Description
We are delighted to be able to offer this 1970, UK supplied, right hand drive Mercedes-Benz 280SL/ 8 Pagoda, finished in its original data card correct colour combination of 568 Signal Red with two tone 040 black hard top and hub caps, inside the cabin presents a well preserved original MB Black Tex interior.
This vehicle has the most wonderful and comprehensive history file we have seen associated with a Pagoda for quite some time, the history file dates back to when first delivered to a Mr Howard Carter in 1970 through Mercedes-Benz agent Charles Cruickshank Motors in Bristol.
Mr Carter was clearly a fastidious owner, there are numerous ‘to and fro’ correspondences between him and Mercedes-Benz UK throughout the 1970’s as well as many invoices for all works carried out in the 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s and into the 2000’s, this is an exceptional consistently documented history file.
All invoices are supported by the original service booklet which has 39 stamps of which start with the vehicles first service by supplying Mercedes-Benz agent Charles Cruickshank Motors of Bristol, again the service book entry stamps are remarkably consistent throughout all decades.
The history file is testament to the family ownership, the vehicle shows just two former keepers, Mr Howard Carter purchased the vehicle new in 1970, in year 2000 the Pagoda was passed to his son Mr Nicholas Carter, the vehicle was then sold in 2011 to the current owner, a collector of Classic Mercedes-Benz vehicles based in Surrey.
It is clear that in the Carter family ownership, some 41 years, the vehicle was cared for year on year, however the condition has been elevated to the very highest of standards by the last owner.
Today, this Pagoda presents impeccably, the current owner instructed a preservation based enhancement of the bodywork, this can only be achieved if the vehicle has the foundation to base it on, for example this low mileage Pagoda still boasts all of its original panels, for the purist and classic car enthusiast it is refreshing to see the shut lines and panels gaps being nigh on perfect, as they left the factory, the way the doors close may be trivial but it endorses the build quality reputation and personifies this example perfectly.
Mechanically the vehicle drives perfectly, in 2022 the vehicle was subject to an engine rebuild and engine bay detailing to exacting standards, the gearbox has been overhauled, a new exhaust system fitted, 5 new Michelin MXV-P tyres along with various other items sorted, all invoices are within the history file, the dedication and expenditure commitment to getting this vehicle just right is an enormous part of why this Pagoda is one of the very best on offer in the UK today
