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It’s one thing to swap an engine over a couple weekends in your home garage. Not an easy task at all. However, it is a whole other thing to swap an engine and have everything be so perfect and finish every single little detail that nothing looks out of place. You tie in all the modern systems while keeping that classic look. It’s literally the best of both worlds. That is what we have today.
This is a 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280SL with an M113 V8 and a five-speed automatic transmission. That isn’t the end of it. 15″ wheels with full covers, KW suspension, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and ASR, and an absolutely perfect red leather interior. It just doesn’t stop.
I’m officially declaring that spring is in the air. We are into mid-March now and soon the weather will turn for the better. That means car season is here and convertible season is soon to follow. Today, I wanted to look at one of my old favorites that always bring joy to me no matter the engine size or the condition – the W113 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class. I think these are one of the most classic Mercedes models in terms of package and usability of them even over 50 years later. I am not alone in this thinking therefore prices are not cheap. However, this 1968 280SL up for sale in Virginia comes in at a somewhat reasonable price and I’m not sure why.
At some point, you have to throw in the towel. A car that gets too far gone and well past the point of mathematical sense to fix, or try to dish it off as a parts car. Ideally, you are never faced with the situation, but when you are, you probably have to take a real hard look from an outside perspective. I think today’s car, a 1975 Mercedes-Benz 280SL, is one of those situations.
This is admittedly a rare Euro car with the slim bumpers, nice headlights, and M110 inline-six engine. Other than that, it is a typical R107 that there are more than plenty out there at every price level. The problem is, the condition is not good – not good at all. Is it worth saving?
I know when designers sit down with engineers and discuss (or fight) over a new model and how it will work, they really want to end up with the best possible product. Sometimes it ends poorly, sometimes it’s just okay, and sometimes they hit a home run. With the Mercedes-Benz Pagoda, these cheeky German knew they hit it out of the park. Actually maybe it was a “Tor!” since Germans don’t really play baseball. Either way, over 50 years later these things still turns heads. I know I badly desire one, and examples like today’s might just keep that dream alive.
This 1968 up for sale in California is finished in a lovely shade of blue over a tan interior. The condition seems about average, but the price seems awfully reasonable given the top of the food range 280 can bring six-figures for the really nice ones. I think I know why.
For all the Mercedes-Benz Pagodas I’ve ever taken a look at, for some reason I’ve never come across the California Coupe. What is the California Coupe? It is a 250SL or 280SL with a folding rear seat in the place of where the soft top would normally be with the hardtop or a tonneau cover as your option to cover the cabin. Comfortable? No. Safe? Even less so. Still, a relatively rare configuration as only around 10% of Pagodas were sold as California Coupes. You can probably guess where the majority of these cars were allocated when new and where you still find them for sale. However, just because these are relatively rare, doesn’t make them all that desirable even with the Pagoda market still being relatively strong. This example up for sale in, you guessed it, California, needs some help.
