Description
Imported to the UK in 2005 and recently restored
Presented in Signal Red with black interior
Comes with factory hardtop and comprehensive history file
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION
Having been in production for only just over a year, the Mercedes 250SL is the rarest variant of the timeless W113 ‘Pagoda’, and this particular example is beautifully presented following a recent restoration.
After being in German ownership during the 1970s, it had been exported to Hawaii by 1988 and the history file even includes some road maps from the island. The 250SL remained there into the 1990s before passing to a new owner in California, and from there it was exported to the UK in 2005.
In recent years, it has been treated to a meticulous rebuild using specialists including D-Class, SLS in Germany and The SL Shop. The work is documented in the car’s extensive history file and included a full glass-out respray in Signal Red, plus a rebuild of the 2. 5-litre straight-six engine.
That process included a reground crankshaft with new bearings. The block was cleaned, while the cylinder head was skimmed before being rebuilt with new valves, springs, guides and seats. The camshaft lobes were polished, the oil pump and fuel-injection system were reconditioned, a new timing chain was fitted, and a new clutch and flywheel were installed.
The interior was retrimmed, with black Mercedes grained leather being specified throughout, along with ‘salt and pepper’ carpets. A new mohair hood was also fitted, plus a new wood kit for the dashboard and surrounds, and Mercedes-branded seat belts were specified. The finishing touch inside was a new Becker Europa Vintage RM radio with correct 1967 Mercedes knobs and a Hirschman electric wing aerial.
The exhaust system and headlights were replaced, and Michelin whitewall tyres fitted. In total, more than £36, 000 was spent on retrimming, new parts and subsequent servicing.
The end result of that time and investment is a Mercedes 250SL that is now being offered for sale in exceptional condition following its restoration, and which must be one of the very best examples on the market.
MODEL HISTORY
The Mercedes-Benz W113 was launched in 1963 and was based on the platform from the W111 saloon. It was styled by a team that included Paul Bracq and Béla Barényi, who was responsible for the concave hardtop that gave the model its ‘Pagoda’ nickname.
The new SL was powered by a range of fuel-injected six-cylinder engines during its production run, having been introduced as the 2308cc 230SL. That was replaced in 1967 by the 250SL, which featured the 2496cc seven-bearing engine from the 250SE saloon. It also benefited from all-round disc brakes – the 230SL had to make do with drums at the rear – an oil cooler and a larger fuel tank.
Steering was via a recirculating-ball set-up, while the suspension combined double wishbones at the front and a low-pivot swing axle at the rear.
Contemporary advertising referred to the 250SL as ‘the quiet mile-eater’, and it was certainly intended to be more of a safe, comfortable Grand Tourer than a sports car. It also fell into the ‘reassuringly expensive’ category. Road Test magazine wrote that if a potential owner ‘seeks satisfaction in owning a precisely created, extremely high-quality, mechanically sophisticated automobile, he’ll love the car at any price.’
Sports Car Graphic, meanwhile, simply called it ‘an excellent car in every respect.’
The 250SL was produced from late 1966 to early 1968, and was replaced by the final evolution in the Pagoda bloodline – the 2778cc 280SL. That, in turn, lasted until 1971, when it was replaced by the new R107 model, but the W113 remains highly coveted thanks to its blend of engineering quality and enduring style.
