Highlights

• Recent cover feature in Classic Cars magazine
• UK Right-Hand drive example
• Automatic transmission power steering model
• Recently refreshed interior
• Believed previous engine rebuild
• Hard- and soft-tops

The Appeal

The W113 Mercedes SL, commonly referred to as the ‘Pagoda’, is a car that requires little introduction. Lithe, elegant, dependable, solid, pretty – these cars set the SL blueprint that endures to this day. The car we have here is a 230 SL, one of the original run of Pagodas that launched in 1963 and ran until ’67 when it was replaced by the short-run 250 and the 280.

So this earliness makes it highly prized, and there’s even more to this car’s story than that: such is its quality and desirability that in January of this year it starred in a cover feature in Classic Cars magazine (a copy of which can be found in the history file).

It's a stunning thing to behold too, isn’t it? Elegant white coachwork complemented by whitewall tyres, with a tasteful black interior that’s recently been refreshed, and a very sought-after combination of spec: right-hand-drive, automatic transmission, power steering. And this SL is just as lovely to drive as it is to look at…

The History and Paperwork

• V5
• Copy of Classic Cars magazine in which this car is the cover feature
• 2022 – invoice for £419 – service inc. plugs, MOT, hubs greased, brakes cleaned and adjusted
• 2020 – invoice for £746 – service inc. plugs, MOT, welding to both sills and N/S/R chassis
• 2018 – invoice for £1,066 – service inc. plugs, MOT, front discs and pads, hubs greased, brakes cleaned and adjusted, repairs to exhaust, repairs to fusebox
• 2017 – invoice for £500 – service, MOT, O/S/F track rod, steering geometry
• 2016 – invoice for £1,101 – service inc. plugs, MOT, hubs greased, welding
• 2012 – invoice for £330 – service and repair fuel injection system
• 2012 – estimate for £1,050 – corrosion repairs and repaint to offside rear quarter and nearside front wing
• 2009 – invoice for £297 – vintage number plates, Sony CD head unit with Bluetooth
• Sheaf of old MOTs

The Interior

• Very tidy throughout
• Good carpets and wood trim
• Recent new leather interior
  
  

The cabin of a Pagoda is an extremely pleasant place to be, light and airy with a gorgeous dash design, and this car has recently benefitted from a refresh – so the dash-top wood trim is great, the carpets are decent and the seats are in very good order.

The car has been fitted with a Sony Bluetooth CD head unit (with Fusion speakers mounted in the rear stowage compartment), but is otherwise all original spec, and everything appears to be working correctly – even the courtesy light in the glovebox. The dials are functioning correctly with no warning lights illuminated, and the steering wheel is in good condition.

Inside the boot it’s all dry and tidy, with a good liner and the spare wheel inside its correct cover.

The Exterior

• Hard- and soft-tops in very good condition
• Tasteful whitewall tyres
  
  

White is arguably the best colour for a Pagoda, and this one really does present beautifully. It’s had a handful of body repairs in its lifetime, with underbody corrosion repairs and attention to the wings and quarters, but the work’s been done so well that you’d never know. The light lenses and window glass are all good, and the chrome trim is in gleaming condition.

The car wears original-spec steel wheels with the correct colour-matched hubcaps, fitted with elegant whitewall tyres. The car comes complete with both its hard-top and soft-top. The hard-top is very good indeed, with none of the corrosion evident that so often afflicts them, and it latches and detaches correctly. Inside the hard-top, the headlining and wood trim is all in good condition. The soft-top is great too, with no damage or wear, and a nice clear window; this model helpfully has the integrated handles to attach and detach the roof, so you don’t need to fiddle about with a separate tool.

Panel fit is good throughout the car with everything sitting nice and even. As you can see from the photos, this SL really is a stunner.

The Mechanicals

• Smooth engine – previously rebuilt
• Slick auto transmission
  
  

The Pagoda’s drivetrain has always been roundly praised for its combination of smoothness and everyday usability, with the fuel-injected straight-six mated to a slick automatic transmission, and it’s all in fine form here. The motor fires on the first turn of the key and idles evenly, and the engine pulls consistently through the revs. The gearbox is smooth and shifts cleanly, and the suspension rides very comfortably. It’s a highly enjoyable and pleasing car to drive, just as a Pagoda ought to be.

Summary