Here’s a running, driving project Pagoda fitted with Mercedes’ 2.8-liter inline six, placing it at the top of the W113 lineage. These cars were all roadsters, available with both removable hard and soft tops. The styling was by Paul Bracq and safety innovator Béla Barényi, who invented the hard top with its slightly concave profile, inspiring the nickname “Pagoda”. Very fine examples of the 280SL have broken into the six-figure price realm, but this well-documented ’69 is listed here on eBay in a no-reserve auction with bidding at $35,600. Drive it home from West Bloomfield, Michigan.
It’s an irony that the doggedly underpowered 190SL will sell for tens of thousands of dollars more than a quality-comparable 280SL, and for twice what a 230 might bring: after all, it was the sluggishness of the 190 that prompted Mercedes to build the W113 in the first place. But there’s no question that both sets of cars have appreciated during the last few years. This one, with 170 hp on tap, is a far sight more spritely than the 105 hp of the 190. Zero to sixty is four seconds faster; top speed is 6 mph higher. Notably, this car is equipped with a four-speed manual – only about 25% of all 280SLs were made with manuals, and even fewer of these were delivered to the US. A tune-up was recently performed, and the radiator is new. The seller notes that the car’s underside is heavily undercoated.
Aside from a better power profile, the Pagoda cars were designed for comfort. The deeply cushioned seats upholstered in MB-Tex, improved cabin ergonomics, rounded edges and corners, and better climate controls hiked the owner experience significantly. The seller notes that most of this car’s electrical features and gauges work, but wear is present on most surfaces. The soft top needs to be replaced. On the other hand, the original tool kit and jack are still with the car.
An older repaint in the original Tobacco Brown has lost its shine; the chrome is said to be scratched and dented; a bit of rust is showing up here and there; the tires are dated 2009; other mostly minor issues are itemized in the eBay listing. Most of these are tolerable flaws, though I’d want to check this car in person for rust, given the aftermarket undercoating. As noted, these graceful cars have appreciated over the last decade, but this one is a worthy prospect with plenty of headroom for improvements.
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