1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL

This 1970 W113-series 280 SL pagoda is pretty much as good as you’ll find without disappearing down the weird and rather scary rabbit hole of concours.

Finished in dark green (268 colour code) with cognac/bamboo interior and MB-Tex upholstery, the car comes with power steering, a matching, original, dark green hard top and, even more importantly, matching numbers.

The vendor is a chap who’s been buying, restoring and selling classic Mercedes-Benz cars for many years. He’s seen more SL pagodas than most people could shake a stick at and he tells us that this is a particularly fine example.

Having seen and driven the car, we’re entirely in agreement.

The result, we can attest, is a beautiful, solid, honest car that drives superbly and is reassuringly free of any rattles, squeaks, groans, creaks, rumbles or wheezes.

This is mostly attributable to the fact that the car has never been stripped down and reassembled.

It is original, authentic and pretty much as it left the factory in 1970 (when it would have been one of the last built).

Consequently, it feels tight, taut and together.

This 280 SL starts on the button and, goes, handles, performs and stops precisely as it should. And it does all of that rather better than most of its contemporary SL pagoda counterparts.

We suspect that this is in no small part a consequence of a fully stamped service book that covers the car’s entire life to date.

It has had 6 former owners (two of whom were married couples who swapped ownership), including a farmer near Runcorn who sold it in order to trade up to 300 SL ‘Gullwing’.

This is a car you could use as a daily driver. The gearbox is smooth and easy; there’s enough power to keep you cruising along at 80mph all day; the brakes are as good as anything you’d find on a modern car; and the handling is poised, balanced and responsive.

If you compare this to what other manufactures were offering in 1970, well, there is no comparison.

This hails from the golden era when Mercedes-Benz over-engineered everything, cut no corners on anything, and built their cars up to a standard, not down to a price.

It is, quite simply, a joy to behold and to drive.

The dark green paintwork is gloriously rich and deep with a lustre and shine to it that perfectly accentuates the car’s classically simple, elegant lines.

The car was repainted (not restored) by Tony Williams Bodyshop in 2015 at a cost of £5,400.

It really is an exceptionally good-looking car, with smooth, ripple-free flanks; solid sills and gutters; tight, consistent shut lines and door gaps; and panels that are remarkably free of any dinks, dents, scuffs, nicks, chips or other unwanted blemishes.

It is a testament not to some modern restoration workshop but to the design, engineering and manufacturing excellence of Mercedes-Benz in their prime.

It’s also a reflection of the fact that the car has been garaged and covered throughout its life – a level of care evidenced by the absence of any rust to speak of anywhere that we can see.

The pretty much faultless finish applies equally to the hard top, which is not always the case with these cars because many of them don’t come with the original, factory-fitted item. This one does.

Similarly, the front grille fits perfectly because it’s original, not a replacement part.

The chrome on the bumpers, hub caps, trim and badging is un-pitted, bright, shiny and original – save for the rear bumper, which was replaced a few years ago.

The matching Firestone tyres were fitted new in 2020 and have plenty of life left in them.

The fawn-coloured hood fits well and is in good condition externally.

The chrome tailpipe sections on the exhaust are the correct versions.

Some of the paintwork on the strip of bodywork behind the hood storage flap is a little orange-peely in places, and there are one or two cracks to the hood storage surround on the n/s.

The interior of this car is gloriously, wonderfully authentic and in terrific overall condition.

In our opinion, the white steering wheel and gear knob lift an already impressive space to an altogether higher aesthetic.

The quality shines through wherever you look, from the beautifully detailed and conditioned dials, knobs, levers and switches on the dashboard to the incredibly well preserved, original, square weave carpets.

It really is an exquisite, jewel-like interior and one that’s all the better for being unrestored and still possessed of its original materials and construction quality.

The wooden dashboard vents and centre console tray are the superior originals, not the thinner, shinier replacements seen on many restored pagodas.

It’s a stunning cabin, front and back, and the kind of place that would imbue even the shortest trip with a real sense of occasion.

The carpets, door cards and roof lining (on the hard top) are in excellent condition, as is the interior of the boot.

The windows wind up and down as they should. They don’t wobble or rattle.

There is some perishing visible on the rubber door seals where they meet the ‘A’ pillar but, as luck would have it, replacements for these are in the boot (which also has a new seal).

The boot also contains the original steering wheel and a wind deflector. In the glovebox you’ll find a replacement nylon gaiter for the gear lever.

The comfortable and supportive seats afford a surprisingly good driving position. This is a car you could take on long journeys without having to crawl out of the car on your hands and knees when you reach your destination.

The MB-Tex upholstery has withstood the ravages of time and wear with extraordinary success. There are no tears, splits, unsightly creases or other major blemishes to report, just a pleasant patina entirely befitting the car’s age.

We’re not entirely sure what MB-Tex is made of (we’d guess a combination of Kevlar, graphene and depleted uranium) but that stuff really is phenomenally hard-wearing and could probably survive most natural (and unnatural) disasters.

The dashboard (with its period Blaupunkt radio) and centre console are all beautifully authentic and look as good as new.

The padding on top of the dashboard has not softened or gone squishy with age, as is often the case, and neither have the sun visors hardened or turned to dust internally. As far as we can tell, all dials and gauges work as intended.

Lifting up the carpets in the cabin or the boot reveals….nothing to worry about whatsoever.

The only imperfection we noticed was some staining to the inside rear of the fabric hood on both sides.

Oh, and we also had to comfort one of our more OCD-afflicted employees when he noticed that the three-pointed star on the steering wheel boss was very slightly off-centre.

The undersides of this car look very solid and honest.

The only rust in evidence looks to be of the superficial variety.

There is a good coating of bitumen/wax in evidence.

The engine bay is clean and tidy. Everything in its right and proper place.

This car has a fully stamped service book covering its entire existence.

Good luck finding another SL pagoda of this vintage with that kind of unbroken history.

The car was repainted in 2015.

In 2000, Silver Arrows arranged for the car to have its engine and gearbox removed, refurbished and rebuilt by Roger Edwards Motors.

It has been formally inspected twice (once by Roger Edwards in 2004, once by RetroMarque Ltd in 2015) and given good reports on both occasions.

It was last serviced in July 2020 at 99,750 miles. In 2021, new engine mounts and Bosch horns were fitted.

It comes with some bills, receipts and invoices, old MoT certificates going back to 2000, the original service book, the owner’s manual, 2 rare Mercedes workshop manuals and 2 sets of keys.

The car has an MoT certificate, with no advisories, valid until 21.3.22.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos and paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

We think this is quite possibly the best SL pagoda we’ve yet seen.

And the beauty of this car is far more than skin deep. It’s a pleasure to drive and puts most other pagodas of a comparable vintage to shame with its sheer usability.

It is a matching numbers example of a car that hasn’t needed to call in the restorers. It is more or less exactly as the good Ingenieure und Techniker of Sindelfingen intended when they first created this automotive delight 51 years ago.

We like it a great deal.

We suspect you will, too.

We think this car will sell for between £90,000 and £120,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, 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’.