1967 Mercedes-Benz 250 SL

The eagle-eyed among you will have spotted that this 1967 Mercedes-Benz ‘Pagoda’ SL isn’t a 230SL or a 280SL.

No, it’s a 250SL, and that makes it a rare sight on UK roads.

Only 5,000 250SLs were built for the ’67 model year. Most were LHD models, with 1300 or so models going to mainland Europe and most of the rest to the USA.

Only around 250 or so RHD examples made it to the UK, as far as we tell.

The DVLA is of the opinion that no more than about 160 are registered here at present.

We’re willing to bet that very few of them are as good as this fabulous example.

The car’s mileage today is showing as 24,758 on the 5-digit odometer.

Given that the odometer was recorded as showing 99,564 in 1978, we’re assuming that the car has covered no more than 25,000 miles in the last 47 years.

It certainly drives well, starting on the button and offering up quick, crisp auto-box changes to help you exploit the car’s peppy engine and eager handling.

The vendor drove it for 2.5 hours to reach our Oxfordshire HQ and says it didn’t miss a beat or seem remotely likely to.

The vendor has carefully curated this car for the last 11 years, the previous owner having had the car for 26 years, during which time it was kept warm, safe and dry in a heated garage.
 

Well, the outside of this car presents a very handsome vista and is a lasting testament to the elegant, understated, timeless Paul Bracq design.

There are no dinks, dents or creases of any real consequence anywhere that we can see and the car exudes all of the famous Teutonic build quality for which these very expensive cars were rightly admired from every pore of its classically elegant body.

The red paintwork is broadly very good and the finish has a good depth of shine and lustre to it.

The hard-top is following the same script in terms of quality and condition.

The car has evidently been repainted (the tell-tale sign is that the notches next to the headlights have been filled-in with paint) and there are a couple of patches of retrospective touching-up in a couple of places, but the overall look is very good and the car presents well from every angle.

The wheels look fine, having had the hub caps repainted to match the body colour in recent years, and there are just a few scuffs and scratches on the chrome rims.

Elsewhere, the chrome is in very decent fettle and there’s no foxing, pitting or tarnishing to speak of.

There are very few exceptions to all this good news, but they are there if you look hard enough (it’s our job).

There’s a small amount of bubbling where the roof meets the body of the car by the driver’s door.

We also found a couple of tiny bubbles under the paint above the n/s/ headlamp and another adjacent to the bonnet on the offside.

As for the car’s lights, lenses, badging, trim and other exterior fixtures and fittings, they’re all in very good order. 
 

The interior is every bit a match for its exterior counterpart and looks to have a good deal of originality and authenticity.

The Mercedes-Benz no-compromise build quality is evident in everything you can see and touch. It’s easy to see why these cars were so expensive when new.

The black leather upholstery is in first-class condition, with only a few light creases on the front seats and a little wear and rubbing on the beading around the seat edges.

The rear seats don’t look as if they’ve ever hosted anything much heavier than a flat cap or a bag of crisps.

The wood above the dashboard and the central storage cubby is untroubled by the passage of time.

The original radio works but the speaker was blown and has been disconnected. If you’d rather listen to the radio than this car’s sweet engine, you’ll need to get a replacement speaker.

The red dashboard face perfectly complements the black and silver analogue dials and gauges and is unmarked or damaged in any way that we can discern.

The only exception is one of the levers for the heater/vent control, which is decidedly stiff.

The vendor has bought a replacement, which comes with the car, but it will need fitting.

The roof lining is good, as are the black carpets, red-flecked mats and door cards.

The boot is similarly pristine and has been painted on the floor and the underside of the lid with as much thoroughness and diligence as the rest of the car – which is always a reassuring sight.
 

The engine and engine bay are impressively clean, dry and orderly.

Everything looks to be in its right and proper place.

The same can be said of the car’s undersides, which appear to be possessed of oodles of structural integrity.

They look as if they’re barely acquainted with the outside world and everything looks solid, sound and robust to us.

Certainly, we’ve seen nothing to make us tut, frown or otherwise question the car’s honesty or character.
 

The car comes with its original service book which is fully stamped up until 1978. After that the history trail rather peters out until it’s picked up again during the vendor’s tenure.

He believes that the car was restored at some point – and obviously to an exceptional standard – during the previous owner’s 26-year curation of the car.

In recent years, the vendor has had the car serviced, repaired and maintained by well-known classic Mercedes-Benz specialist Steve Redfearn, who has expressed his opinion that this is a very good example. Prior to Steve, the car was looked after by Performance Sports Cars of Horsham.

The last major service, which also covered work to refurbish the brakes, grease the suspension and replace the battery, was in July 2024.

The car comes with its original manuals and handbooks, a clear HPI report and an MoT certificate, with no advisories whatsoever, that’s valid until 3.4.26.


 

There’s a reason why this vintage of Mercedes-Benz SL is so revered.

These cars are over-engineered masterclasses from the 'meister technikers' of Stuttgart.

They make their modern counterparts seem almost flimsy and cheap by comparison, and they certainly make their historical contemporaries look rather inadequate.

This car is in very good restored condition, and the restoration and refurbishment work has evidently been carried out with sensitive consideration for the car’s originality and authenticity.

Looking at it and driving it, it’s hard to imagine that this car left the production line in the same year that Jimi Hendrix released Purple Haze and Dustin Hoffman began to suspect that Mrs. Robinson’s interest in him was far from innocent.

We think it will make its next owner very happy indeed.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £65,000 - £85,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.