1968 Mercedes-Benz 230SL Pagoda

First registered on 5 February 1968, this ‘Pagoda’ would likely have been one of the last of the 148bhp 2.3-litre (2308cc) cars built, as production had ended the previous year. In fact, by the time this car was registered, the short-lived 250SL successor had also been replaced by the 280SL.

Successive ownership has taken the car around the country, from the northern home counties in the ‘70s, Staffordshire and Shropshire in the ‘80s, Worcestershire and Warwickshire in the ‘90s and to the vast majority of the 21st century in Surrey.

We believe the SL underwent a full restoration that was completed in 2002, although only invoices for the finishing items remain from this work.

The vendor, the car’s 8th owner - from West London, bought the car at auction a few years ago for his garaged collection but hasn’t been able to give it the attention it deserves and has barely driven it, so is now selling.

The 230SL is finished in 180 Silver Grey metallic, its original colour, and from a short distance it appears in remarkably good condition. Closer to, you can see that the paint isn’t without the occasional scuff, scratch or blemish.

There are bubbles in the paint on the offside front wing, nearside rear wheel arch and a small area under the nearside rear bumper, along with light pitting and the odd blemish in the chrome trim, but panel gaps and shut lines are as they should be and overall, the look of this car is still very strong.

The black folding fabric hood was fitted with a new canvas in 2002 and has clearly seen only light use since. There are a few wrinkles here and there - including a small crease in the plastic rear window - and areas of light wear over the frames but otherwise it appears in a good, usable condition. There is some light rust around the lip of the roof stowage and on the locking levers, but the roof folds away neatly under the hard tonneau cover.

The hard top ‘Pagoda’ roof is also present and looks in good order; painted to match the body of the car. According to the build plate, this roof was factory painted in 190 Graphite Grey - a darker shade to complement the lighter Silver Grey body.

The 230SL sits on model-correct 14-inch steel wheels painted in body colour with the OEM chrome and body-coloured hubcaps and chromed “beauty rings”. The one-piece wheel covers didn’t come in until the 280SL.

All are fitted with Nankang tyres dating from 2007 but appear in good condition having covered barely 2000 miles since.

The interior is upholstered in black leather with perforated seat facings - retrimmed in 2009 - which present in a very good condition, with little or no wear or damage. The door cards and dash are in a black vinyl, and the instrument panel is a combination of body coloured metal and chrome/aluminium trims.

Centrally in the dash is a period-and-model-correct Becker Europa radio which appears to have been discreetly adapted to take an auxiliary input. What looks like the original large diameter two-spoke steering wheel with leather trimmed central boss and horn bar seems in pretty good condition, although with a small crack in the plastic on the left.

There are also a few wooden fittings like a tray between the seats and wood veneered trim on the dash top. This latter item is original to the car but has suffered with heat or moisture and the veneer has cracked, more so at the extremities.

The grey cord carpets look hard wearing and since being newly fitted in 2002 have barely no wear or discolouration. The headlinings in both the soft and hard top are in very good condition - clean and intact.

Underneath the carpets, the floors are a little rusty in places with signs of recent moisture, but there are no obvious holes that we could see.

UPDATE: The lever that releases the tonneau cover for the soft top is spinning freely without activating the mechanism.  A problem not unknown on these cars & there are established fixes. Therefore the hard top would have to be transported separately by the winning bidder as the soft top is currently up.

Under the front-hinged bonnet the engine bay appears relatively clean and tidy, with a new battery and signs of recent maintenance or renewal to various hoses, cables etc. There are a couple of areas of damage or rust around the underside edges of the bonnet itself and a few chips in the paint at the edges but nothing of great significance.

The undersides of the car show signs of previous welding and there is surface rust appearing across some of the floor pans and subframes despite the coating of underseal. The steering components look recently replaced but the rubber bushing on the front suspension and handling structures may benefit from renewal. The exhaust system appears mostly sound but the rear box is starting to rust through the outer casing.

The boot space has no lining, just painted metal surfaces which are all clean and intact, and some loose plastic sheets over the top. Inside are a covered spare wheel, jack and wheel brace. The boot lid looks like a replacement, as does the boot floor, possibly indicating earlier accident damage but if so, it has been repaired very well.

The car’s last MOT expired in November 2019 but it had been regularly inspected prior to that. Indeed the paperwork contains numerous MOT certificates from 1975 through to 2016.

These MOT dockets track the car’s mileage once around the clock and up toward the current odometer reading of 12,600.

As it stands therefore, the car has no MOT and although exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it tested at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MOT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner and any subsequent purchasers but is also invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies.

The history file also contains numerous invoices from 2002 onwards, including the last two bills of sale for the car. Items of significance include:

2002 - numerous items including new carpets, hood, headlining and various exterior chrome items.

2009 - seats retrimmed in black leather

2010 - Clifford alarm system fitted

2021 - new battery and small service (spark plugs, engine oil and filter, gearbox oil)

The car comes with a new and apparently unused Coverzone Sahara model-tailored indoor breathable cover.

Note: The DVLA have this car registered as a 250SL, but the chassis plate is for a 230SL & we are pretty confident that it is in fact a 230SL.

One of our team has taken the 230SL for a short drive and reports that it is impressive. It drives very well, with a very good, strong pickup and good performance from the automatic transmission and, thankfully, the brakes. He also noted a purposeful exhaust note, which may be by design but could be down to the backbox likely needing replacement soon.

The Pagoda SL is an immensely desirable car and like all SLs, prices vary wildly depending on the condition and specification. We’ve seen average asking prices for earlier 230SLs like this, which were previously holding steady, rise considerably over the last year.

This one is a nice example which maybe could do with a little TLC to get it back to top condition, so we think it will sell for between £49,000 and £61,000. This could possibly be the cheapest way into a Pagoda SL and just a little more spent would definitely add value.

Viewing is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.