in many points directly reminiscent of the legendary 300 SL of 1954. On the other hand many styling and functional innovations point far into the future.

For the 129, following as it does in the footsteps of designs which have already become classics, the aim was to achieve an aesthetic impact which would endure long into the future. This result was achieved by fine coordination of all elements of the design, which expresses a harmonious balance of forces and communicates to the observer an impression of inherent energy. The excellent aerodynamics and up-to-date, homogeneous aesthetics are underpinned by deliberately traditional styling elements.



A sports car with removable hardtop like the R129 always makes the highest demands on the stylists, since the appearance must be equally attractive whether with open top or with the hardtop. This objective of homogeneous styling was achieved for all four versions of the SL series.

The most striking aspect of the side view is the unbro-ken, rising, aerodynamically styled wedge shape. The sweeping waistline rises towards the rear and discreetly emphasises this wedge form while at the same stressing the unity of the areas above and below this line. The curved windscreen, the raked windscreen pillar growing out of the front wing, the large side windows virtually flush with the body and the gently rearward-sweeping C-pillar, slightly drawn in at the base, are fundamental to the integrated styling concept.

The homogeneousness of the styling is heightened in the lower part of the vehicle by the protective panelling in a slightly different shade. At the lower edge, these panels make a flowing transition with the door sills, which exhibit discreet aerodynamic styling. The aerodynamic characteristics are achieved not by spectacular means but are integrated logically into the styling.

Typically of the product philosophy of Mercedes-Benz company, the design also embodies traditional touches, certain tea-tures being reminiscent of the legendary 300 SL (W 198) of 1954, as this picture shows. But there are also many innovations in styling and function which point far into the future - for example in the front section.

The balanced, integrated appearance of the silhouette is continued in the frontal view of the SL. Form and details of the redesigned radiator cowl are striking but in no way ostentatious or provocative. This legendary hallmark of sporty motoring has been "reinterpreted" and is now embedded in the bumper. It is integrated in the typical manner in the bonnet.



While on the previous models, the larger star and wide chromium frame were dominant, on the new SL the historic features of the star and the outer framework are discreetly and nobly complemented by louvres of titanium grey anodised aluminium, giving a close-knit impression. The louvres in the raked radiator cowl also bring benefits in terms of aerodynamic flow round the front of the vehicle and efficient air flow through the radiator.

Unlike the 107, the R129 is reminiscent of the earlier sports car generations in that the radiator cowl extends below the headlamps.

Previously in an exposed position at the end of the wing, the light units with headlamps and direction indicators sweeping well round the corner are now logically integrated in the front section.

Even the finest contours are continued from the sides and from the direction indicators into the headlamp lens. This has practical side-effects, namely: Improved pedestrian protection and eddy-free air flow at the edge of the bonnet.

Gently flowing contours and transitions are the keynote of the side view of the car. The flared wheel arches, sporty but emerging naturally from the body, and windscreen pillars which grow harmoniously out of the front wing and bonnet give the new SL something of a crouching air, as if set to pounce. The flowing tapered tail region gives the R129 a powerful, almost beefy quality.

The soft-top too, in contrasting colour, is excellently integrated in the styling. A new feature are the side windows almost flush with the body and the visual grouping of the three folding plexiglass windows. The R129 achieves a successful synthesis of all innovations and other features into a stylistic whole.

The details are not ostentatious but assert themselves subtly and thus all the more convincingly. Fundamental to the appearance of the new SL is the high standard of quality in which even apparently minor details are executed.

Traditional attributes of Mercedes-Benz product philosophy such as the Mercedes identity, luxurious-ness, attention to detail and refined materials giving an aura of high quality have become a basic principle of Mercedes design which is given a new dimension in the R129.

Computer-controlled soft-top operation

Soft-top operation on the SL is a complete innovation and unsurpassed in comfort and quality. The soft-top is raised and stowed in the same way as on the 107. With open top it lies protected in the soft-top compartment under an elegant cover. The main difference is the sophisticated computer-controlled hydraulic operating system. Also integrated in this system is the coupé hardtop - of aluminium and weighing just 34 kg - which gives the 129 model an elegant coupé character.

The haptic switch to the right of the gear-selector controls both the soft-top and locking and unlocking of the coupé hardtop.

• Pull back soft-top switch to open top
• Push forward soft-top switch to close top

After the ignition has been switched on, the monitor light in the soft-top switch comes on for approx. 1 second (function check). The soft-top can then be opened or closed by operating the switch. The soft-top continues to move only for as long as the switch remains pressed, which means that movement can be interrupted, continued or reversed at any point. When movement is interrupted, the soft-top is hydraulically arrested.

This system requires a considerably more sophisticated sequence of movements than in the case of a soft-top without compartment and cover. Every time the soft-top is opened or closed, the compartment cover must be opened and closed. Also, the rear part of the soft-top, the fabric support framework, has to be lowered and raised or kept in raised position. Locking and unlocking of the soft-top takes place at six points including the compartment cover.

Excellent design

• innovative ideas are integrated into the grand tradition of Mercedes-Benz sports cars
• designed for long-term aesthetic appeal while continuing the tradition of its already classic predecessors
• form and details striking but not ostentatious
• characterful appearance indicates the high level of innovation in the product as a whole
• meticulous sports car styling and attention to detail result in improved aerodynamic properties
• value retention enhanced by independent styling which nevertheless clearly belongs to the homogeneous Mercedes-Benz family of models
• harmonious proportions, gently flowing lines and use of new, superior materials (e.g. anodised materials) in high-grade applications
• new interpretation of an already legendary frontal appearance provides a contemporary symbol of enduring Mercedes