1969 Mercedes 280SL Pagoda

The Mercedes 280SL "Pagoda' was introduced in December 1967 and continued in production through until February 1971. The W113 was then replaced by its successor, the entirely new and substantially heavier R107 350SL. Over the years, the W113 evolved from a "sports car' into a comfortable "grand tourer', and was usually equipped with the 4-speed automatic transmission and air conditioning. The obvious difference from its predecessor was the upgrade to the 2778cc M130 engine, which purists will tell you finally gave the Pagoda adequate power. Now suitably refined, the car proved popular in the US market, however, we've seen a significant increase in demand here in the UK - not least due to its predecessor, the 50's 190SL, rising beyond the budgets of many.

This 280 SL Automatic UK RHD Drive car was first registered on 25th March 1969 with the registration "RGC692". The current owner purchased the car whilst in Cyprus towards the end 2013 where, he was informed, the car had been residing as a "holiday car" for the 8 years before his purchase. Following this, he brought the car back to the UK with the objective of completely restoring it and returning it to a smart and usable condition to enjoy as a summer classic.

'Vic's Classic Autos' were tasked with the job and set about a complete bare metal restoration with all the paint and bodyshop work detailed on their invoices along with a list of all the new parts. This paperwork confirms that in excess of £15k was spent at Vic's on restoring the car, between July '14 and July '15. As a result, this 280 SL looks very handsome, resplendent in Metallic Red sitting on its new white-wall tyres.

A hardtop does come with the car but this particular part we are informed might need some fettling due to its lack of use and having been kept in storage. This is a popular, usable and pretty right-hand drive 280 SL and comes with a valid MOT until July this year, however we can make no warranty in terms of the overall mileage as there was no paperwork or history with the car prior to our current vendor's ownership.

A competitively guided 280SL Pagoda, which is certainly worth a look now that Summer is here.