1968 Mercedes-Benz 280SL Medium Blue 2 Tops, uto, /C, ne Owner Original With acknowledgements to Wikipedia, nd for those not familiar with theMercedes-Benz W113, his elegant caris a two-seatroadster/coupé, ntroduced at the 1963Geneva Motor Show, nd produced from 1963 through 1971. It replaced both the legendary 300 SL and the 190 SL. Of the 48,912 W113SLsproduced, 9,440 were sold in the US.

A signature of the W113 is its distinctive, lightly concave hardtop, hich inspired the "Pagoda" nickname. All models were equipped with aninline-sixcylinder engine with multi-port fuel injection. The bonnet, runk lid, oor skins and boot cover were made of aluminum to reduce weight.

The comparatively short and wide chassis, ombined with an excellent suspension, owerful brakes andradial tiresgave the W113 superb handling. The styling of the front, ith its upright headlights and simple chrome grille, ominated by the large three-pointed star in the nose panel, aid homage to the legendary 300 SL roadster.

W113 SLs were typically configured as a "Coupe/Roadster" with a soft-top and an optional removable hardtop.

The W113 was the first sports car with a "safety body," based on Bela Barényi's extensive work on vehicle safety: It had a rigid passenger cell and designated crumple zones with impact-absorbing front and rear sections built into the vehicle structure. The interior was "rounded," with all hard corners and edges removed. The W113 was the first Mercedes-Benz with radial tires.

The 280 SL was the last iteration of this design and was introduced in December 1967 and continued in production through 23 February 1971, hen the W113 was replaced by its successor, he substantially bulkier R107350 SL. Over the years, he W113 evolved from asports carinto a comfortablegrand tourer; US models were usually equipped with the 4-speed automatic transmission and air conditioning. Of the 23,885 280SLs produced, bout half were sold in the US.

The main change for the 280SL was an upgrade to the 2,778cc (2.8L)M130engine with 170hp maximum power and 180ft/lb maximum torque, hich gave the W113 ample power. The performance improvement was achieved by increasing bore. Each engine was now bench-tested for two hours prior to being fitted, o their power specification was guaranteed.

The M130 engine marked the final evolution of Mercedes-Benz' venerableSOHCM180 inline-six. Mercedes’ aim with the W113 was to create a very safe and fast sports car with high performance, hich despite its sports characteristics, rovides a very high degree of traveling comfort.

It is a rare occurrence when one finds an original owner car, specially one as desirable as the red-hot 280SL. This is a close to one owner as it gets. The car was owned by a New Hampshire family who were true “snow-birds,” spending summers in New England and winters in Florida, here this car was purchased. They took the SL back and forth each season on the car train and maintained it carefully and correctly. Other than a repaint and a new top, he car is virtually all original… all original sheet metal and floors, riginal interior (!), riginal drivetrain, nd all original documents, ools, tc. Every panel has the original stamped number that matches the body number on the data plate. The delicate creases around the headlight eyebrows are there, ven the floor mat in the trunk is original (albeit a little brittle).

As you would expect with such an original car, here are extensive records to go with the full complement of papers that came with the car (owner’s manual, adio instructions, uild sheet card, xtensive service records, nd much more.) These records indicate that the car had a top end rebuild at 94k miles. The odometer shows around 10k, o we can safely assume that the chassis has around 110k miles total lifetime. The engine runs strong and without smoke; it neither burns nor consumes oil, he transmission shifts crisply with no slippage; the suspension has been serviced including new shocks, o she rides perfectly without any rattles or sloppiness.

Full disclosure: I said “as close” to one owner, ince I purchased it from a respected 190SL/280SL expert restorer, ho bought it from the original owner. He realized that there was no reason to restore a car of this quality and originality, nd was so impressed with the rust-free body and the original condition of all the panels and floors, hat he sold it to me without touching it. To effect the transfer, e needed to title the car in Florida, s NH is not a title state. He did not register it, ut technically that makes him a registered owner, ven if only for a few days.

I proceeded to detail the car with elbow grease and TLC, aking care not to detract from the original nature of the car. I am a collector, ut not an expert in SLs (so please don’t flood me with embarrassing comments.) However, do know a great car when I see one, nd I enjoy excellent originals even more than restored cars, here the quality of the restoration may hide extensive repairs under clearcoats and wax. SL’s were rust prone, o most have had serious rust repair. I prefer an excellent, nrestored, riginal sheet metal car over a repaired rusty specimen any day, o matter how well the work was done. That’s just me, ut apparently the market seems to be bearing me up.

On Nov-06-15 at 18:46:56 PST, eller added the following information:

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