The Mercedes 280 SL ”Pagoda” is one of the most attractive allround classics ever made.
A red dream from 1969 with a Hollywood history is now for sale at Bilweb Auctions.
For those of you that always have wondered, but not dared to ask: the nickname ”Pagoda” stems from the somewhat odd, concave shape of the car´s hardtop. Someone thought it looked like the roof of a Buddhist shrine and the parable stuck - for ever.
It was at the Geneve motor show in 1963 as the W113 - Mercedes lingo for this model - made a sensation with its all-new design language. With an elegant lightness och strong charisma it became an instant classic. It was not a pronounced sports car, with both chassis components and an engine that had their origins in the big saloon Mercedes 220, the ”Fin Tail”. It was more of a motorcar made for year-round adventures, especially if the sophisticated hard top was mounted when days became colder.
During the 8 year lifespan of the ”Pagoda” - 1963 - 1971 - the inline six came in three different sizes. First out were the 2.3 and 2.5 litre variants, the 2.8 was introduced in 1968 in the 280 SL.
And it was precisely a 280 SL that in 1969 were sold in Los Angeles, most probably in Santa Monica since the first stamps in the service book is from a work shop in that part of LA. A Swedish golf instructor living in Hollywood, with celebrities like Bob Hobe, Bing Crosby and Johnny Weissmuller on his client list, bought the car in the mid-Seventies. When moving back to Sweden in 1980, he brought his 280 SL with him.
Originally Silver Grey metallic, the car was professionally repainted in another Mercedes original color, Signal Red. A new owner took over the car in 2000, used it sparingly, and in 2011 it was placed in a warm and dry garage where it remained until just recently when getting prepared for the auction.
The 280 SL has now been fired up after an overhaul of the brakes and the fuel pump, fresh petrol in the tank and new spark plugs.
So everything is ready for a new owner of this 280 SL that left Hollywood for Sweden, a car that captures everyone’s hearts.
The value has been estimated by Bilweb Auctions to between 520 000 and 600 000 SEK.
