Driver's Notebook: Brabus SV-12
October 1, 2003
1963 203SL RALLYE: ONE OF THE FIRST 'TUNED' SLS
Forty years ago, the 1963 230SL made its debut as the second generation of the Mercedes-Benz SL—Sport Licht (light)—sports car series. It replaced both the 190SL and the legendary 300SL. Because of the distinctive curve of its roof that bowed down toward the middle, the 230SL was nicknamed the “Pagoda.”
This was long before tuners like AMG and Brabus, but the late Mercedes racing manager Karl Kling, spurred on by his world-champion rally driver Eugen Bohringer, saw to it that a high-performance variant of the Pagoda was unleashed almost before the paint was dry on the first batch of production cars. Bohringer had decided (rightly so, as it turned out) that the lightweight two-seater would be the perfect vehicle to handle both the rocky, mountain trails and the paved highways that accounted for the 6,600 kilometers (4,092 miles) of the Spa-Sofia-Liege marathon rally.
Modifications to the stock 2.3-liter, 150-hp 6-cylinder were limited by regulations to a fine-tuned fuel-injection system, slightly oversized pistons, and a freer breathing exhaust that upped the output to 165 hp. The chassis was beefed up and further stiffened by bolting on a hard top. Changes underneath included stiffer shocks and protective skid plates. Eschewing the stock 14-inch wheels, Bohringer used 15-inch wheels for added clearance off-road, changing to 13-inch wheels for better acceleration on pavement. The strategy worked to give the 230SL a surprise win over the Saab and Austin-Healey teams that dominated rallying at the time.
advertisement
