Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an extremely rare
California barn find (garage really!) of this 1967 Mercedes 230SL
'Pagoda' roadster with very desirable original factory options of
automatic transmission, power steering, original 'Becker Europa'
radio, brown canvas soft top and original factory hard top!
Recently purchased from its long time California owner who had
stored the car in his garage for the last two and a half decades
and which will be sold as a running project requiring some minor
TLC. The car runs very well and has no signs of any accidents
damage and only some very minor rust showing in two small areas of
the undercarriage. Please also note that the car is currently also
missing its trunk lock, driver side sun visor and has a cracked
passenger side rear tail light lens. Please see detailed photos
below.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. 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. In Europe, manual transmissions without air
conditioning were still the predominant choice.This particular
example presents a wonderful opportunity for the Mercedes
enthusiast to restore or is simply a great daily driver for any
classic car lover - the original factory 'White Gray' (Code 158)
color paint has been repainted in the same color at some point in
the past and the car still sports its matching hubcaps and has only
very minor imperfections or flaws in the paintwork. The chrome work
is all excellent and the original interior needs only very minor
cosmetic work, all the gauges and switches and levers are in very
good shape, the original dashboard and wood is all very good and
the original seats and carpets show only very minor wear with a
small tear in the carpet by the wooden center console and a couple
of very small tears in the driver's seat. The car also boasts its
original and working 'Becker Europa' radio and clock! The German
canvas black soft top is in very good shape with no particular
signs of any wear and the hard top is as new. As previously stated
the car has been sitting for some years without much use but is in
good overall driving condition and would make a perfect candidate
for the enthusiast to restore further.
