John Roncallo's Page

Well I seem to be in the midst of American Muscle cars on this forum, so I do hope I'm not offending anyone with a German car in a predominantly American forum. I have drag raced my stock 560SL "Delilah" and I do intend to bring the V-12 560SL "Samson" up to Lebanon Valley Dragway this year as well

Samson

As far as I know this is the worlds first Mercedes 107 body to be fitted with the Mercedes M120 V12 engine. This is the same base engine used in the Pagani Zonda.

http://www.classicdriver.com/uk/magazine/3200.asp?id=12413

In its base form this engine is rated at 389HP as installed in the 1996 Mercedes SL600. While its power output might seam somewhat yawnish by today's super car standards. The goal of this car is not so much an assault on power but more an assault on lifting the technology of the once world envied 107 body style into the 21 century. Had the 107 still been in production today this is about how much power it would have. Case in point the latest successor to the 107, two generations later, now the 230 body style is the SL550 with a V8 running at about 375 HP. Performance versions of the new SL are also available with over 600HP. The M120 engine offers not only what I would consider enough power, but it also offers it in such a smooth and quiet manor. The engines real market was for the cars of heads of state. The combined package of the M120 engine into a 560SL should yield the performance of today's Dodge Hemi Charger. Maybe slightly faster, maybe slightly slower but definitely with more elegance.

It all started with an internet debate. For some background The 560SL, 380SL, 450SL, 350SL and European variants 280SL, 300SL 420SL 500SL are all the same body style called the 107 body, ranging from 1972 to 1989. Here is that debate

http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=148410&highlight=M120+380SL

After a little research and purchasing a 1986 560SL and a wrecked 1996 SL600. Here is how it was made.

http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=178997

After 2 years of development, as of April 9th 2009 the car is on the road. Up until this time the fastest car I have ever driven was a BMW 750. The 750 had almost 100HP less and 500Lb heavier and that was 20 years ago. Being a little older and out of it for some time, this is going to take some getting used to. The car is like a rocket with turbine smooth power. The immediate challenge that needs to be addressed is the lack of a limited slip differential. I have a plan for that but don't have the cash at the moment.

The specifications for Samson as follows.

0-60 TBD (should be interesting)
1/4 mile 13.8 @ 102MPH 6-27-09 Lebanon Valley Dragway
Top Speed 155 mph (Limited)
Weight ~ 3770 Lb
Rear Axel 2.65:1
Trans 5 spd automatic

Delilah

Delilah is a bone stock 1988 560SL. It is powered with a 5.6L SOHC V-8 engine and produces 217 RWHP. It weighs in at ~3470 Lb. It's best time in the 1/4 mile was 15.075. You can see by my time slips that my reaction time is a bit off. There are several reasons for that # one being it was the first time I drag raced in 30 years. The Number 2 reason is that with stock mufflers and a factory dash tach and some 10 second car next to me, I had to hold power by visual que with the in dash tack only, disrupting my focus on the tree. All in all not to bad in fact I was surprised to break 16. I remember when I got to Lebanon Valley Dragway the guy at the gate told me if I do under 14 seconds I will have to wear a helmet. I told him if I do under 14 seconds I would eat it, so I was pretty happy with a low 15.

This car is an absolute blast to drive especially at high speed. It was made to cruise top down. It's autobahn gearing give it a unique feel in the 80mph pulse range. Punching the car at 80mph causes the transmission to downshift in to 3rd, placing the engine at peak power RPM of ~ 4200. From there its a rocket ride up to 6000 RPM ~123 mph, where the car shifts into 4th, pulling all the way to its aerodynamic wall.

The specifications for 560SL are generally published as follows.

0-60 8 sec
1/4 mile 16 seconds
Top Speed 137 mph
Weight ~ 3470 Lb
Rear Axel 2.47:1
Trans 4 spd automatic