1970 Mercedes-Benz 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 four-speed automatic transmission and air conditioning. The obvious change 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, partly due to the 190SL rising beyond the budgets of many.This 280SL is an original right-hand drive car purchased and collected by a tourist client directly at Daimler-Benz AG at the Sindelfingen Factory. Built August 1970 the car left the factory finished in Middle Blue as seen here today but with Bambus upholstery. From what we can gather the car remained in mainland Europe for most of its life until our vendor acquired the vehicle.

There is some history in the cars document folder with the earliest records being for some parts microfilm purchased in Sweden, 1989. Most parts invoices in the file appear from 1998 onwards by the previous owner in Sweden.

Some restoration work on the car had been undertaken by the previous owner namely to the bodywork and interior. Further work was however halted until our vendor purchased the vehicle. The car appears in solid condition and the paintwork is quite good overall although displaying a few blemishes, probably relating to it's time in storage. The interior is in fine condition, the carpets are in good order and the seats look as though they have been professionally re-trimmed. Likewise the dashboard looks to have been restored in the past, however, the wood finishing appears untouched.

The hard-top is included with the car and is not currently in the same order as the rest of the vehicle and thus needs a complete restoration. A new hood appears to have been fitted in the past and is in good condition with no signs of rips or excessive wear.

Mechanically the car runs and drives and even has an MoT certificate with no advisories dated 19/12/13 - 18/12/14 and our vendor has also told us that the car will be presented with a fresh MoT at time of sale. Despite this the car will need mechanical attention, as the engine is smoky and running rough and as such we would recommend that the car is not driven away by the successful purchaser.

With prices of these motor cars rising rapidly, particularly on highly sought-after 280SL models with the 2778cc engine, we feel we've guided this car very sensibly in order to allow a new owner to really make this car topflight.