Mercedes-Benz SL 280

Pagoda - Superb, restored by Mercedes specialist

Colors make cars, especially in the rarely seen Medium blue metallic or ‘Mittelblau Metallic’ with a darkblue leather interior. The car is in a superb restored condition!

This highly luxurious 280 SL was restored by German specialists Wallner Classic and comes with a big documentation file including restoration pictures and many invoices.

According to the data-card, this 280 SL was delivered new in January 1971 through the official Mercedes distributor in Aachen, Germany. The car always stayed in Germany. From 1994 until 2006 the car was owned by a Mr. Riviera from Heidenheim, Germany. In 2006, this Mercedes was sold to another enthusiast in Leipzig, Germany. This gentlemen kept the car until 2023. He spent a lot of money on the car which is clear in the documentation file.

The current owner decided to bring the car to the best possible quality and spent another 75.000 Euro,- on the car. No expenses were spared. In 2025, among other things, the engine has been rebuilt and the engine compartment has thoroughly been cleaned. Many components such as the shock absorbers, bumpers, chrome strips etc. were renewed. The interior was taken apart and the carpet has been renewed as well as the convertible top cover.

The result is a top level Mercedes Benz 280 SL.

With the car comes a hardtop in matching colour which is quite elegant. This 280 SL has been fitted with a factory replacement engine or ‘Tauschmotor’ which was quite common with these 6 cilinder engines. The car comes with German (EEC) papers.

The price is Euro 149.000,-.

Please ask for more information, our walk-around video (exterior, interior, engine etc.) or more pictures as required.

Very Superior Old Cars is a classic sportscar consultancy company founded in 1992. We work for our customers to assist with all aspects of their car interests. From acquisition consultancy with restoration advice and management to private sales in our boutique art gallery.

VSOC is centrally located between Amsterdam and The Hague, only 17 km (11 miles) from Schiphol Airport. There is a broad selection of classic sports cars on display, in very good or excellent condition, varying from beautiful yet affordable sports cars to rare and valuable collectors’ items. When you intend to visit us in The Netherlands, we would advise you to make an appointment so that we can give you some quality time. If you arrive by plane or train, we would be happy to pick you up at the airport or train station. Besides Dutch we speak English, German, French and Italian.
Model History
Two evocative initials, SL (for SuperLeicht or Super Light), have become inextricably associated with Mercedes-Benz, defining a successful Line of desirable sports cars that continues to this day.

Launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1963, the 230SL – or W113 in Daimler-Benz language – was a very different sort of sporting car from its fire-breathing predecessors. Based on the 220SE saloon, it was sleek and smooth but the body in contrast to the earlier cars, was no longer curved. Many of the car’s distinctive features, including the design of the roof (which instantly earned the car its ‘ Pagoda’ nickname), were the work of Béla Barényi, who was in charge of Daimler-Benz’s predevelopment department. Designed to withstand a loading of 1000 kg, the Pagoda hard-top was the result of Barényi’ s research into primary and secondary safety.

The Mercedes Benz 280 SL featured a manual 4-speed gearbox as standard and an optional 4-speed automatic gearbox. From May 1966 the Pagoda also had the option of a ZF 5-speed manual gearbox (these were extremely rare). The 4-speed automatic gearbox has the same cast iron casing as the manual version, but featured a fluid flywheel rather than a torque converter and is fitted with two sets of planetary gears, three clutches and three brake bands, the clutches and brake bands being contained within the clutch bell housing. Although made of alloy, the clutch bell housing is a different shape from the one fitted to the manual gearboxes. When the shift lever is placed in drive ‘2’ or the kick down facility is used, bottom gear is automatically selected but the car otherwise pulls away from rest in the second ratio. The automatic gearbox weighs 13.6 kg more than the manual unit.