SLK 320

STORY

Launched in 1996, the SLK brought open-top Mercedes motoring within reach and popularised one of the great convertible ideas of its era: the folding metal roof. Its "Vario-roof" tucked a solid steel top into the boot at the touch of a button, giving the little two-seater the security and refinement of a coupé and the freedom of a roadster in around 25 seconds.

The name spelled out its brief: Sportlich, Leicht, Kurz (sporty, light, short). The compact, supercharged four-cylinder first-generation R170 was aimed squarely at rivals like the BMW Z3 and Porsche Boxster. Later generations grew more powerful and more polished, culminating in fire-breathing AMG variants.

Eventually renamed SLC to align it with the C-Class it shared parts with, the model made the retractable hardtop a mainstream feature and gave Mercedes an affordable, stylish roadster for two decades.