As an owner of one with a much better, updated transmission, I can say for 100% sure that 6.4 seconds is a very, very conservative posted 0-60 time for the V8. 6.4 seconds 0-60 is LS430 speed and the Benz would obliterate it at any speed.

It's under six seconds 0-60 for sure, positively. I've never owned a car that you have to take your foot off the gas if you start having fun because you're gaining speed so fast.

Car and Driver tested a 600SL and got reallllly good numbers.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...y-the-numbers/

 

You have to remember that in those days, C&Ds 0-60 was actually 3-60. So that 5.5 3-60 is probably more like 5.8 0-60. In that vein, I could see a half-second gap between the V8 and V12.

 

Right. I've seen a pull of a 600 past 100MPH and it's kind of insane. But the V8 is no slouch. We were up to 125 the other day effortlessly.

 

This goes to show you that Lexus was nowhere near the class of a Mercedes-Benz

C & D does say this.

 

Oh yes they were.

The only thing the Lexus lacks is giving you the man to machine connection that a sporty European car does, even if said LS is still extremely, extremely lovely to drive.

The passion all starts with the Mercedes the second you turn the key and hear the German high torque starter whirl. It's hard to explain. In that aspect, Lexus is lacking. But build quality, materials, and luxury? Takes a back seat to nobody, at least an LS430.

 

Oh yeah also the V12 made it really heavy, but they're wrong about the V8 performance. SL500 is wayyyy faster than 6.5 seconds 0-60 ("a second slower than the V12"). Wayyyy faster.

 

‘Just look at the engine offerings at the time. The HP rating. Did Lexus even have a convertible in the 1990s?

 

Its clearly some sort of flaw in how they design their blades, and there is no aftermarket option if you have magic vision control like I do.

They chattered before that. I literally tried everything people on the forums try.

Blemishes can be fixed, mileage can't be changed. Somebody who wants a garage queen that will never be a driver absolutely wants one with low mileage like that. If that wasn't true, people wouldn't pay a premium for them.

 

True, Lexus had nothing close to an R129 competitor but that was about it, everything else it had covered.

 

The 500SL had the 4 speed transmission. That is likely behind the slower acceleration figure compared to your SL500.

 

‘Lexus also lacked a flagship coupe on the merits of Mercedes like this. A SC300/400 are not in this class

 

MB should have never discontinued the mono blade, even though it never went on an S-Class. That Monoblade is one of the coolest engineering feats I've ever seen in a car.


If people want true true garage queens, they don't want ones with blemishes at all to begin with. Nothing they're gonna buy they are gonna want to have to "fix" when they're paying the big bucks like that. That SL600 Jill posted looked unremarkable, low mileage and all.

Doesn't change the fact that the #1 killer of an R129 is to not drive it (semi often-often). Like I said, people buy these low mileage ones and get stuck with $20k in repairs and maintenance because the car hasn't been used. More power to them if they want low low miles, but that's not ideal for an owner who wants one of these to drive and enjoy. As far as I'm concerned, if I keep driving my SL often like I do, I really don't expect any significant mechanical problems. It's very solid. 6k miles a year is my goal. Sometimes I'll drive it 7 days a week, now that it's colder just every couple days or so.

 

Motorweek got 5.9 seconds and a 100MPH trap speed in 1989 with the 4 speed lol.

It's all very nonsensical. So many different numbers all over the place.


But look at those glorious burnouts, lol. It does have the power to do all that easily.

 

It's more difficult to roll back mileage with modern electronic digital odometers than with the old mechanical ones........but by no means impossible. It is still being done with some used-vehicle sales.

 

I wonder how on earth they do it with digital. Like how you would reset 155k miles from my LS430?

With the old analog, "lines" would appear between the numbers if the ODO was tampered with. At least it was designed that way.