1971 Mercedes Benz 280SL Roadster

The look chosen by designers Freidrich Geiger, Paul Bracq and Bela Barenyi was similar to the clean, rela¬tively unadorned lines of the German carmaker's sedans. The upright Bosch headlamps and the diminutive horizontal taillights were a common look of the four-door cars. The most distinguishing feature of this second SL generation, also known as the W113, was its concave roof held up by thin pil-lars. The roof soon earned it the fitting 'Pagoda' moniker.

Offered for consignment this “Pagoda” from 1971 is certainly not perfect, however extensive work has been put into this car over its lifetime, and it has been documented with what is believed to be accurate. Consigner states he is the 4th owner of the car, and it has been in his possession since 2004.

Exterior
Dark Green put on during a strip and respray from 1978 shows some age in the form of crazing, chipping, cracking, and dulling. A few dents are noted but body panels and brite work are straight and in good condition. Noted are areas of filler used on the body panels particularly at the drivers rear of the vehicle where rust is noted. Hardtop is in fair condition with some dents and noted paint flaws not unlike the body panels. Consigner states that the convertible top needs to be replaced, but the frame is in good condition.

Interior
Cognac leather covers the 2 buckets in the cockpit. These show a plethora of cracking, soft spots and wear. Matching carpeting throughput is in fair condition. The dash appears in nice condition; however, the odometer does not work (since 2/16...consigner states approximately 2K miles have been clocked since it stopped working). Instrument lighting is not operational, as is the AC which the fan works, but it does not hold coolant.

Drivetrain
As with the badging, the 2.8 Liter engine has a newer transmission (swapped at 96,000) miles and it is an automatic.

Undercarriage
Mostly clean and rust free, there is a potential problem area where the floor pan meets the toe board on the passenger side. Otherwise undercarriage is unremarkable.

A sought-after design and year, this W113 Pagoda is proving to be a very desirable up and comer in the Mercedes-Benz collector world. Certainly not perfect, but it possesses the basic underpinnings for a great restoration, but in the meantime it's a wonderful driver.

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 300 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.