The Sidestick SL
By Frank B · June 11, 2026 · Don't Trust the Man
A technical bridge to aviation. Mercedes words not mine. I know that a few club members are pilots and I know that even more are fans of the R129 series of Mercedes' flagship SL class.In 1998, Mercedes-Benz built something that looked like a typical R129 SL from the outside—brilliant silver paint, xenon headlamps, attractive monoblock wheels. Inside, however, the steering wheel and pedals were gone entirely. What they built was a fully operational drive-by-wire testbed controlled exclusively by twin "sidesticks," a radical vision of automotive control that Mercedes engineers had been developing for years.Image: 1996 Mercedes-Benz F200 Concept (CC BY-SA 4.0, MrWalkr/Wikimedia Commons)MrWalkr - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=130670216The R129 sidestick SL emerged from the 1996 F200 Imagination concept, unveiled at the Paris Motor Show of the same year. That 394-hp, 6.0-liter V12 concept introduced Mercedes' vision for Human-Machine Interface (HMI) technology—eliminating mechanical and hydraulic linkages between driver inputs and vehicle responses. The F200 featured gullwing doors, a full-width dashboard display, and those controversial sidesticks that replaced conventional controls.Two years later, engineers transplanted this system into a production R129 chassis to conduct real-world testing. The result? Push the stick forward to accelerate, pull back to brake, move left or right to steer. Much like on a modern Airbus, this SL could be operated with either stick, allowing control to switch between the driver and passenger positions. Turn signals, horn, and other functions were integrated into buttons on the sticks themselves.Image: Sidestick R129 Interior detail (Daimler)The engineering rational was compelling. Mercedes engineers argued that their system improved reaction times and freed interior space. Electronic systems could interpret driver intent and execute commands faster than traditional mechanical linkages. Drive-by-w…