1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL Pagoda

“ Wow, what a beautiful car! This comes from long-term ownership and even has the factory hard top included. ”
The Mercedes-Benz 280SL Pagoda is universally adored, this one is no exception.

Background
The Mercedes W113 ‘Pagoda’ - a nickname it gained as a result of its slightly concave hardtop roof - was the first Mercedes sports car to be based on the so-called “safety body”, a rigid passenger compartment bookended by crumple zones that dissipated energy in the event of an accident.

Which is worthy but dull so, shall we talk about the way it looks, instead? Or the way it drives? Or its performance? Or shall we just agree that it’s one of the most iconic sports cars of the 20th century?

And the 280SL is the final iteration. Introduced in 1967 and fitted with a 2.8-litre, fuel-injected engine that develops 158bhp and 177lb/ft of torque (as an American-spec car, this example has the slightly lower powered engine plus the low-ratio gearbox) the 280SL finally had the power the chassis deserved.

A firm favourite with Hollywood the Pagoda has appeared in a number of films and can count several actors including John Travolta, Charlton Heston, and Peter Ustinov among its fans – and if the legends of the Silver Screen leave you cold rest assured that David Coulthard, Stirling Moss, and Nico Rosberg were similarly smitten.

Overview
This Mercedes-Benz 280SL is believed to have lived in America until circa 2007, at which point it made its way to the United Kingdom via a pitstop in Bulgaria to be restored.

This work was followed by further improvement by Chelsea Cars before the seller bought it as a present for his wife to use at their home in the South of France, a role the combination of effortless elegance, folding roof, and left-hand drive layout enabled it to fulfil for the past 16 years.

However, despite this long-term ownership, they haven’t been able to use it as much as they would have liked because they weren’t happy taking their two dogs out in the fierce summer heat in a car that wasn’t air-conditioned.

We always say the best cars come from the nicest people, and reasons for not being able to use a car don’t come any better than this, do they?

While it may not have seen frequent use, he’s taken good care of it nonetheless, maintaining it and running it up to temperature on a regular basis. He’s been sure to rotate the tyres too and keep it on a trickle charger in their climate-controlled garage; it was important to him that it was ready at a moment’s notice to be used for a run along the coast to St Tropez or Monaco should they fancy it.

He also had it prepared by INRacing, the same folk who maintain the historic Grand Prix cars he competes in, for an event here in the UK. The event didn’t happen in the end, but he enjoyed taking it to Goodwood before it was transported back to France for them to continue to enjoy there.

Now re-imported and registered with the DVLA, ‘CYY 460G’ also comes with a factory hardtop.

And why is he selling it?

Simply because they’re moving back to the UK, where their garage is smaller than the one they have in France, hence this reluctant sale.

Estimate: £45,000 - £55,000

View Current Bid Price HERE