15″ AMG ‘Penta’ wheels for my 450SLC

I’ve been on the lookout for a different set of wheels for my 450SLC.   It is currently running a set of W126 second generation alloy wheels.  I like these wheels, but they are not quite right for the 450SLC.     My 560SEL uses these same wheels, but they are in need of refinishing.   Instead of having some of my spare W126 wheels refinished, I thought I would get a different set of wheels for the 450SLC and use the refinished W126 wheels on the 560SEL.

I thought of a few options for the SLC.

1. Standard 14″ Steel wheels with colour matched hubcaps.   These were the original wheels that came on my car.   The proper 14×6.5 wheels with the fins to cool the brakes are still available, although getting harder to find.   The tyre selection on this size of wheel is quite lacking.
2. W126 15×7 Steel wheels with colour matched hubcaps.   The colour matched hubcaps were available in 15″ for special orders, ambulances etc, but are now very very expensive.   Still, there are much better tyres in this size.
3. Standard 14×6.5 Fuchs alloy wheels.   These are the standard alloy wheels for the period.   I have a set of copy wheels in this size, but I’ve never liked this wheel and they have the same tyre availability issues as the 14″ steelies.
4. Period AMG wheels.   These came in both 15 and 16″ and a few different styles.   The most well known are the AMG “Penta” five spoke style.   I think these look great on the 107 SLC.

After considering all these options, I decided to start looking out for an original set of 15″ AMG Penta wheels.   I think the 15×7 size work much better on the 107 SLC.  They keep the ride and look better.   I am not a fan of big wheels on classic cars.    These wheels were not actually called Penta by AMG, but one of the popular replicas had that name and it stuck.

I found a set that had been refinished not so long ago on facebook marketplace.   They were exactly what I was looking for.   The only downside was they didn’t come with lug nuts or centre caps.    As they were in Melboure, it was just as well they didn’t have tyres.   It would have made the freight too expensive.

Lug bolts shouldn’t be a problem as it looks like I can use the bolts that go with the 14″ factory alloys.  I have a set of these.   Centre caps were a bit more of a challenge.   Unlike some of the copies, the original AMG wheels use a much narrower centre cap.

Surprisingly, even though they date from before AMG was acquired by Mercedes-Benz, they are still available.   The part number is H WA 201 400 01 25.   They are not cheap, but I was able to grab a set of five from the classic centre.

The next step is to choose the tyres.   This isn’t a simple as it sounds, so will be covered in the next episode.   I think they are going to look great on the car.