Twenty-five years ago, Mercedes-Benz surprised roadster fans with its revolutionary concept: thanks to its folding vario-roof, the new SLK (R 170 model series) could transform itself from an open-top car into a coupé with a fixed, noise-insulating steel roof in less than half a minute.

It also scored heavily with a range of additional innovations, in the field of safety, for example. The SLK performed impressively in all the relevant crash tests through to the rollover test. The lightweight construction concept using magnesium, among other materials, reduced the weight of the basic version of the SLK 200 to just 1,270kg. By 2004, no less than 311,222 SLKs of the R 170 model series had been built at the Bremen plant. In a total of three generations covering the R 170, R 171 and R 172 model series, this compact open-top Mercedes-Benz roadster sold more than 710,000 units – from 2016 as the SLC. 

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