Mercedes 500, history and evolution

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

Mercedes 500 called "light comfort" appeared on the roads of Germany, and then throughout Europe in 1951. The car was produced in two versions, a sedan and a convertible. In the sedan version, the Mercedes 500 was assembled from 1951 to 1954, and the convertible was produced from 1951 to 1955. Then the car began to be produced in a sports lightweight format under the name Mercedes-Benz CL with a powerful six-cylinder engine running on high-octane gasoline. The coupe-type body was distinguished by its compactness, which, however, did not reduce the level of comfort in the cabin. The machine was successfully produced until 1971 in the basic format and in several additional modifications.

After the wheelbase of the Mercedes 500 was significantly increased, it became possible to make the car heavier, to make it closer to the executive class. The need for this decision was dictated by the increased demand for large cars with a sporty character. Two new models appeared at once, the SLC 350 and SLC 450, both with V-8 engines. In the middle of 1974, the lightweight SLC 280 model with an in-line six-cylinder engine joined these two cars, and in 1978 the SLC 450-5 stood on a par withsemi-sports predecessors and was immediately renamed the SLC 500. However, soon, in the fall of 1980, the production of all four models was discontinued.

The success of the SLC 500 was more than modest. The fuel crisis of the seventies did not allow the production of sports and semi-sports cars to develop. The active competition of E-class cars, in particular, the Mercedes S-123, affected. Roadsters were on their heels, and in such a difficult environment, the production of the Mercedes 500 resumed, only to finally close in 1989. However, the story did not end there, although the pause lasted for almost ten years. In the spring of 1999, the Mercedes 500 appeared and was announced as an independent representative of the new CL-class. According to its external data, this Mercedes was suitable for the role of the flagship car in the hierarchy of coupe models.

Further development of the Mercedes 500 was marked by the appearance under the hood of a new V8 CL63 AMG engine with 420 hp, and a little later, in 2004, a V12 CL65 AMG with 610 hp was installed on the car. Super-powerful power plants did not solve the main problem, sales of the Mercedes 500 were kept at a low level due to the high cost. And in 2006, the production of the car was once again suspended. A new CL-class was already on the way, and in October 2006 this car was presented to the general public. The production team ditched the heavy duty V12 CL65 AMG engine, and the new motor matched the parameters of the V8 CL63 AMG and was significantly less powerful.

In 2010, the updated Mercedes 500, the photo of which you can see in the article, underwent an additional deep restyling, as a result of which the car received completely new bumpers, a more elaborate radiator grill, LED elements were inserted into the headlights, illuminating the optics with purple rays, taillights have become more academic, with a dominant red color. The reversing lamps have changed their location, from the bottom of the rear bumper they migrated to niches along the edges of the license plate. Currently, the car is produced in small series and is still quite expensive. However, some Mercedes 500 models, which used to be priced at a high level, now cost between $22,000 and $35,000.