1966 Mercedes Benz W113 230SL with Burgundy Leather

Converted to a five-speed manual gearbox, with most of the restoration work done in 1998 to a very, very high standard.

Purchased by its present keeper as a second Pagoda, this 230SL was sought as an alternative to restoring a 280SL. Instead of diving into a lengthy and expensive restoration of the 280SL, the current owner decided to source and buy the very best Pagoda to suit his needs - which is the 230SL shown here. Restored in 1998 to a very high standard, complete with 5 speed manual gearbox conversion, this superb car has spent its recent years residing in France as an occasional use summer car. The manual gearbox allows full use to be made of the 2.3 litre straight six engine, making it a very engaging Pagoda to drive. Both the interior and exterior are beautiful to behold, and the service history file is nothing short of exhaustive. This is a superb example of the Mercedes-Benz Pagoda, a car that showcases the very best of the 230SL in an attractive colour. We particularly like the top heading, hand-written in the report on the car which simply says ‘Wolfgang’s Report - this is a very, very good car. Very nice when you drive it, in fact, it drives fantastic. Real, real nice car’. We have to agree.

This car was delivered to Oregon in 1966 and was owned for around 25 years by Donald Leap and his parents. Mr Leap was a long-standing President of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America and his enthusiasm and knowledge of all things Mercedes-Benz is evidenced by the retention of history and maintenance records for the car from the 1970s and 1980s. The original data card, owner’s manual, service book and parts book are still with the car. The next owner of the car, Mr Levin, also lived in Oregon. Mr Levin commissioned an extensive and high-quality restoration of the car in 1998. The history file includes all invoices for the restoration work and a few photographs of the process, including the car brought down to bare metal prior to painting. The driver’s side front wing was replaced as part of this work, and otherwise the car has never been welded. The original black M-B Tex (vinyl) upholstery was expertly re-done in burgundy leather and the hardtop also had a full glass-out restoration. In 2003 the car was acquired by Mr Eig in New Jersey. This was Mr Eig’s second Pagoda and was bought carefully, mindful of the issues which had arisen on his first foray into Pagoda ownership. Mr Eig is a classic car enthusiast and the car won numerous awards at the shows which he attended. However, Mr Eig’s affections shifted to a Porsche 911 and he sold the car to its present owner. The car arrived in Tilbury docks, London in June 2006 and was driven out of the shipping container and up the road to Edinburgh. The owner found that he did not make much use of the car in Edinburgh and in 2012 took it to his house in the South of France where it was re-registered in Department 06 – Provence-Alpes- Cote d’Azur. During a winter storm in 2014, some garage roof tiles fell on the car, damaging the boot lid and scratching the paintwork on both rear wings. The car was brought up to Colin Ferns in London for repair. As it was now 16 years since the car had been restored, it was decided that, to ensure a perfect colour match, the whole car should be repainted. At the same time, a Getrag 5-speed gearbox was fitted to provide more relaxed continental cruising – the fifth gear is effectively an overdrive. Present with this car is a large, coffee table format hardback book called Pagoda Style with a double page spread dedicated to this very car. Also present is a well-organized ring binder detailing a lifetime of careful ownership going back to the mid-1970s. An incredible find that is lovely to drive with an enviable service history file.

A superbly presented 230SL set up to be the ultimate driver’s car with a 5-speed manual gearbox.