Electric Mercedes R107

It's time to give a tour around one of our Mercedes R107 electric conversions. This time it's a 1974 Mercedes 350SL that we converted to electric back in 2019 and is about to go off to it's new owner in Jersey.
Unfortunately the weather was atrocious the day of filming so we couldn't take it out for a spin, but we've included some footage at the end of another electric Mercedes R107 we filmed last year in the sunshine.
The car has been beautifully restored by: www.theslshop.com/
It has an air cooled dual HPEVS AC34 motor which has the same torque as the original V8 and feels very similar to drive from that perspective, coupled to a Mazda MX5 gearbox. The Tesla 53 kWh battery pack should be good for about 150 mile range.
Hopefully the owner will get more sunny days in Jersey than we have in Wales to enjoy that wind in your hair smooth electric motoring that this car is so perfect for.

[@peterjol]

I have always thought that car has a stand out in the crowd, 'classy' look to it and it never goes away no matter how much time passes.

[@captainashcam]

We had a mid-80s 6-cylinder SL when I was young. Top down, stopped at traffic lights, it was so quiet you couldn’t even hear if the engine was running. Amazing car.

[@rocklover7437]

Great place to live Jersey and have a electric car .No silly range battery pack needed .

[@georgedaville4662]

The ultimate cruiser Richard, I cannot think of another car out there that can “waft” like the Mercedes SL. On my want list when the lottery drops for me 😊

[@duncanwallace7760]

I remember as a kid being very impressed when one of these went past. it is still a beautiful vehicle today, more so that it's electric!

[@TheSimonhammond]

Don't forget Hart To Hart! These are perfect for EVing.

[@spudproductions7606]

Well remembered 👍😀

[@Vegplot]

Beautiful elegant car.

[@jamesellsworth9673]

You have made a fine automobile even better.

[@chroniclesofanamateur]

It will be cool when Battery boxes become things of beauty. Am sure some creative modders / customisers will come up with some fun designs that might eventually inspire car makers to make battery boxes worth opening a bonnet to see.

[@acefoxuk]

One of my favourite cars, glad it's been improved with one of your convertions 👌🏻😎🇬🇧

[@Hybridog]

I have a theory. Conversions like this will open the door for a lot of reluctant vintage car buyers (like me). Why? A lot of people would love to have a car like this, but worry about engine parts availability, repairs, breakdowns etc. Plus, for me a really big factor is that a car from this era with the original engine, pollutes HUNDREDS of times more than a modern ICE engine with contemporary pollution control systems. I'm not cool with that. So the market for conversion is probably very promising (good for Moggy) and the price of old cars just might be going up - even more than normal.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Very true. 👍

[@roi354]

The problem with this is always going to be cost. Your comment about pollution may be valid but you'll be doing a couple of thousand miles in your weekend classic vs 10/12/15k miles in your daily runner, so the volume of pollution over a year will be negligible. Add the cost to convert to EV and it just won't make sense. I'd love an R107 and might take the plunge this year. I'd also love for it to be electric, but that additional cost just wouldn't be worth it over the price of petrol for those few sunny miles it would do. A specialist will always be able to fix it no matter what parts are available as they'll have contacts for spares, either manufacturer or aftermarket.

[@spyroskoukidis7461]

You can just engine swap it and dont worry about the pollution and parts avaliability , but converting a beautiful classic in a ev its a sin

[@JonathanEzor]

Same here.

[@simonpaine2347]

​@@spyroskoukidis7461I can see how you might think that it's a sin, but surely surely it must be a bigger sin to keep using a heavily polluting car, designed before we were all aware that driving such gas guzzling cars was going to be partly responsible for so many health issues 20 or 30 years later?

[@williamstachour4019]

Genteel sporty cruising. Perfection. Can’t be beat!

[@zapfanzapfan]

Looks much better than the new electric cars from Mercedes.

[@bfelten1]

It's a gorgeous restoration of the car. Unfortunately, giving it a new paint job usually means losing the characteristic black double stripes, with the top stripe twice the width of the lower one. Fortunately, my '77 450SL import from Buffalo, NY, still has the original paint job (with all the minor blemishes), including those stripes. They are indeed a piece of art. Legend has it that the same guy handpainted them on all the W107s that left the factory. It takes a steady hand, and plastic tape would look different I know, stupid detail, and I am truly envious. I'd like nothing more than to have the old, tired, 20 l/100 km polluting V8 and the three-speed automatic replaced by a couple of fat Tesla motors and batteries. At any cost -- just keep my stripes... 😄

[@simonpaine2347]

My mum had a 230SL back in the day. I managed to try it out a few times, (without permission!) and absolutely loved it, even though if it scared the bee jeezus outa me!

[@dangreasley7934]

Beautiful car and a great conversion. Well done chaps

[@deltajohnny]

What a pristine car and conversion! 😍😍😍

[@nickgeorgiakakis7249]

Mercedes made some beautiful cars during this era, along with the R107 I really love the 560SEC, always thought that both cars would be a perfect candidate for an electric swap.

[@motorv8N]

Gorgeous car - thanks for posting!

[@garmar704]

I had a 1970 Mercury Cougar XR7 with the low down floaty feeling :) Loved that car

[@mrmawson2438]

Hello guys just had my tea

[@scubatrucker6806]

Gorgeous car❤. I think Hart to Hart show had a red one also❤

[@deanmcmanis9398]

Well it is a rare rainy day in normally sunny Northern California today. But the rest of our warm sunny days here would beckon you (and that beautiful EV converted convertible SL) on a breezy tour of twisty, tree-lined mountain roads, leading down to a nearby beach town, to relax for a while in the sun soaked sand. If you do get inspired to open a California branch conversion shop here in the future, don't forget about me and my 1960 Karmann Ghia convertible.

[@locknut5382]

Those are arguably the best-looking and most comfortable Mercs ever made. It would have been great for you to have the chance to take it for a spin. But the 'Liquid Silver', as they call it in North Wales, put paid to that! Thanks for showing it, Richard. 🙂👍

[@RealBLAlley]

Beautiful restoration and conversion. Those MX-5 gearboxes are tight, like flipping a switch back and forth.

[@brucewatt1032]

I’d like to learn a little more about your racing days - both of you. It builds a better understanding of your love of internal combustion engines and your desire to save the most beautiful cars by electrification, rather than seeing them eventually taken off the road in a decade or two. The R107 is one of my favourite Mercedes - those lines between the wheel arches are classic ❤️ Obviously this was at the same time I was driving around in a MK2 Ford Escort, which was awesome for me at the time, because that was all I could afford 😆

[@89five3five]

I second that thought of moving to California. We need you over here converting cars mate.

[@nipperdawg1865]

There is a company in ca that doea this too

[@john_barnett]

@@nipperdawg1865 EVWest doesn't compare

[@rollingstocks]

I would LOVE to see an SL R230 converted into a coil-over suspension, electric vehicle. That would eliminate many of the problems with that amazing car.

[@jonathantaylor1998]

Stunning car, Richard and Tim and no doubt even more stunning to drive along in refined silence, with just the sound of nature (thankfully, not rain storms...!) as companion. The R107 takes me back to my first motortrade job at a Mercedes dealer in Sheffield back in the mid-80s. The MD ran a Blue Black metallic / Cream leather 320SL and, very kindly, allowed me to borrow it one weekend to take my girlfriend - now wife of 34 years - on the date where I proposed... Don't know whether it was me or the car, but, thankfully, she said "Yes"...! 🥂

[@ThomasWilliams-ee6li]

I had a 77 and it was a rolling tank. You picked a heavy car to start with.

[@gazfish]

Used to have one of these and the engines were from another era, heavy iron lumps with very little power. Looked a lot better than they drove.

[@cinchan04]

Awesome Conversion.. Watching from the Philippines 🇵🇭

[@spudproductions7606]

Welcome 👍😀

[@distantcomets]

So beautiful. This is what EV conversions are all about. Beautiful, historical examples that deserve to run clean and last for another 40 or 50 years.

[@WisePlagueis]

Me literally yesterday morning : I wonder if someone tried to convert one of those cool old Mercs Electric Classic Cars :

[@bettyswallocks6411]

Rain? In Wales? Surely not!

[@achmadosman9807]

Lovely looking car. Great conversation. If that were mine, I would just add a new headlamp conversion. Perhaps a blanked out carbon fibre grill.

[@michaelkim3432]

While I do like the R107, I think I prefer the R129. More modern but still got that Mercedes bank vault feel. And - YES - I wish you would move to California!

[@raysville7256]

A sublime choice

[@michaelbedard7859]

Gorgeous car.😊

[@EdWittering]

Beautiful job Richard, as always. I would love to know, will we ever see the Jensen?

[@rbcrain2469]

I wish you would move to California, we have a 1999 SLK that I would love to convert

[@genestatler2514]

Wow!!! What a gorgeous car Richard and even better yet since it's electric!!! Keep those beautiful conversions coming. All the best from Gene in Tennessee.

[@spudproductions7606]

Thanks Gene 👍😀

[@markwellington1254]

Mercsdes Zen! Such a beautiful car with a great job of converting it to a different great car. Always loved a great Mercedes! How about a 280 SE Coupe for a conversion. The inline 5cyl, 4 spd Merc was a Corvette Killer in my younger days.

[@bruceyoung1343]

GORGEOUS machine

[@magpie6648]

Lovely car and nice conversion❤😊 solid thump on the doors😮 my van gives a solid sounding thump when i close the doors.😂😂😂 It's the precise click of the fit that's nice.. designed and engineered with care and attention😊 electric is the way to go alright👍

[@nunofernandes4501]

Don't move to Califórnia, move to the Algarve. The weather's wonderful and you won't be taxed to death. 😉

[@patrickcorcoran4828]

Before the pandemic my career was going well and a friend who is an engineer was also doing well. We're both into EVs and were looking for an EV conversion project. An SL convertible came up for cheap because of an engine fire. I hope there is an alternate timeline version of me that was able to buy it and make the conversion.

[@robschaffer2189]

Oh my goodness... My old W123 manual is screaming for a conversion.

[@RyansuBike]

you could always move your shop to Portugal, much closer than Cali

[@mumblbeebee6546]

Only two cars for road trips if I win the lottery - electric R107 or electric Citroen DS. Wafting is what it is all about!

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

You said it's a 75 model but on a K plate...private plate?...edit, just seen the 107 lol. Don't bother answering that.😅 Beautiful car. Thanks for the upload, the SRS has now been faultless for a year btw, 3rd battery though 😉.

[@fjr1300man]

I would sure like to see a Jaguar XJS conversion

[@mrmawson2438]

I've seen it mate cheers guys

[@stuartjohnston1086]

Lovely car and nice conversion. Minor criticism is the vent removal and battery gauge on display. I don't think that's quite in character for the car.

[@thomasrump5930]

What about the merc r129? In my eyes even more sophisticated and the first series are now 30 years of age? Love the design and the change wirh/without hardtop

[@Molishious]

I'm not really a Mercedes guy, but I do like the looks of these old 350 SLs. I have looked at the Mercedes EQB and wondered why they had 3 vents in them. I guess it's just a look. I think I like it better with the gauge like you have in your conversion.

[@FordGranada75]

My 1982 R107, a 280SL, also had the manual transmission. If I had known that it could now be converted to electric I maybe wouldn't have sold it back in 2014. And there's no other car like the R107.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Manuals were quite rare. 👍

[@54mgtf22]

Much better than Clarkson’s ‘Excellent’. Great job 👍

[@spudproductions7606]

Thanks 👍😀

[@mrmawson2438]

Cracking cars

[@peterreynolds777]

Jenson Intercepter 🤔 I would love you to do one of them for me One day I’ve found one out here in Spain Decision’s Decisions 🤔

[@gillscorner794]

Nothing better than an 80's merc such a shame the accountants took over in the 90's

[@thomash2806]

I was fully expecting: “For those who don’t know Jersey is a little tax haven in the Channel.” 😂

[@MrAdopado]

I'm also a man of a certain era and also love the Mercedes design. Unfortunately my only opportunity to drive an SL (in the 1990s with a car that was long in the tooth) was one of my biggest motoring disappointments! To describe it as "tired" would be an understatement ... it was like a bag of spanners rattling and crashing, handled dreadfully and was slow. Unfortunately with that particular car "wafting" definitely wasn't on the agenda! I'm very very happy to see a lovely example here.

[@alanevanson4873]

Owned a fully restored 73 450SL in Australia and they are a joy to drive. Thats why I cannot understand why this company or people will murder a classic with battery power.. Makes no sense and hope it doesnt last long.

[@davebaker8362]

​@@alanevanson4873 these conversions cost a shed load of money so dont think it's for everyone

[@MetalMorris]

3:15 Why don't you use a Sequential manual transmission? You can keep the automatic stick (so it looks authetic) and just push forward or back to change gears. 🏎

[@posmosis63]

I would be interested to hear what would be different if you converted it today in terms of what components and could you bump the power up 300+ HP.

[@faisal-ca]

Once EV battery technology matures, I hope there will be a market for third-party sellers selling kits specific to ICE models. Customers should be able to pick a conversion kit for Benz, WV, or even Ford trucks. I would love to convert an old Chevy truck.

[@markbennett6658]

Why hasn’t somebody suggested a Triumph Stag? Smooth and wafty with lots of torque. Most are autos and they actually feel pretty solid if in good order. Wonderful on a hot summer’s day and although renowned for unreliability it was usually poor maintenance that was their downfall.

[@TheSimonhammond]

RR Corniche convertible.

[@John.0z]

I used to have a _very_ worn SL380. It had the strange combination of a huge steering wheel and power steering. It is a shame that I had to sell it, but the whole front end was about to collapse. It supposedly had only 78,000 miles on it. Someone had fiddled with the odometer.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

They do have huge steering wheels, that’s for sure. 👍

[@aliso8017]

What a lovely car and beautifully executed conversion! What about doing a Z3? Also, for similar leisure quality V8 cabrio, nothing beats an AM Volante ...

[@michellemichaels5770]

Must be true as I'm on my fourth wafter ;-)

[@snowstrobe]

I prefer the styling of the pagoda...

[@PaulM745]

If electric cars looked this good, I'd want one even more. Today's cars all look the same.

[@spencerbardell2180]

Very nice! Champion that! Pardon my ignorance, what are the charging / range numbers? Many thanks

[@Mrcurlywhirly]

Beautiful car, though i would prefer driving my old '60 Karmann Beetle for top down cruising, with the horse hair lining of the Karmann roof, and glass rear window, an improvement over the Merc. More of a go cart vs a GT cruiser.

[@darwinskeeper421]

So this car has 5 Tesla Model S modules in the front and 5 more in the back. Does that mean the front and rear packs are wired together in parallel? I don't think the HPEVS twin AC34 is meant to take 228V input.

[@seanzealony9499]

Cracking conversion on that Merc. Did you ever get around to finishing that Jenson Interceptor you had when you weighed all the parts to see if EV was heavier than original engine & gearbox etc?

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Jensen update coming soon. 👍

[@MrTubeuser12]

lots of conversions have been done with auto's and they work fine.

[@iancharlton678]

I love the work you do and look forward to each look around video……. I’m no big fan of the Ferrari flat engine in the TR, so love that conversion. I find myself straddling a fence on EV’s………. I see small plug in city cars having a glittering future, particularly if more people can access home charging at a fair rate. I love the lease of renewed life in classic cars, replacing at roughly equivalent power…….. I quite fancy a BRG MK2 Jag, lowered on wires with an adequate EV power train. Where we probably disagree is the replacement of “big” cars, MPV, SUV and executive barges, with EV power train. Range is never enough, access to affordable and reliable charging, is woeful……… and the pseudo supercar end of the market is mad and pricey. There will not suddenly be a surge in available power to charge all the projected vehicles, second hand values are tanking, EV’s are being hugely under valued, if accepted at all, as trade ins….. Many early adopters are struggling to get out of their lease deals and back to ICE vehicles…….. and, as a Recovery Operator for 35 years, we are dealing with a lot of broken or discarded EV’s, particularly ones that are hired and driven to a stand still. Like I say, I’m sure that small city EV’s and your Classics re-imagined, have a great and solid future, but not the others 🙁 I’m going to leave my twin turbo flat six Mezger device in place for the foreseeable future…….. although I may look for a MK2 to play with 🤔🇬🇧

[@alibro7512]

Had you considered a Luxus IS450h transmission for the motor? Would have given a lot more space for batteries and kept the Auto.

[@billhill4479]

Love the Merc but...............for a cruiser it's got to be American, doesn't it ? A Cadillac from 1960's . Big comfortable smooth etc. Very cool to look at. Lots of room for batteries and passengers . And the great thing is that it isn't getting 10 mpg anymore and smogging up the place.

[@spudproductions7606]

Be great to try a conversion on such a car 👍😀

[@MrSurtz]

I understand that auto transmissions don't work with an electric motor, but what about dual clutch transmissions, any ideas.

[@sch0neDK]

Join up with "Tyrrell's Classic Workshop" so we can see a test of your cars

[@grahambeyer6254]

Is there anyone converting old Cadilacs to electric? Because I think a 1988 Ford Mustang GT Convertible - Red Exterior electric converted would also be a good car to cruise in.

[@subbbass]

Jaguar XKR

[@Pajaa37]

the II. WW Tiger tank…😂😂😂😂

[@mrmawson2438]

My uncle restored a pagoda years ago

[@jeffdaniel1000]

I live in the United States and own a 1979 450SL, how. much would this cost to convert?

[@matthewdanielsiskin]

please lord how can I buy one of these from you guys??

[@sevenus82]

There is only one feeling when I see this car electrified - ENVY. :'(

[@aarongunner1711]

Can you do an update vid on the Jensen please ☺️☺️

[@spudproductions7606]

Coming soon 👍

[@bimerev]

Why don't you use lexus GS450H gearbox ? it is much better solutions for RWD

[@bryandickerson5365]

I like the idea of having gears to shift, but did you guys ever consider fitting the R107 with a Tesla motor in the back?

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Yes, but there wasn’t enough room. 👍

[@terryfleming7084]

That is one of my favorite convertibles. My uncle had one years ago. That car caught fire because of rats. That killed the car. It was sold for scrap.😢

[@timtroke]

Beautiful, but that range is just a tad tight

[@lowfuel6089]

Maybe not on Jersey though.

[@andresilva8444]

Could this be done, like so many, with a Tesla motor at the back?

[@grahambeyer6254]

Could you charge your car quicker if you had 2 sockets and extra BMI if needed?

[@geirmyrvagnes8718]

Yes. The first rule of government spending: Why buy one whey you can have two at twice the price?

[@aaaatttt101]

Be good to know how much these conversions cost.

[@geirmyrvagnes8718]

If you have to ask...

[@rollingstocks]

Is Electric Classic Cars going to offer the R107 conversion as a kit?

[@ElectricClassicCars]

It’s on the list to develope a kit at some point. 👍

[@rollingstocks]

@@ElectricClassicCars That would be awesome. R107s can still be picked up here in California relatively cheap, making it a solid choice for a lower budget EV conversion project.

[@MrFoxRobert]

👋👍