Mercedes-Benz SLK celebrates 20 years

The Mercedes-Benz SLK is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year. Even as the new SLC is set to hit the roads, the SLK is an important part of the German car maker’s history.

The Mercedes-Benz SLK was first introduced in April 1996 at the 66th Turin Motor Show. The new car (codename R 170) was the first roadster offered by Mercedes below the SL sportscar. The SLK came with a folding metal roof and with the sporty styling, was an instant success even with female drivers. The first gen SLK that was built between 1996 and 2004 sold over 3,11,000 units worldwide. The R170 was offered in two variants, the SLK200 and the SLK230 Kompressor (supercharged). Mercedes-Benz gave the car a facelift in the year 2000 and introduced the SLK320 with a six cylinder petrol engine with 218 horsepower. The range topping model was trhe SLK32 AMG that developed 354 horsepower and came with a 5 speed automatic gearbox. 

Mercedes-Benz launched the second generation R 171 SLK in 2004 with styling elements from the SLR McLaren and McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 cars. The model range comprised of the SLK200 K, the SLK350 and the SLK55 AMG which came with a V8 engine and 360 horsepower. An SLK 280 was also launched in 2005. Bootspace also went up to 208 litres in the second gen car. The R 171 got a facelift in 2008 with some changes to the exterior and interior.

The third generation SLK was launched in 2010 and was codenamed the R 172. For the first time, the SLK now also got a diesel variant called the 250 CDI. With the company’s new nomenclature, the SLK now lives on as the SLC. It is built at the Mercedes-Benz factory in Bremen, Germany alongside the SL.