Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an extremely rare barn
find (garage really!) of this mostly all stock and original 1967
Mercedes 230SL 'Pagoda' roadster in 'Papyrus White' color paint
with a 'Black' interior with very desirable original factory
options of the 4 speed manual transmission, power steering,
original 'Becker Europa AM/FM' radio, factory clock, and a fairly
new German matching 'Black' canvas soft top! Recently purchased
from its long time recent family owners who had stored the car in
their garage for the last couple of years and which we recently
purchased and had serviced at our preferred independent Mercedes
specialists. The power brake booster and front brakes were
replaced, the ignition coil and the distributor, all fluids were
changed as were all drive belts. The car now runs very well with no
known issues and is an absolute pleasure to drive. This particular
example presents a wonderful opportunity for the Mercedes
enthusiast to either collect and enjoy today as a superb example of
a very original and stock Pagoda with desirable options or the
perfect candidate to restore fully - regardless it is simply one
very original and great daily driving SL for any classic car lover
- the car has been repainted and the car still sports its matching
hubcaps and has only very minor imperfections or flaws in the
paintwork. The chrome work is all excellent and the original
interior is in exceptional shape for its age, all the gauges and
switches and levers are in very good shape, the original dashboard
and wood is all very good and the original seats and carpets show
only very minor wear. The car also boasts its original 'Becker
Europa' radio and clock and a newly fitted 'Black' German canvas
factory soft top.By 1963 the 190SL (Super Light) and the 300SL
Roadster were neither Super or Light and the 190SL was simply too
heavy to compete with the likes of even the British MG or Triumph
and completely underpowered compared to the Austin-Healeys or
Jaguars. Mercedes had two choices, either return to the premise of
the original 300SL and build another pure sports car or create a
new grand touring sports car that would continue the reputation of
the SL's as touring cars rather than super racing cars. Mercedes
chose the latter with a compromise between the 190 and 300 with the
introduction of the W113 platform 230SL which was a two-seat
roadster/coupe, introduced at the 1963 Geneva Motor Show and the
series was continued through 1971.Like the Gullwing before it, the
230SL had a distinguishing feature which was its removable hardtop
with a distinctive dip in its center to offer tall windows to
create a better balanced side view and more headroom for passengers
getting in and out while still maintaining a low sporty roofline
from the front and rear and which earned the car the nickname
'Pagoda' roof. It also proved an efficient way to remove rainwater
and channel it away from the car. Top speed was about 115mph which
was better than the 190SL but not in the same class as the
300SL.All models were equipped with an inline-six cylinder engine
with multi-port fuel injection. The hood, trunk lid, door skins and
tonneau cover were all made of aluminum to reduce weight. The
comparatively short and wide chassis, combined with an excellent
suspension, powerful brakes and radial tires gave the W113 superb
handling for its time. The styling of the front, with its
characteristic upright Bosch 'fishbowl' headlights and simple
chrome grille, dominated by the large three-pointed star in the
nose panel, paid tribute to the then already legendary 300 SL
roadster.The 280 SL was introduced in December 1967 and continued
in production through 23 February 1971, when the W113 was replaced
by its successor, the entirely new and substantially heavier R107
350 SL. Over the years, the W113 evolved from a sports car into a
comfortable grand tourer and US models were by then usually
equipped with the 4-speed automatic transmission and air
conditioning. In Europe, manual transmissions without air
conditioning were still the predominant choice.
