Beschreibung
H&H Classic Auction @ The Imperial War Museum, Duxford/ Cambridgeshire
20th September, 2023 10:00
1964 Mercedes-Benz 230 SL 'Pagoda'
Desirable UK-supplied, RHD example
Estimate
£50, 000 - £60, 000
Registration No: OHF 860
Chassis No: the details below
MOT: Exempt
Desirable UK-supplied, right-hand drive example
Current family ownership since 1977
Beneficiary of over £26, 600 improvement with The Splined Hub in 2014-2017
Rare manual gearbox example and offered with a hard-top
Successor to both the exotic race bred 300SL 'Gullwing' Coupe and its humbler 190SL sibling, the W113 series SL proved more comfortable than the former and faster than the latter (a point emphasised by Eugen Bohringer's 1963 Liege-Sofia-Liege rally victory). First of the line, the 230SL was introduced at the March 1963 Geneva Salon. Penned by Paul Bracq, its wonderfully crisp styling clothed a monocoque chassis equipped with all-round independent coil-sprung suspension and disc brakes. Powered by a 2308cc SOHC straight-six engine mated to a four-speed manual transmission, the model was credited with 150bhp and 159lbft of torque. Reputedly capable of 124mph, it was praised by the contemporary motoring press for its performance, roadholding, and refinement. Available in Californian Coupe, Convertible or Coupe Convertible guises, the last of these came with both a soft-top and the famous 'Pagoda' hardtop roof, so called because of its gently scalloped centre section.
A desirable UK-supplied, right-hand drive example, ‘OHF 860’ was manufactured in 1964 being registered new on the 29th of April 1964. Finished in White with Black vinyl interior upholstery, the Pagoda is offered with a Black hard-top and is fitted with the rarer manual gearbox. Acquired by the vendor's father in 1977/ 78, the Mercedes was used for around 12-18 months before the SLs ownership was passed to the vendor in 1979. Initially used for commuting and seeing regular exercise, the 230SL was taken off the road in 1983 and was placed into dry storage due to a lack of suitable parking at the vendor's London home. Pressed back into gentle action in the early 1990s, the early 2010s saw ‘OHF 860’ deserving of some restoration works.
Entrusted to well-renowned The Splined Hub in 2014, the Pagoda was lavished with over £26, 600 worth of expenditure with the work completed including but not limited to a comprehensive bodywork restoration with new panels as required; engine refresh with set-up and many new parts; repainting; fuel system reconditioned; interior re-trim; renewed cooling system with re-cored radiator; attention to the brakes; and numerous renewed and restored cosmetics and trims, with the comprehensive renovation completed in 2017. Having covered only around 1, 000 miles since, the Pagoda has a total mileage of just shy of 98, 500 miles from new.
More recently (in 2021-23) ‘OHF 860’ has seen further enhancement with new gear linkage, an overhauled timing assembly, renewed fuel lines and fuel pump, and engine tuning. Accompanied by a history file that comprises a large selection of MOTs dating back to 1981 (at 88, 484 miles), numerous invoices back to the same year, interesting correspondence between the vendor and suppliers in Germany regarding the difficulty sourcing a fuel pump in the 1990s, and a current V5C document. Desirable due to being supplied new to the British market and offered to the open market for the first time in over forty-five years having resided with the vendor and his father since 1977/ 8, make this Pagoda an inviting prospect. Not only that, but coupled with the manual gearbox, this example is a little more engaging to drive than the more common automatics and feels a little more like a sports car, and with a useful hardtop to be deployed in the chilly winter months.
