At the Frankfurt Motor Show IAA in September 1977 the 450 SLC 5.0, a new top model of the type range 107 was presented. The great novelty of this type was a 5.0-liter all-aluminium engine, developed from the time-tested 4.5-liter V8 with grey cast iron block. The new engine had an enlarged cubic capacity realised by reboring. It weighed 40 kg less and convinced by a higher torque and a power increase of 240 hp. The series production of 450 SLC 5.0 was taken up in May 1978. There was no counterpart in the SL roadster range. Valuable experience was gained in manufacturing the engines which was not always without problems. Since the practical testing of the production car by customers did not bring any negative surprises and all the 5-liter coupés were evaluated positively by its drivers nothing prevented the use of all-aluminium engines in the high-volume S-Class range. Therefore the low-volume model 450 SLC 5.0 functioned as a technological forerunner and pioneer for the large-scale production.

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source: Hyman Ltd