Vehicle Description
1964 Mercedes-Benz 230SL Roadster
The Mercedes-Benz W 113 is a two-seat roadster/coupe, introduced at
the 1963 Geneva Motor Show, and produced from 1963 through 1971. It
replaced both the 300SL, (W 198), and the 190SL, (W 121). Of the
48,912 W 113SLs produced, 19,440 were sold in the US. The W 113 SL
was developed under the auspices of Mercedes-Benz Technical
Director Fritz Nallinger, Chief Engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut and Head
of Styling Friedrich Geiger. The lead designers were Paul Bracq and
Bela Barenyi, who created its patented, slightly concave hardtop,
which inspired the "Pagoda" nickname.
If this writer had to pick a Mercedes Benz to take home and put in
his garage, this is definitely the "IT" car to do so. With its thin
body styling, "Pagoda top" which is virtually all glass with thin
supports, a tan canvas soft top, the large front headlights playing
with the central thin horizontal chromed tri star badged grille and
just the overall style is pure class in this example of a 230SL
from 1964. A right hand drive version with a new Zebrano wood kit,
a redone engine and transmission, a manual top hoist, and tons of
repair receipts detailing the vast array of repairs performed
during our consignor's ownership tenure make for one very nice SL.
Sit back and prepare yourself to fall in love all over again with
this 50,875 title verified mileage personal sports car from the
motherland.
Exterior
Mercedes-Benz found itself in a position where it needed to cater
to the buyer who wanted a Benz with the performance and styling but
could not afford the 300SL which was priced for the very affluent
customer. So it set out to develop what would become the 230SL,
which was an entirely new platform, had the "Pagoda" styled roof,
and sported an inline 6 cylinder engine . Here we have the result
and the lines are just stunning. The vertical rounded over and
enclosed head lighting, the thin body styling, raked front chromed
edged horizontal grille with large tri star badge in its center,
the list just goes on and on as to the class this car exudes. The
roofline alone is worth the price of admission for this car with
its thin pillars, abundance of chrome edging and of course the V
shaped B pillars with the concave hardtop. The car is bathed in
1972 Chevrolet Mojave Gold and has a matching hardtop,a
pleasantcolor change from the original green. Not in the mood for
enclosed driving, then use the included top hoist and remove the
hardtop and flip up the tan canvas soft top. Thissoft top shows
with a few tears and seam separations at the base of the B-pillars
and sports a fairly clear but wrinkled plastic rear window. Or
better yet, go topless and enjoy the summer sun. Gaps are
excellent, the paint is evenly applied and nice, and all chrome
trimmings right down to the rocker trimmings are all shiny and
non-pitted. Even the wheel coverings are set to impress with their
use of silver painted steel wheels sporting a central gold painted
and edged in chrome with a chromed tri star badged dog dish center.
Like new Cooper all season blackwall radials wrap the wheels and
are from the 3rd week of 2005. Then let's add some trim rings on
the edges and all I can say is WOW! There are some inclusions in
the paint, particularly in one small area near the hood edge just
forward of the front vent on the driver's side as well as on the
passenger's door, but otherwise very nice. Our back, new split
bumpers in bright and shiny chrome wrap around the rear quarter
panels and just above are the chrome trimmed tail lights.
Interior
A swing of the low slung door reveals a nifty armrest covered in
saddle leather and sporting shiny knobs and actuators along with a
dark brown leather pull and deep hardside map pockets on the
panels. Inside, newly recovered wonderfully rounded over
overstuffed bomber styled buckets with some vertical tuck and roll
inserts and piped smooth bolsters await your body to be enveloped.
These present in a lighter shade of saddle bordering on a tan
tinted yellow. A simple central Zebrano wood covered console is
running between the seats and has a storage area and ash
receptacle. The dash is also a marvel of engineering and styling
with a mix of circular bezeled gauges and a vertical rectangular
central panel with a cluster of other important gauges. The dash
switches over from saddle to black, saddle being the padded topper,
the black for the dash front, then back to saddle below. More
Zebrano wood graces the dash where it meets the windshield as well
as the speaker/defroster grille. In the center are the climate
control sliders which reside in an aluminum diamond textured strip.
A modern AM/FM/CD stereo is in and right next to it a clock. In
front of the passenger is a black door glovebox with more aluminum
for the top strip and a metal lower, in each corner is a large
round chrome vent. Beautiful new square weave tan carpeting with
saddle piping floods the floors and back storage area which is sans
any seating. A Zebrano wood kit is included for the base and glass
of the hardtop and a R107 wind deflector has been added to keep
wind noise to a minimum. Just 2 seats for this sporty coupe. All
beautifully preserved and like new looking overall.
Drivetrain
Under the hood is like new with the inline fuel Injected 6 cylinder
engine. It weighs in at 2.3 liters and is like new with no
corrosion or rusting, not even any dirt! This mill has been gone
through and the fuel pump was completely rebuilt in May of 2023. On
the back is a 4-speed manual transmission and way back power goes
to a 3.75 rear axle. Some light patina and road dirt grace the
satin black painted engine bay and we note that a new alternator
was installed.
Undercarriage
Underneath the heavy coating of rustproofing has done its job with
all black surfaces. We do note some surface and invasive rust
making an appearanceon both the rockers, stamped steel floor pans,
and areas where the rear subframe mounts to the unibody. Our
consignor notes that the subframe mounts have been replaced along
with the front bumper support. The car rides with an independent
front coil spring and swing arm with coil springs for the rear
suspension. Braking is power disc brakes in front, and power drums
in back with new front brake calipers installed. Factory style dual
twin piping exhaust is on with some newer parts installed and a new
chrome extension was put on under the rear bumper.
Drive-Ability
I could not wait to drive this example of a sporty vintage Benz and
it was worth every minute of the experience. I did manage to
confuse my crack decoder when I got behind the wheel on the
driver's side, but after explaining to him that some of Europe
drives on the right he nodded in silent agreement. The car started
right up and accelerated with ease to the test track. No lag, just
power and easy steering, bias free panic stopping, and wonderful
handling. All the while looking great doing it. Visibility is
virtually unobstructed with the roof line, and it is definitely a
head turner. I was able to detect that the ducting for the
heater/defroster/vents is not installed but all else was working
fine.
The car is in very nice condition, and runs fantastically, and
looks great with the sexy styling. As I mentioned, my favorite of
all Mercedes designs is ready to steal your heart and impress your
neighbors. It comes with a ton of receipts, dealership brochures,
and a tool kit, but I'd let the dealership handle any of this on
this classic! Turn the key and drive away after your pay!
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile sh...for more information please contact the
seller.
