To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The
Elkhart Collection event, 23 - 24 October 2020.
Estimate:
$90,000 - $120,000
- European-delivery model with more attractive headlights
- Retains its original engine with a factory four-speed manual
transmission
- Features blue soft top and removable 'Pagoda' hardtop
- Well-presented cosmetic restoration
In 1963 Mercedes-Benz introduced the 230 SL on the new W113 chassis
to replace the expensive 300 SL and affordable 190 SL of the 1950s.
It was an attractive compromise of performance and affordability
penned by designer and artist Paul Bracq with tradition-breaking
straight fender lines. The light and airy detachable hardtop with
its concave roof, created by reinforcing ridges running front to
back on the outside edges, was the source of the 'Pagoda'
nickname.
The 230 SL was replaced in 1967 with the interim 2.5-liter 250 SL,
and then in 1968 by the 280 SL with its more powerful 2.8-liter
inline six-cylinder engine. The W113-chassis 280 SL would stay in
production for three years before Mercedes-Benz replaced it with
the R107-chassis SLs.
According to a previous owner, this European-delivery 280 SL was
bought by a US serviceman in the late 1970s and was imported to the
United States upon his return in the early 1980s. It was eventually
inherited by one of that gentleman's family members, who drove it
occasionally for many years. It was refinished in the original
color, Papyrus White, about five years ago, and acquired for the
current collection in 2017.
In addition to its original engine and the desirable four-speed
transmission, the car also retains the sought-after one-piece
European headlamps, front fender turn-signal reflectors, and less
the US-mandated bumper guards. The dark blue soft top remains in
good condition, and the interior was recently replaced by a marque
specialist in the original color; the dashboard is original and in
good order aside from some light separation of the woodwork. The
factory steel wheels with their color-matched hubcaps are still in
fine shape. In addition, the trunk contains the original full-size
spare.
In sum, this is an ideal 280 SL to drive and enjoy.To view this car
and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM
website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/el20.