So erm, are SLK 320's unpopular?

[Derek Smith]

I went from a TVR Chimaera - V8 engine, tuned, with no driver aids, not even instruments that told you what was happening with any accuracy. I have two broken vertebrae and this means I have problems declutching so I had to go for an auto.

I chose an 171 SLK 350 and there's no doubt that both cars are aimed at the enthusiast. I drove a 320 and I was impressed, although the gearbox on the 171 was the clincher for me.

I wrote an article on it for another club: Read it here

And for those who are wondering which car has the most macho drivers, can you see what car, hood up, is in the background?

 

[Lemons]

Hi Derek, just a few miles up the M23 from you

Likewise I've also got a Lotus Elise so no driver aids, or other 'tools' to keep me safe. Luckily I'm spineless so the elise hasn't ruined me yet! Always popping into my local TVR garage (Austec Racing) and keep toying with the idea of swapping the elise for a T350

Still love the SLK for all the same reasons you mention. I just couldn't spend more than £2500 as it's for a charity challenge (www.lemons365.co.uk)

 

[Derek Smith]

Hi Derek, just a few miles up the M23 from you

Likewise I've also got a Lotus Elise so no driver aids, or other 'tools' to keep me safe. Luckily I'm spineless so the elise hasn't ruined me yet! Always popping into my local TVR garage (Austec Racing) and keep toying with the idea of swapping the elise for a T350

Still love the SLK for all the same reasons you mention. I just couldn't spend more than £2500 as it's for a charity challenge (www.lemons365.co.uk)

The T350 was/is my favourite TVR. It is a delight to drive. It made me think I was a good driver.

We took a brand new one, 1650 miles on the clock, to Spa for a Le Mans Endurance race. One problem was that it was very difficult to judge the speed I was going at as, used to the Chimaera, I normally went by the considerable number of audible and vibrational signals. For the T350, you were up 'at the legal limit' in no time at all and it was as noisy as being at the lights.

And how about this for a coincidence: 'our' car was the T350T demonstrator. At that time only one other T350T was registered for the road. When we went for a parking space at Spa on the Saturday, the only other T350T beat us to it.



Ours is the yellow one. The one you can't miss.

Whilst the reputation for unreliability was not wholly deserved, if something did go wrong then there's every chance it would run into multiple thousands to repair.

The irony is that in 7 years of ownership of the Chim I bought a boot strut and when I was told one rear caliper needed replacing due to a faulty handbrake, I bought two. In the first year of ownership of my SLK the plate went in the gearbox, the heater motor was replaced and the balance shaft gear went.

I used Austec when I had my Chim and when I wrote a book on the RV8 engine, they striped one down for me to photograph. I got on well with Paul and Martin. Nice blokes, and you could talk to them without feeling they were patronising you.

I've just had a look on the Le Mons site (awful pun!). Interesting.

 

[Howard]

There's been one on our drive for the last 10 years.

Can't they fix it ?

 

[Derek Smith]

There are high performance cars without driver aids,

And then there's: