Desert storm in the Mercedes 500 SL Rallye

German engineering meets nature’s might when a Mercedes-Benz 500 SL Rallye endures the blistering sun of the Californian desert...

The Californian desert is no place for the faint-hearted. The temperatures drop below freezing at night and climb up to 50 degrees Celsius by day – only cactuses thrive in this climate… oh, and a 1980 R107 500 SL Rallye. Unusual as it seems, this Mercedes-Benz classic tackled the strains of desert life remarkably well during a 14-hour photo shoot. At the wheel sat Constantin von Klageneck of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center USA, with a host of photographers plus a hexacopter drone hard on the 500 SL’s tail. But see for yourself, and have a peek at this video of the R107 drifting along rough desert paths – man, machine and nature in perfect harmony. 

Text: Frank Diebel

Photos: Mercedes-Benz

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