The seller of this 1968 Mercedes-Benz 250SL “Pagoda” hasn’t even taken the “Sold” sticker out of the windshield before deciding it’s time to move it along. In his defense, there’s a pending move on his radar screen and the new abode apparently doesn’t support five different Mercedes models being stored on the property. The 250SL was apparently purchased from Beverly Hills Car Club in January, and is now offered here on eBay with bids to $27,600 and the reserve unmet.
The W113 is one of the few vintage Mercedes models that remains attainable, but that can mean different things to different people. These will still fetch near six-figures in top form, but you can find driver-quality examples safely below that threshold. The fact that the seller purchased this from Beverly Hills Car Club likely means he didn’t get it for a song, so I’m sure he needs to clear $50,000 to make his money back. The bodywork appears to be solid and the chrome still presentable, but no details are offered in the listing as to whether this is original paint.
With smooth inline-six power, this 250SL represents a limited production run in the W113 family tree. The 230SL is the car we see pop up for sale most of the time, and while the specs are similar between that model and the 250SL shown here, the driving dynamics are quite different. The 250SL has a much fatter power band and more torque than the 230SL, and while the horsepower figures are near identical, the 250SL will feel far more sporting in daily driving. It also came standard with four-wheel disc brakes.
The seller notes he hasn’t done much with the car since it arrived in January, and a solitary oil change is the only maintenance item he can offer, which was performed prior to taking delivery of the 250SL. The California blue plates suggest this W113 was a long-time California resident before making the move to Colorado, and the listing notes that it was purportedly owned by a single owner from 1979 before ending up at a dealer. This 250SL is a great option for a classic you can drive far and wide, and would do well as a summer cruiser or a long-distance grand tourer – which would you choose?
Clean lines, much prettier than the bulbous models that followed. Probably have an easier time selling it to many of the current driving crowd but it’d be a lot more fun with a stick IMHO.
Insofar as the price goes, um, GLWTA.
I agree with everything you just said. Ten years ago, these could almost be called affordable, but now, even the base 230SL four-cylinder models are close to six figures. The huge run up in prices towards the stratosphere has made them unaffordable for all but lottery winners, tech moguls, pro athletes, Hollywood stars and Warren Buffett! I am none of the above, so it won’t be gracing my garage anytime soon.
The earlier model 230SL was also powered by a 6 cylinder motor. M-B upped the displacement to account for the parasitic losses due to US emission laws coming into being
BHCC: notorious rip off scumbags. Buyers beware.
There’s one on each coast. Gullwing does the honors in the East.
Sold my ’64 230SL manual transmission car a couple of years ago and to be honest, I do not miss it. All my life I “had to” own one of these and perhaps it is in the same category as “Never meet your hero (sports icon, legend, etc)” as one might be disappointed.
The style of the W113 is without doubt, timeless. It is classy, elegant, and built when a Benz was a Benz, unlike the trash from Stuttgart today. Simply put, they were built to a much higher standard. It is the driving experience I felt was less-than-stellar. Most assuredly, a very sure-footed vehicle with comfort in mind…a true GT. Upon reflection, though, I felt the car’s driving manners should have been a bit more nimble. Honestly, the driving experience of my 230SL felt VERY much the same as the W115 220D I had many years ago, except for the fact the 230SL was faster off the line. Both cars felt “heavy”, and they were, relatively speaking.
That said, I imagine I got it out of my system as today I play with other classic European sports cars which provide a better driving experience. No offense intended toward the MB 113 or the classic Chevy crowd…if we all had the same taste, it would be a boring world and we’d all be driving black 1952 Chevrolets.
Beverly hills car club , promptly selling … means the chassis is glue with wood and paper and getting ready to collapse
Buyer probably didnt get it inspected later found out the car is a pig with lipstick