Lot Ended
Description
Restored in c.1990 and sparingly used since; 250SL engine
upgrade; power steering; new rear tyres; lots of history; a super example
at a sensible guide price
Now who wouldn’t
want one of these? Achingly pretty, the Pagoda SL is also extremely well-built
and is one of those rare classics that you can genuinely use every day.
Launched in 1963, the W113 Series – to give it
the official name – eventually spanned three engine sizes, all fuel-injected:
the initial 150bhp 2.3-litre; the similarly powerful 2.5 in 1966 which had
usefully more torque and a 7-bearing rather than 5-bearing crank and the
170bhp 2.8-litre in 1967.
Suspension was by
double wishbones and coil springs at the front, with a coil-sprung swing axle at
the rear. All cars had front disc brakes (and rear on the 280) with power
steering from 1964 onwards, and all models were capable of over
110mph.
All looked identical with a low
waistline, wide stance, fishbowl headlamps and big curved greenhouse windows
topped with that distinctive dished hardtop – hence the 'Pagoda' name. Elegant
yet muscular and sporty yet solid, it all adds up to a timeless beauty that will
never go out of fashion.
Dating from 1965, this
original RHD 230SL Automatic seems to have gone abroad fairly early in its life,
the V5C stating that it was first UK-registered in October 1983 since when it
has had six owners.
A letter from Church Green
Ltd of Dorset confirms that they restored the car in c.1990, and another note
from the lady who owned the car at the time, Mrs S Sinanan of Southampton,
states that it was subsequently kept in a heated garage and was upgraded with a
250SL engine during the restoration (the V5C still records the capacity as
2,300cc).
In 2010 the fifth owner, a Mr G Hill of
Colchester, bought the car from Runnymede Motor Company and kept it for 13 years
(2010 – 2023), their ad describing it as being “in excellent condition
throughout” and confirming the 250 engine upgrade.
There are lots of invoices back to 2003 to show regular upkeep and
new parts fitted. A good chunk of money was spent on the car in 2014 including
localised bodywork restoration (o/s/r inner and outer sills; inner wheelarches;
repairs to the front wings; o/s/r arch; front and rear valance panels; floor
panel sections etc). The brakes, steering and suspension were overhauled at the
same time including new/refurbished power steering parts.
In 2016 it had a fairly major service by DC Motor Engineering of
Colchester at 104,308 miles and a new set of tyres were fitted. They serviced
the car again at MOT time in 2017 and in 2018.
Further back in time, it had new window rubbers and door locks in
2011 and the rear axle was rebuilt in 2004 at c.100,800 miles.
There are 13 old MOTs which show the mileage
rising slowly from 95,945 in 2002 to 104,670 in 2018 when it passed with just
one advisory (rear tyre sidewalls cracked) and it has only covered around 500
miles since, the odometer currently showing 105,189 miles. Although there is no
invoice, the rear tyres have clearly been replaced fairly recently and look
virtually new.
The soft top is in excellent shape and looks virtually
unused. Fitted with a modern Becker-style Europa radio which blends
perfectly with the chrome dash trims, it also has some decent-sized Alpine
speakers in the back, There are sundry useful spares in the boot, along with an
indoor car cover.
As you can see in the photos
and the video, this 230SL looks very pretty indeed and has been starting
promptly and running well as we have moved it around on site, with healthy oil
pressure.
In contrast to many other cars from this era, these Pagoda
Mercs have seen no real dip in value of late with the very best examples still
fetching over double the guide price suggested here - which is quite
annoying for those of us who have always lusted after one but don't get paid
enough to afford one. We would be very happy to have this little
beauty in the garage, that's for sure...
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com