While it seems hard to compare the W126 to the R107 Mercedes I feel there are some things that many over look and sometimes wonder why the R107's draw so much more money than the W126.
The sporty R107 is by rights a more expensive vehicle. It was when new, and naturally it will be as it gets into the collectors realm, however what I have noticed when having them side by side are some diffrences that I have never heard anyone make mention of.
For example... Interior... The R107 while a convertable has a very cheap feeling about it compared to that of the W126. The dash and instruments on a R107 in my opinion appear to be much less attaractive. The smooth contour and well balanced dash of a W126 appeals to me much more than that of the W107. Even the console seems lacking on a R107 compared to that of the W126. Here are some photos and you be the judge.
R107 Dash
W126 Dash
R107 Console
W126 Console
Another area is the interior seats. The R107 is no-where as comfortable as that of the W126 and I am speaking of the front seats, not the back. It would be unfair to compare back seats of a luxury sports car to that of a luxury sedan, however it seems that hands down the W126 is much nicer on the inside than that of its sporty brother.
R107 Front Seats
W126 Front Seats
R107 Rear Seats
W126 Rear Seats
The W126 and R107 of respective years will have nearly the exact same powertrain, so to compare the two outside of a more agressive timing curve for the R107's ignition control module would end up a draw execpt to say the Sedan is rated at a higher top speed than that of the Sporty 107. I cant figure out why that is, but it is.
The exterior body of the R107 is a little more agressive than that of the W126, especially the front end where Mercedes chose to place a large chrome star in the center of the grill, however the coupe version of the W126 also shares this trait and in my honest opinion the R107 front end is much more ritzy than that of the W126 however its not as sleak. The R107 front end is something of a rich mans look, big bold chrome grill, bumpers and round beaty eye like headlights that all seem to mold into a nice rounded package, and the R107 front end seems to scream GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY, while the W126 is a bit more conservative looking.
107 Front End
126 Front End
Even so, no one can deny the feeling of driving a R107 with the top down is like no other, however I think comparing these two chassis leaves you feeling that perhaps having a W126 Sedan and coupe, plus a R107 would just about cover every driving requirement that one could encouter... LOL
I cannot find it in me to degrade any one of these vehicles except to say they each have their own special features, some better than others, but all more than welcome in my driveway.
How about you? Feel free to post photos of your SEC, SL and SEL!
-- Edited by SELLC on Tuesday 17th of May 2011 02:01:33 AM
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What is to give light must endure burning -- Viktor Frankl
I have a 560SEC and a 560SL. Very different cars, difficult to compare them. For everyday driving, the SEC is superior and I agree that the interior of the SEC is of higher quality and a bit better design. The SL was designed in the late 1960s though, while the SEC was designed in the mid-1970s. This was a time of rapid advancement in automotive technology and so it's not surprising that the 126 is the more refined and overall better chassis.
You can get a very similar feeling to a 107 roadster when you drive the 560SEC with all windows down and the sunroof open. The SEC is designed to channel wind so that when the car is driven this way there is no buffeting or wind issues.
Having to cart around 3 passengers (myself NOT included) I have to say the SEL is the ultimate road king.
But that is a biased opinion based on the fact that I have a payload (LOL aka several passengers).
I am not taking away from the R107 or the W126 SEC in any way except to say that a large 4 door sedan capable of carting the family around safely and comfortably is what ultimately made me stick with Mercedes. So it would seem that from a transportation standpoint of more than just two people there really is a way to compare the three.
The W126 SEL and SEC + the R107 560's all use the same power train, so they are in essence family. The SEL being the large barge, the SEC being the sporty coupe and the R107 being the classy top down roadster. Like I said before, it's such a close call that I recommend having one of each. LOL
Try squeezing 4 people in and out of an SEC and you soon realize it just wasn't meant for it. Try squeezing 4 people in an SL and you may find that most of them don't even have a back seat.
-- Edited by SELLC on Saturday 27th of August 2011 02:45:51 AM
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What is to give light must endure burning -- Viktor Frankl
I think what has to be remembered is that the R107 ( or W 107 if you want to include both SL and SLC models ) was designed during the 1960's when the W113 Pagoda series was still current ( in fact design probably began in 1963 as soon as the W113 was released ) and was contemporary to the W116 , which would also have been designed in the 1960's as the replacement for the W108/W109 series saloons .
If you compare the interiors of the R107 with a W116 , you will see very similar designs of instrument panel , centre console , seats etc .
Design of the W126 really only began once the W116 went into series production in the early 1970's , so these cars were a full generation later . The popularity of the R107 , however , ensured that it remained in production for something approaching twenty years ( a record only beaten by the G Wagen out of any modern day Mercedes-Benz ) and was not replaced until the R129 came out , which itself was really a sibling of the W140 .
Although the R107 continued in production for pretty much the lifespans of both the W116 and W126 series put together , it did benefit from a mid-term facelift when it benefitted from the newer engines fitted to the W126 , after starting out with the W116 powerplants . However , in many aspects , the model series remained unchanged during its production run .
Even the W126 went through a mid-term facelift , when it benefitted from newly designed seats and interior - the early ones being carried over from the W116 and W123 series , and the later ones as shown is SELL C's pictures of a Generation 2 car . Bumpers , body mouldings and wheels , as well as minor details such as new switchgear , all benefitted from some restyling .
The picture below of my Generation 2 500SEL in front of my Generation 1 280SE demonstrates this
There's one thing that really stands out with all these cars, and that's QUALITY ! I've been fortunate enough to have been in, driven, and worked on pretty much all of the cars mentioned so far, not to mention owning a nice low-mile SLC. The information posted above is all relvant and true, but I think that "special" mention is deserved to the 450SEL6.9 for it's completely insane comfort and power, plus being the fore-father of the 126 saloons - ( in fact, the value of a top notch 6.9 has remained steady for quite a number of years, and is probably steadily rising ), and certainly the SLC model deserves a mention for providing people that wanted an SL a way of having a TRUE 107 with the added ability of transporting passengers (read young family) in "proper" seats, all-be-it with a fixed roof. There's also the fact that at international race-level, the SLC was World-Champion in the late 1970's as a race winning Rally Champion. The SLC's were also the basis of consideration for the manufacture SEC models, albeit with with the 126 chassis. - (I would think that more room equaled greater comfort for the now teenage children of SLC owners..., so let's use the 126 chassis), whilst the R107 continued on as the "open - top" road-king, with steady sales right through its years of production. Possibly one of the best features of these cars remains to me to be the use of steel bumper bars ! Many minor "bumps" with these on has saved countless people expensive repair bills when sometimes an idiot will hit you ! The use of the now plastic-moulded bumpers I believe was due to the "energy concept" where the reduction of vehicle weight was used to emphasise a focus on "environmentally friendly Mercedes". As you know, aluminum engines were also introduced to support this concept.
Cheers,
rastus
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"Only an alert & knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial & military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods & goals, so that security & liberty may prosper together". Dwight D.Eisenhower.
This page just wouldn't be right if I didn't post a picture of my ride, especially after writing the other blurb earlier ! I think it still looks good for 1973, and pretty much all the paint-work is original, apart from 1 or 2 spots that have seen the attention of a touch-up brush etc.
"Only an alert & knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial & military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods & goals, so that security & liberty may prosper together". Dwight D.Eisenhower.
