1966 | Mercedes-Benz 230 SL

Your dream car is waiting for you: a Mercedes-Benz 230 SL vintage 1966 in collector's condition.

... with a history that is second to none!

The presentation of the Mercedes-Benz 230 SL (W 113) at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1963 was in many respects a milestone in Mercedes history. Today, the SL, known succinctly among fans as the "Pagoda", is considered a cult vehicle of the 1960s. Good examples are highly sought after and correspondingly rare. Who would have thought that the Pagoda once had a much harder time of it? The reason: as a new sports car in the Mercedes sales programme, it was to replace two extremely popular roadsters. The Mercedes 190 SL and the 300 SL. Both models were very popular and successful right from the start. The 300 SL became a legend in its own lifetime. The task of the new Mercedes Type 230 SL was to represent two fundamentally different vehicle concepts. No easy task for the "newcomer". De facto, Daimler-Benz took a middle course with the W 113 series: The new 230 SL was neither an uncompromising, hard roadster à la the 300 SL nor a gentle boulevard sports car like the 190 SL. The W 113 started out as a comfortable two-seater touring car with high performance and optimum driving safety.

Although the new SL had practically nothing in common with its two predecessors, the W 113 series was not a completely new design. Technically, it largely corresponded to the Mercedes 220 SE. The tailfin saloon, for example, sported the shortened and reinforced frame-floor system including front and rear suspension with a resulting wheelbase of 2,400 mm.

The heart of the new SL was also a donor organ of the 220 SE: its 2.2-litre power unit was increased to 2.3 litres displacement by boring. Through a higher compression ratio as well as the use of a six-cylinder injection pump, the output of the six-cylinder in-line engine increased to 150 hp.

Power transmission to the rear axle was provided by a standard 4-speed manual gearbox on the new SL. New for the SL series was a 4-speed automatic gearbox available as an option. Transmission variant number four was a 5-speed manual gearbox from supplier ZF Friedrichshafen, available from May 1966.

The highlight of the new Mercedes Type 230 SL was undoubtedly its body. It was the first sports car in the world to have a safety body with a rigid passenger cell and deformable front and rear sections. This achievement can be traced back to the design principles of Béla Barényi, the "father of passive safety" in automotive engineering. Barényi's concept was first realised in the tail fin saloons. Interesting detail on the side: the roadster owes its nickname to the new SL's focus on passive safety. While most of the safety-relevant design elements were hidden under the SL's sheet metal, it had one detail openly on display. Its removable coupé roof with concave curvature. This characteristic design feature of the body was unusually avant-garde by the standards of the time and did not meet with the approval of all onlookers. Yet the so-called "pagoda shape" of the roof was by no means an optical style element, but a classic example of the designer maxim "form follows function". Following the school of Béla Barényi, the pagoda shape made it possible to realise a particularly high strength of the roof despite the lightweight construction. In addition, the roof construction ensured easy access and improved visibility through the resulting large side windows.

The light and airy lines of the SL continue to inspire enthusiasm to this day. The same applies to its powerful in-line six-cylinder engine, which contributes to the driving pleasure of the SL. Especially when they do their job so flawlessly and with such a powerful sound, like the Mercedes-Benz 230 SL (registration no. #0054031) offered by me on behalf of a customer in the elegant colour combination of "Dark Blue 332" on the outside and "Cream Leather" on the inside.

You will hardly find a better SL in this price range. The decisive factor for this is not only its very good overall condition, which has been assessed with a grade 2 in 2023. The SL history and the accompanying documentation in paper form are also unparalleled. Since 1967, almost every service and every screw of the car has been documented. Just reading the vehicle file is likely to make the eyes of classic car enthusiasts sparkle. Among other things, it documents the sale to the second owner, who bought the Mercedes as an annual car from Auto Becker in Düsseldorf. Or all maintenance (almost entirely at MB partners) between 1967 and 2019 and vouches for the mileage of a genuine 126,762 kilometres.

If you are looking for a Pagoda in collector condition with excellent history, don't miss this opportunity.

If you have any questions about the car, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone. A viewing and test drive are also possible after making an appointment by telephone.

Note: The equipment overview does not claim to be complete.

Errors excepted. The information and details in this exposé do not represent any assurance or guarantee, be it explicit or implicit. In particular, they do not constitute an implicit promise or guarantee with regard to the condition, the marketability, the suitability for certain purposes or the non-violation of laws or patents.