Mercedes-Benz 280SL Pagode

- The Mercedes-Benz 280SL Pagode. A place of worship for convertible fans. -

In the early 1960s, Walter Hitzinger, Mercedes boss, was looking for a middle ground between the 300 SL Gullwing (slow flying) and the 190 SL, which was actually reserved for women wearing big sun hats. Then, in 1963, they presented the W113, which was soon popularly called the "Pagoda", thanks to the shape of the hardtop that came with it for the winter months. Now, almost 60 years later, an absolute cult. We couldn't agree more! The chassis was a shortened one from the W111 S-Class generation, an M180 six-in-line which was actually a further developed aircraft engine. Extended nose, large Bakelite steering wheel, rear-wheel drive.... Need we say more? Ours is really special. Maybe in our usual way, but even this one gives us pause. Why? A 280 SL Pagoda with manual transmission, already a rarity. Of the 23,885 units, only 882 were delivered with a manual transmission. But, this Pagoda is still from the first owner and was originally delivered in Germany. Fully matching numbers and colours, fully restored. Halt die Klappe und nimm mein Geld!