Germany · Series-production launch in 1996; original R 170 phase ran through February 2000

Mercedes-Benz SLK 230 Kompressor (R 170)

The first SLK could change from a snug steel-roof coupé to an open two-seat roadster, while a supercharger helped its four-cylinder engine pull hard.

Compact roadsters

1997 SLK 230 Kompressor representative · Photo shows Same R170 generation and exact SLK 230 Kompressor trim, photographed as a 1997 car; it represents the 1996 launch profile and is not claimed as a 1996 chassis..
1997 Mercedes-Benz R170 SLK 230 Kompressor, front right, 07-28-2024.jpg · Ethan Llamas · CC BY-SA 4.0

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A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.

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A place in vehicle history

More than a set of wheels.

Mercedes-Benz showed an SLK study in 1994, revealed the production R 170 at Turin in April 1996 and launched it that autumn. Its signature vario-roof folded a steel roof into the boot, offering open-air driving without leaving a fabric roof exposed when parked. The SLK 230 Kompressor paired that idea with a supercharged 2.3-litre engine, compact dimensions and structural reinforcements developed specifically for an open body.

Look a little closer.

SLK abbreviates the German words for sporty, light and short—and the car was under four metres long.

Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.

One roof, two kinds of car

The vario-roof was not a removable panel. Electrohydraulic hardware folded the steel roof into the boot, giving owners the weather sealing of a coupé and the open sky of a roadster in one car.

Source: Mercedes-Benz Public Archive · 170 series SLK ↗

A roadster needed hidden strength

Without a fixed roof, the floor, sills, tunnel and cross-members had to resist bending. Mercedes also nested reinforcing tubes in the A-pillars and used an ellipsoid bulkhead to manage frontal forces while protecting the footwell.

Source: Mercedes-Benz Public Archive · 170 series SLK ↗

Where these facts come from

Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 2, 2026.

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