Vehicle details
The 280 SL 'Pagoda' is well-known as a robust, dependable, and practical solution to the classic touring car market, and in 2.8-litre form also had a respectable turn of speed, making it the most sought of the W113 variants. Because so many were purchased by those who had the resources and desire to take care of the cars, a high number of the iconic W113 Pagoda SL's have survived, owing to their customary sturdy build quality and excellent parts availability. This is a unique opportunity to obtain a 1971 example of a well-presented example of a rare RHD 280 SL 'California Coupe' featuring both a removable hardtop and sunroof combination with a drop-down rear seat bench. It's believed that just 10 original hardtops with the sunroof options were ordered from the factory. In addition, the car also comes with some other unique options, which offers a unique aesthetic touchWhile its early history is unknown, this car was imported from New Zealand and had undergone a thorough restoration in the early 2000s. It was later stored at Fazazz, a Christchurch-based speciality classic car dealer and museum, and eventually sold to its new owner for rural outings and the occasional car exhibition. The owner went further into making it even more noteworthy, by seeking a hardtop (with the ultra-rare sunroof option) With the later models, the ride became softer, implying that Mercedes wanted to portray it as a tourer rather than a pure sports vehicle, so with that in mind, the owner upgraded the road springs with uprated stiffer items, which provides a firmer but not uncomfortable sporting ride and complemented with a set of new bushes. The final piece to making this car stand out is the installation of a Becker Mexico radio providing a nice visual finishing touch to the tasteful cabin. It appears that the car was passed to a new owner in the mid-2000's who continued to spend on the car. The car was then shipped over to the UK in 2015, where it has since been treated a fully working soft top, new carpets, seatbelts, door trims and a full restoration of the interior wood details. Since being in the UK, the car hasn't covered much more than 2, 000 miles, The car comes with a lot of investigative paperwork relating to the car, suggesting that the owner was keen to find out as much information about his car as possible. As a result, there are printouts of emails that were sent back and forth to specialists, traditional invoices and documents for the work carried out are present, The car also has evidence that it was regularly serviced and maintained by Mercedes for the rest of its duration in New Zealand. Upon reaching British shores in 2015, the car has had lots of money spend on it mostly on the fitting of the frame and soft top, The interior has seen extensive work over the years, with very little in terms of wear or damage to report. Both of the front seats are as good as new, with no suggestion of age.
