Vehicle Description
Good old tired car - it would love you to give it a full
restoration! 6 Cylinder, 2308 cc with Bosch fuel Injection. Only
4,945 ever made in 1966.
The "Pagoda" SL has become regarded as one of the finest cars to
come from the Stuttgart firm, with timeless, graceful styling,
spirited performance and handling, and build quality and
reliability second to none.
With production of both the 300SL and the 190SL cars coming to an
end in 1963, Mercedes needed a new car to carry the SL (Sehr Leicht
- Very Light) torch. The 230SL used clean, elegant lines,
intelligent placement of the wheels in proportion to the rest of
the design, and a tall, "pagoda" removable hard top that allowed
for ease of ingress and egress.
The monocoque chassis was borrowed from the 220 series design, with
front suspension courtesy of coils and wishbones and the rear
incorporating a single-pivot swing axle and transverse springs set
up to compensate for camber. Girling disc brakes stopped the front
wheels, and power assisted drums worked the rear.
The overhead-cam inline-6 engine was bored out to 2.3 liters and
Bosch fuel injection was incorporated as well giving a significant
boost over the 190SL. A 4 speed manual transmission was standard,
though a new 4-speed automatic was optional, a first for Mercedes
sports tourers of this nature.
