Mercedes-Benz does not build many cars like the Mercedes-Benz R129: a 2-seater convertible with 2.8 L Mercedes-Benz M104 engine, built from 1988 to 2001 in the age of turbocharging and the first electronic engine management. Its designer of record is Bruno Sacco (1985, 1986).
The background
The Mercedes-Benz R129 SL is a roadster which was produced by Mercedes-Benz from 1988 until 2001. The R129 replaced the R107 in 1989 and was in its turn replaced by the R230 SL-Class in 2002 for the 2003 model year.
The R129 was offered as a two-door roadster with an automated (electro-hydraulic), fabric convertible roof; colour-matched, automated tonneau cover; and a manually detachable hardtop that could be fitted over the stored fabric convertible roof and tonneau. It was available with a variety of powertrains across its twelve-year production, including a V12 option used in the SL600.
The engineering
Under the skin sits 2.8 L Mercedes-Benz M104 engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. The gearbox is a 5-speed manual transmission / manual / 4-speed Mercedes-Benz 4G-Tronic transmission / 4G-Tronic Automatic transmission / automatic / 5-speed 4G-Tronic 722.5 automatic / 5-speed Mer. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 99.0 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
Where it sits in Mercedes-Benz's history is not in doubt: the Mercedes-Benz R107 came before it; the Mercedes-Benz R230 followed it; it was built at Bremen. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Mazda MX-5, the Ferrari F40, the Lexus LS. Its Mercedes-Benz stablemates include the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and the Mercedes-Benz C124.
The money
There is no federal ownership record for the Mercedes-Benz R129 — it predates the complaint database or was never sold in the United States — so MotorJury publishes no running-cost figure for it. For a car of this age the price is set by the collector market and the condition of the individual example, not by a formula.