[R129 SL] Panorama Top

[Michael Devenis]

Finally, 4 weeks after I purchased a 1997 Panorama top on e-bay, it
arrived
at Bergwerks in a large homemade crate. The sellers brother, a
taxidermist,
had built a crate at his workshop in N.Y. Fed-ex had delivered it here
in
California in 7 days, door to door. The shipping quote of over $1000,
had
nearly choked me, but as the cost of a new one was over $10,000, I
swallowed
hard and authorized the pick-up. Imagine my surprise when Steve Lemberg
showed me the shipping bill.....They only charged me $295.00!!
   I bought this top for my 1993 600 SL withour knowing for certain if
it
would fit without modification. The local dealer was only able to
confirm
that the 9 foot long weatherstrip around the windows and over the
windscreen
had different part numbers. So I was a bit concerned about the amount of
work required to make it fit, but was willing to make the purchase,
especially with the low, low price on e-bay. Steve and Carl at Bergwerks
were willing to let me have the crate delivered to their shop where I
planned to have any necessary modifications performed.
  Steve and I carefully removed the top and sides of the crate and
detached
the top from it's pallet. A side panel had been broken upon delivery,
but
Steve had performed an inspection before signing for it, and the
precious
carge was undamaged. It looked great, dirty and dusty, the back window
was
filled with dead spiders and moths. It had obviously not been used for
years, just as the seller had stated. My car is the 1993 white with a
grey
interior, this was from a 1997 SL 500 with a black interior. The black
interior trim at 1st look seemed to be the same color as my dashboard
top,
which was my hope. We gingerly picked it up out of the crate and set it
down
on the shop floor. The locating pins seemed the same as my 1993 top, the
seals seemed to be identical to my '93 top, and the rear hook loops
though
bent seemed identical as well. We then looked at the 2 front attach
points,
my heart sank as we saw that they were very different, but it did appear
that the bracket attach screws were the same spacing. This meant that a
bracket swap would be possible.
  We cleaned the worst of the petrified bugs from the rear window and I
bent
the rear brackets back into approximate straightness. I helped Steve
pick up
the top and we carried it over to my car where it dropped neatly into
place.The front hooks seemed to line up, but the pin behind the right
door
was misaligned by  the tiniest fraction of an inch, a gentle push on the
structure and it popped into place. Just on a whim I pushed the button
on
the console, the motors whirred and the top locked down in place like a
rifle bolt clicking into battery. I couldn't believe it!!! These tops
are
supposedly custom built to the individual vehicle.........Obviously the
tolerences held on the production line are close enough  to allow this
top
to fit my generic chassis.
  Carl and Steve then began closely looking over the fit and finish.
Carl
noticed at once that the color was slightly different and soon found
that
the top seal had a large v-shaped gap where the top met the windscreen.
It
was not quite a break in the sealing, but there was a 1/2 inch wedge
missing
leaving very little rubber in contact with the window edge at this
point.
The only thing to do was take it out on the highway and see what
happened. I
helped the guys at Bergwerks store my crate and headed out on the
freeway at
4:30 on a Friday afternoon. I live about 6 miles down the 101 from the
shop
and the commuter traffic was pretty dense and it was only in the last
mile
before my exit that the traffic flow accellerated on  up to 85 mph.
   It was dead silent, not a whisper, much less a whistle, quieter than
my
original all aluminum top. The full glass roof was amazing!! Although it
has
a very dark tinted glass installed it was very open and airy from
inside.
The OAT was almost 100F but the a/c had no trouble keeping the cockpit
cool,
the tint kept the sun's heat off my head, but let the light shine in.
The
side windows behind the seats are approx. 5 inches wider on this top
than on
my '93 giving a more open and airy feel. This alone is a big improvement
over the '93, but factor in a roof that is glass from the top of the
windscreen all the way back to the trunk lid and you can appreciate the
difference. There is only a thin member across the rear of the top above
the
line of sight of the mirror thus the effect is of complete openness.
   So was it worth it? Well, financially, it was a bargain: around $2200
all
in, and I still have my old top to sell to lower that a bit more. They
seem
to be worth around $500 or so here in LA. The dealer's parts dept quoted
a
price of "around $15,000" for a new Panorama but could only place the
order
if my VIN number showed a Panorama as original fitment. The more rounded
profile of the roof has subtly changed the stance of the car, it seems
sleeker somehow, more contemporary, a look I like.......The interior
environment is totally transformed, a vast improvement, even the black
trim
of the top complement the grey of the interior. All in all it was well
worth
all the stress and the 30 day wait.
  Anyone want to buy a white 1993 R129 top? Excellent condition, light
usage, motivated seller?