Vehicle Description
This 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280SL is finished in Medium Blue and comes with 2 Tops, 4 speed Automatic transmission, and air conditioning. Most importantly, it comes from one long term owner who kept it in amazingly fine, original condition.
With acknowledgements to Wikipedia, and for those not familiar with the Mercedes-Benz W113, this elegant car is a two-seat roadster/coupé, introduced at the 1963 Geneva Motor Show, and produced from 1963 through 1971. It replaced both the legendary 300 SL and the 190 SL. Of the 48,912 W113 SLs produced, 19, 440 were sold in the US.
A signature of the W113 is its distinctive, slightly concave hardtop, which inspired the "Pagoda" nickname. All models were equipped with an inline-six cylinder engine with multi-port fuel injection. The bonnet, trunk lid, door skins and boot cover were 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. The styling of the front, with its upright headlights and simple chrome grille, dominated by the large three-pointed star in the nose panel, paid homage to the legendary 300 SL roadster.
W 113 SLs were typically configured as a "Coupe/Roadster" with a soft-top and an optional removable hardtop.
The W 113 was the first sports car with a "safety body," based on Bela Barényi's extensive work on vehicle safety: It had a rigid passenger cell and designated crumple zones with impact-absorbing front and rear sections built into the vehicle structure. The interior was "rounded," with all hard corners and edges removed. The W113 was the first Mercedes-Benz with radial tires.
The 280 SL was the last iteration of this design and was introduced in December 1967 and continued in production through 23 February 1971, when the W 113 was replaced by its successor, the substantially bulkier R107 350 SL. Over the years, the W 113 evolved from a sports car into a comfortable grand tourer; US models were usually equipped with the 4-speed automatic transmission and air conditioning. Of the 23,885 280SLs produced, about half were sold in the US.
The main change for the 280SL was an upgrade to the 2,778 cc (2.8 L) M130 engine with 170 hp maximum power and 180 ft/lb maximum torque, which gave the W113 ample power. The performance improvement was achieved by increasing bore. Each engine was now bench-tested for two hours prior to being fitted, so their power specification was guaranteed.
The M130 engine marked the final evolution of Mercedes-Benz' venerable SOHC M180 inline-six. Mercedes' aim with the W113 was to create a very safe and fast sports car with high performance, which despite its sports characteristics, provides a very high degree of traveling comfort.
For those of you who are familiar with the 280SL, it is a rare occurrence when one finds an original owner car, especially one as desirable as this model has become. This is a close to one owner as it gets. The car was owned by a New Hampshire family who were true “snow-birds,” spending summers in New England and winters in Florida, where this car was originally purchased. They took the SL back and forth each season on the car train and maintained it carefully and correctly. Other than some paint and a new top, the car is virtually all original… all original sheet metal and floors, original interior (!), original color, original drivetrain, and all original documents, tools, etc. Every panel has the original stamped number that matches the body number on the data plate. The delicate creases around the headlight eyebrows are there, even the mat in the trunk is original.
As you would expect with such an original car, there are extensive books and records to go with the full complement of papers that came with the car (owner's manual, radio instructions, build sheet card, extensive service records, and much more.) These records indicate that the car had a top-end rebuild at 94k miles at a $6600 cost. The odometer shows around 10k, so we can safely assume that the chassis has around 110k miles total lifetime. The engine runs strong and without smoke; it neither burns nor consumes oil, the transmission shifts crisply with no slippage; the suspension has been serviced including new Bilstein shocks so that she rides perfectly without any rattles or sloppiness and corners without excessive roll.
Full disclosure: I said “as close” to one owner, since I purchased it from a respected 190SL/280SL expert restorer, who bought it from the original owner. He realized that there was no reason to restore a car of this quality and originality, and was so impressed with the rust-free body and the original condition of all the panels and floors, that he sold it to me without touching it. To effect the transfer, I asked him to title the car in Florida, as NH is not a title state. He did not register it, but technically that makes him a legal owner, even if only for a few days.
I proceeded to detail the car with elbow grease and TLC, taking care not to detract from the original nature of the car. I am a collector and enjoy excellent originals even more than restored cars, where the quality of the restoration may hide extensive repairs under clearcoats and wax. SL's were rust prone, so most have had serious rust repair. I prefer an excellent, unrestored, original sheet metal car over a repaired rusty specimen any day, no matter how well the work was done. That's just me, but apparently the market seems to be bearing me up.
For more information or to discuss interesting exchanges, please call Michael at 631 553 5300.
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