﹒Rare and desirable colour

﹒Superb condition inside and out

﹒Low mileage

﹒Original hardtop and new soft-top

The attraction to Mercedes-Benz’s evergreen range of SLs is one of the great phenomena of the classic car market. The model line runs a defined yet diverse path from the elegant gullwings and roadsters of the 1950s right through to the large and luxurious R231s of today, and each generation has something different to offer. The R107s (built from 1971-89) have always been popular and we’ve seen a stronger keenness than ever through 2020 – and what’s interesting to observe is how this enthusiasm runs parallel with its predecessor, the rarer W113 ‘Pagoda’. This iconic model, sold from 1963-71, offers everything you could want from a classic car in terms of style and desirability, and it’s all underpinned by extremely strong and hard-wearing mechanicals; the underpinnings of this car were cutting-edge for the early 1960s, with the range of straight-six engines featuring multi-port fuel injection, along with boasting double-wishbone front suspension, dual-circuit brakes with discs up front, and optional power steering. The body design was equally impressive, with the door skins, bonnet, bootlid and tonneau cover made from aluminium to keep weight down, and the car was designed with a rigid passenger cell and crumple zones – the first sports car to be conceived specifically with occupant safety in mind.

The ‘Pagoda’ nickname comes from the shape of the hardtop, which echoes the distinctive curves of ancient Chinese architecture, although there was nothing ancient about the Pagoda SL at launch: it was a modern car for then-modern times, and its impeccable engineering has truly stood the test of time. Today, this car is a beautifully stylish thing which could serve very well as a sculpture or ornament, but could also happily be pressed into regular use with all the reliability you could hope for. The W113 SL really is the desirable classic that can do it all.

Andalusia is a place of contrasts, being the hottest place in Europe in its hinterland and also containing quite a lot of mountains. It’s this inherent duality which makes it the perfect place for a Mercedes SL ‘Pagoda’; top-down cruising through the 35-degree sunshine, then roof up for a sure-footed jaunt through the snowy peaks. You can see why this car was the vehicle of choice for the chairman of the Classic Car Club of Andalusia.

Indeed, sunny Spain is where this Pagoda’s heart is. A 1969 car, built toward the end of the W113’s production run and delivered new to the USA, it lived much of its life in Southern Europe until 2006, when it was registered in the UK. Today it presents itself as a beautifully original, low-mileage example in a rare colour scheme, supremely reliable and ready to add the next chapter to its already fascinating life story.

The car’s V5 is present, which shows that the Pagoda was first registered in 1970, and then first registered in the UK on 23rd March 2006. There has only been one keeper in this country, with the V5 proving continuous ownership since 2006. There’s also an official document from the Mercedes-Benz Homologation Department, issued in July 2020, outlining that the car was manufactured in April 1969 and was actually first registered in the USA before it went to Andalusia. You’ll also spot that the car is still wearing its authentic Classic Car Club of Andalusia stickers in the front and rear windows.

The interior of this Pagoda really is a wonderful place to be. It’s all in the factory-original spec, aside from the addition of an aftermarket CD/radio head unit, and what’s particularly desirable is that it’s fitted with its original factory-fit air-conditioning system – a very rare and sought-after option, with the Frigiking unit and controls mounted below the dash. The seats are trimmed in soft and supple magnolia leather, which is in excellent condition, and are fitted with headrests.

The cabin benefits from new door cards (complete with US-market-spec door pockets), a new dash cover, and a new rear canopy cover to ensure that everything looks fresh and correct. The dials are in excellent condition and working well, the carpets are superb throughout, and there’s no undue wear to the elegant ivory steering wheel. Inside the boot it’s all spotless, with solid top-mounts, a good carpet, and the spare wheel mounted in its correct cover.

This 280 SL is beautifully presented, with the rare and unusual Mercedes Mid-Blue paint (code 903) complementing the roadster’s body lines superbly. The paintwork is uniformly excellent with no obvious blemishes or stonechips, and the body panels are all free from dents, dings, scuffs or surface corrosion – it’s evidently a car that’s spent a lot of its life in dry climates and kept indoors, and it’s equally straight and clean underneath. All of the light lenses and window glass are in great condition, and the car wears US-market side markers front and rear as a neat reminder of its original delivery to North America. There’s no pitting or corrosion to any of the chrome on the bumpers, mirrors, badges, handles or window surrounds, it all shines in show-quality condition. The original matching-numbers hardtop comes with the car, and this is in outstanding condition and comes complete with a protective cover.

A replacement beige soft-top has been fitted, which is in excellent order and correctly affixes at both ends as it should. The wheels wear their correct colour-coded hubcaps, and are fitted with quality whitewall tyres with plenty of tread. This is, quite simply, one of the tidiest and most attractive Pagodas we’ve come across.

Being a 280 SL, this car is fitted with the top-of-the-range 2.8-litre M130 straight-six, an advanced unit with multi-port fuel injection and peak power of 170bhp. The engine itself is extremely clean with no visible signs of leaks, and it sits within a very tidy bay. We cannot verify the mileage of 41k, but the motor certainly drives like it – it’s impeccably smooth, torquey and willing yet happy to cruise, behaving just as an SL should. The automatic transmission is similarly decent, shifting cleanly and appropriately with no lurching or noises.

This SL is equipped with the optional power-steering, which is working well with no slack or sloppiness, and the car rides just as it should with the suspension seeming to be in fine fettle. The Pagoda is a smooth runner and just as reliable as one would hope: it starts easily without issue, maintains an even idle at a consistent temperature, and pulls eagerly through the gears with no smoke or undue noise. The car, essentially, behaves like an SL.

There’s something a little bit magical about a Pagoda SL. A design so pretty, it almost comes as a surprise that such a thing can operate as a functional machine, as it performs so well simply as a piece of art. But they do more than merely function; these cars are so superbly engineered that they’re thoroughly entertaining and pleasant to drive – creamy-smooth when you want to cruise, and impressively agile and eager when you find the right roads.

This Pagoda is, we think, more desirable than most on the UK market, for the fact that a number of intriguing factors coalesce into something irresistible: first of all, there’s that spectacular colour, which is seldom seen on Pagodas and just suits it so perfectly. Then there’s the lovely manner in which it drives, its well-looked-after mechanicals doing everything that they should. And most of all, there’s the condition: inside and out, this is a tremendous thing to behold. It’s a very usable classic with a beguilingly international history, which would be equally happy as part of a collection or scooping trophies on show-grounds as it would amusing its owner on day trips, high days and holidays. This wonderful car’s next keeper will surely be buying themselves a cherished and beloved companion. 

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