Unsurpassed manufacturing quality was a hallmark of the last hand-built Mercedes roadsters. Just like the legendary 300SL, the 280SL Pagoda of the late Sixties features light alloy body panels proudly displaying the stamped body number. Master craftsmen at the Sindelfingen Karosseriewerkstatt had to carefully align fenders, grille surrounds, and hoods until everything would fit perfectly. Since all this is impossible to duplicate, a keeper 280SL must be an accident free, matching numbers car showing the factory weld spots on the inside of the front fenders, as well as the ridges adjacent to the headlights.
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (800 x 600 pixels)
Sadly, very few of the 4,019 SLs produced for distribution in the US in 1970 have survived untouched. Most of these wonderful cars were eaten alive by the merciless rust cancer or deteriorated from heavy use, passed from one owner to the next, their true mileage and history shrouded in darkness. Others have been "restored," with varying degrees of competence. Rarely will you find a car that is all original and looks, runs, and drives like it's just a few years old. A car that appears to have spent most of its time in an airtight bubble, protected from the elements, out of harm's way.
Here's one; it's proudly called "The White Diamond!"
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (800 x 579 pixels)
One of the most desirable 280SLs imaginable, factory equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission, both tops, and air conditioning, the White Diamond possesses all the traits that set an exceptional collector car apart from the also-rans. It's a fully documented, two-owner, low-mileage California SL, has never suffered any rust or accident damage, and was always maintained in a manner befitting a luxurious sports roadster.
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (800 x 519 pixels)
Of bespoke Southern California provenance, VIN *113.044-12-016623* was sold new on May 28, 1970 at Lloyd Pearson Inc., a venerable Mercedes dealer on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, Calif. to a wealthy investment banker, who pampered the car for three decades like a favorite child, mainly using it for trips to his vacation home near Palm Springs, adding less than 3,500 miles annually to the odometer.
This SL has never left the Golden State and is still registered to its eminently desirable, original 1970-issue, blue-and-yellow license plates.
|
|
Click on any of the above images for a full-size view
The array of books, manuals, and records accompanying the White Diamond is simply astonishing. Noteworthy items
- New Car pre-delivery inspection sheets
- Salesman's hand-written copy of window sticker
- Fahrzeugdatenkarte (Vehicle data card, or "Kardex")
- Metal Protect-o-Plate ("Certicard")
- Owner's manual
- Service booklet
- FRIGIKING A/C guide
- A/C warranty certificate
- BILSTEIN shock absorber warranty card
- "Recommended transmission fluid" chart
- MB service stations register
- Directory of Mercedes dealers in the USA
- Spare parts catalog "B"
- KANGOL seat belts instruction folder
- HIRSCHMANN antenna booklet with attached keys
- BECKER radio manual
- BECKER warranty ticket & wiring diagram
- BOSCH service booklet
- MB "Recommended cleaning supplies" brochure
- DOT "Read before driving" booklet
- 23 chronologically filed receipts for parts and services
|
|
|
Click on any of the above images for a full-size view
Original data card (note "Aufbau-Nr." [body no.] 01430), Protect-o-plate, and Sales Invoice. The car sold for exactly $8,630.00 in 1970, a tidy sum at a time when a new Dodge Dart cost $1,995.00!
|
|
|
|
|
| Mileage, as recorded: | 776 - 3,034 miles | 5,997 - 14,971 miles | 17,997 - 27,390 miles | 32,512 - 39,174 miles |
|
|
|
|
|
| 42,073 - 51,043 miles | 54,219 - 63,086 miles | 66,171 - 74,959 miles | 78,356 - 84,956 miles | 90,185 - 99,154 miles |
Click on any of the above images for a full-size view
The Service Booklet documents continuous maintenance and irrefutably establishes the car's low original mileage.
|
|
Click on any of the above images for a full-size view
This 280SL is fully optioned, being factory-equipped with both tops, the (new) black canvas soft top with tan herringbone headliner, and the hardtop--incredibly, fitted with new weatherstripping, a true labor of love--which turns the car into a weather-tight Coupe when mounted. Additionally, the car features air conditioning, power steering, white wall radial tires, tinted glass, right-hand outside mirror, bumper guards, and a BECKER Europa radio.
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (800 x 581 pixels)
Speaking of the hardtop, it simply looks stunning with its flawless headliner, wood, and chrome trim!
|
|
|
Click on any of the above images for a full-size view
Important details like the pristine convertible top compartment and top mechanism make the White Diamond shine like a star, far above the average SL. It's ready for a trophy at the next car show!
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (900 x 591 pixels)
Yes, we've checked: the deck lid, doors, and convertible top cover carry matching numbers. Uniform door and hood gaps as well as the aformentioned ridges near the headlights and the factory weld spots confirm the virginal integrity of the White Diamond. Therefore, we can guarantee that this SL carries all of its original body parts and has never been involved in as much as a fender bender. A rare find indeed!
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (900 x 563 pixels)
The glossy white paint (factory code 050, matching the data card) appears to be mostly original. After 35 years, there are very few, minuscule signs of use, but no bubbles, scratches, or dents worth mentioning. We wholeheartedly believe the White Diamond to be one of the finest survivors in existence.
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (800 x 600 pixels)
Of course, the mechanical aspects of the 280SL are not to be neglected. Inside an immaculate engine bay rests the strong heart of the Roadster, its fuel injected 2.8-liter overhead cam inline-6 motor, producing 180 lively horses. It has an excellent reputation as being almost bullet-proof, with its 7 main bearings and the factory-installed oil cooler. This engine starts easily, doesn't smoke or burn oil, doesn't leak any vital fluids, and runs like a champion thoroughbred.
Since purchasing it in April of 2000, the SL's second owner spent well over $10,000.00 keeping the car in prime condition, while only adding 3,000 miles to the odometer. He had the front suspension as well as the rear differential rebuilt. A new drive shaft, complete exhaust system, power steering pump, radiator, thermostat, brakes, belts, hoses, battery, shocks, turn signal switch, and windshield were installed. The A/C system was fully serviced and blows ice cold. Detailed records for all of this are included, of course.
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (800 x 600 pixels)
Inside the sumptuous cockpit, everything looks like new. It's a low-mileage car, one that has always been garaged, away from the elements. Oozing originality, the White Diamond's comfy black seats still are wonderfully firm, free of rips or tears, and accommodate even the tallest people. Factory salt-and-pepper carpeting has always been protected by embroidered floor mats. Everything is in a wonderfully preserved state, including the unique KANGOL seat belts featuring Mercedes' three-pointed star on their buckles!
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (800 x 600 pixels)
The 280SL roadster's painted dash communicates the opulence of the 1960s, with intricate chrome fittings, deeply varnished Zebrano wood, pinstriped VDO gauges, and an oceanliner-sized steering wheel. Note the BECKER Europa radio: it works perfectly!
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (800 x 600 pixels)
Again, everything looks and works like new, including all switches, lights, and gauges. Even the KIENZLE clock keeps perfect time.
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (800 x 577 pixels)
Before we go on a test drive, let's check out trunk and undercarriage!
|
|
|
Click on any of the above images for a full-size view
And what a trunk it is!
From the original rubber mat to the fitted spare tire cover to the complete factory tool roll, still kept in its protective, clear plastic bag (have you EVER seen one?), to the most minute decal, everything here confirms this SL's reference car status!
|
|
|
Click on any of the above images for a full-size view
Expect no less than breathtaking reference quality from the White Diamond's undercarriage, too. Belying its age to the fullest, everything looks like you'd hope to find it on a 3 year-old Mercedes. Never any rust or rust repairs, of course, but a brand new exhaust system, new BILSTEIN shocks, and a factory-refurbished rear differential to top it off!
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (800 x 599 pixels)
While good looks and health are certainly important, let's not forget that cars are meant to be driven. Hence, the bottom line: what's it like to drive this 35-year-old in today's traffic?
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (850 x 599 pixels)
December 4th, when we took these pictures, was just another lovely day in Paradise. Starting our journey in Santa Barbara, we lowered the top, turned on the efficient heater and had a blast, zipping down to Ventura, around Mandalay Beach, and along Pacific Coast Highway.
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (800 x 600 pixels)
Exercising this SL is Heaven on Earth! The expertly (and expensively) refurbished steering and suspension are as tight as a new car's. No play, no shakes or shimmies here! The automatic 4-speed transmission's shift points are precise; the power-assisted 4-wheel disc brakes stop the car with authority. You can take our word for it: in the three decades we've been involved with classic European sports cars, we've never encountered a Mercedes Pagoda SL that drives as perfectly as this one. It's virtually like new!
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (800 x 588 pixels)
Not an entry level Pagoda by any means, we wholeheartedly believe the White Diamond to be one of the finest original examples of its kind in the Country, perhaps the entire World. A two-top California 280SL equipped with automatic and ice cold factory air conditioning that comes with with all books, records, and a documented history that simply boggles the mind. A factory tool roll still wrapped in its protective plastic. Virginal fenders. Matching numbers on all factory stamped body parts. We doubt there's another SL like this one available under $50K.
Click on the above image for an XXL-sized view (800 x 589 pixels)
Clearly, this 280SL is for the discriminating enthusiast. Someone who knows that this is not a used-and-abused 35-year-old car, but the finest original example imaginable, maintained to perfection. Someone who'll give this superb Mercedes Roadster a new home and make it part of the family. And the investment portfolio, of course.
"You get what you pay for," is an old saying. With this 280SL, you'll get more, so much more; we guarantee it!
Addendum:
This fine motorcar sold in December 2005 to the Vice President of a large Mercedes-Benz new car dealership in Southern California.