Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an extremely rare example
of this mostly all original California 'Black License Plates' 1968
Mercedes 280SL 'Pagoda' roadster with very desirable original
factory and dealer options of air conditoning, automatic
transmission, power steering, power brakes, chrome roof bars,
canvas soft top, original factory hard top and the car has its
original and very convenient and useful small third passenger
transverse seat, which was actually a factory option! The car will
be sold with all original owners manuals from the original selling
dealership and the car still boasts its original 'Dark Red' (code
542) factory color paint and Cognac interior with the original
hood, original spot welds both on the front fenders and trunk and
with obviously therefore no history of any accidents or damage and
no rust whatsoever and with believed to be an original 82K
miles!This particular example simply must be seen and driven to be
fully appreciated - it is a beautiful mostly all original car with
its original engine and correct original factory 'Dark Red' (Code
542) color paint which is now obviously beginning to show thin and
it's age in some areas and with it's correct factory original
optional hardtop and matching hubcaps and most importantly a car
that has never been hit with all it's original body panels, with
original factory spot welds and headlamp notches and it's original
factory hood and trunk lid and absolutely no rust ever!The car was
purchased some 3 years ago by only it's most recent southern
California owner from it's original long time southern California
owner and has all recent service records at a renown independent
specialist showing a new water pump and belts, new gaskets
including valve covers, fuel pump, oils and fluids changed, plugs
and wires replaced and the car therefore drives incredibly well, a
super tight driver with the transmission shifting ever so smoothly
through all the gears and with the engine extremely powerful yet
quiet and smooth.The chrome work is all excellent and the interior
is quite stunning with the dashboard perfect, the correct and
original German canvas black soft top is in very good condition
with only very minor signss of wear and the correct factory
matching 'Dark Red' hard top is also in great shape. Please note
that the car has an after market period correct retro stereo and
speakers but it's original 'Becker' radio will be sold with the car
in the trunk. It boasts a completely rust free history with its
original floors and inner and outer sills and original matching
number hood.The car is well equipped with factory clock, power
steering, power brakes, very rare air conditioning and two tops.
The engine cranks easily and drives beautifully. It runs cool, has
great oil pressure and does not smoke or leak oil. The transmission
shifts smoothly through all the gears and the brakes and suspension
are superb. The exhaust system sounds great and the car handles
beautifully. All the electrics, the lights and the gauges work
properly. The trunk has its original spare wheel and mat with
correct wheel cover and jack and rare original factory tools.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, power disc brakes on all four
corners, adjustable bucket seats, radial tires and an electric
clock! 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. Manual transmission models were
much rarer and came with the standard 4-speed or the optional ZF
5-speed, which was ordered only 882 times and thus is a highly
sought-after original option today. In Europe, manual transmissions
without air conditioning were still the predominant choice.The main
change for the 280SL model in 1967 was an upgrade from the 2,496 cc
250SL engine, which itself had been upgraded from the 2,306cc
230SL, to the 2,778 cc (2.8 L) M130 engine with 180HP which finally
gave the W 113 adequate power. The wide track and low body of the
280SL offered exceptional handling noted at the time by numerous
car magazines and publications.In 1968 some 6,930 models were built
with 3,290 of these being exported to the U.S. In 1969 8,047 models
were built with 4,102 exported to the U.S. and in 1970 some 7,935
were built with 4,992 being exported to the U.S. By 1971, the very
last year of production, only 830 cars were built with ony 520
being exported to the U.S.This particular car must be one of the
finest and extremely rarest examples of a seemingly all original
Pagoda available anywhere and a highly collectible example with
California 'Black License Plate' and boasting highly desirable
factory and dealer options includung installed air conditoning and
is a car in rare turn-key ready daily appreciating, daily driving
and daily head-turning condition!
