Slow and steady, the snow dunes are receding in my neck of the woods and the sun comes out. The spring has been uncharacteristically late here, and I still wouldn’t want to swap on summer rubber, so not to end up in a ditch one night. However, what progress there is, is surely helped by this glorious green 1976 Mercedes-Benz SLC I saw in Helsinki.
While it’s “only” a 280SLC, the lustrous emerald green paint and perfect condition more than make up for any power shortcomings.
The Mercedes has probably been restored at some point in its life, bringing it to the condition here. The CCR plates denote it as a late-’90s import, and they’ve been swapped for white-on-black plates when the car has been historic registered.
Being a 1976 model, the automatic gearbox on this car was still a three-speed unit, rather than the 4-speed in 1980 and 1981 cars. That means the 185hp twin-cam straight-six here probably has its progress hampered just a touch.
The “sunshades” on the SLC’s C-pillars have always looked a bit funny to me, and the wheelbase a bit on the long side.
The interior was nothing short of spotless, and the steering wheel lock enormous.
Of course, not long after I was out taking these photos, this happened:
The heavens opened and it started to snow again. Apparently, there’s only so much a single green Mercedes can do.
[Images: Copyright 2012 Hooniverse/Antti Kautonen]
Leave a Reply