1965 Mercedes-Benz 230SL |

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1965 Mercedes-Benz 230SL

This vehicle has now been sold - click ‘Register Similar’ below to get notified when we consign a similar vehicle.

Sold Price

£39,220

Mileage~22,746 on Clock
TransmissionAutomatic
Engine2.3-litre
LocationEdinburgh

SOLD

1965 Mercedes-Benz 230SL

I WANT ONE

Introduction

Colin Bashford

Professional Consigner

Arguably one of the pretties Mercedes of all time and in project form it makes for an exciting proposition.

The W113 SL made its debut in 1963 at the Geneva International Motorshow, replacing the iconic Gullwing. With its concave hardtop, the nickname "Pagoda" was born. The 230SL started the production, taking its base from the W111 saloon with a 30cm shorter wheelbase, fitted with a 2.3L inline-six which produced ~148bhp.

This is a UK RHD car that was bought by Mark as a silver wedding anniversary present for his wife in 2010 as a project, however sadly he has not had time to complete the works necessary and so has recently made the difficult decision to find the car a new owner.

As you will see, a lot of the hard work has already been done, the car is solid with most parts included, and importantly it comes with the original build sheet ("Birth Certificate") which Mark sourced from Mercedes.

This listing was written from information supplied by Colin after meeting Mark the owner, and having visited and photographed the vehicle.

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Secure Auctions

We verify all our sellers and buyers to keep our community safe whilst also providing the highest levels of website security.

Full Transparency

8 out of 10 people that buy cars via our service don’t feel the need to visit due to the transparency and thoroughness of our listings.

Vehicle Delivery

We're there every step of your buying journey and will even arrange pick-up and delivery of your new vehicle.

Meet the owner

This has always been a dream motorcar for my wife, and I'm sad to have not completed it, however, I know an enthusiast will pick up the baton and finish her beautifully.

Mark's wife Kayt has always loved the looks of the Pagoda, so he bought this one as an anniversary present for her. Mark has owned many classic cars since passing his test in 1978, from BMC sports cars to small Fords. Kayt always wanted an SL though, so in 2010 when Mark saw this unfinished restoration being sold by a classic vehicle company, that were clearing stock for a move in premises, well he found the perfect opportunity to make Kayt's dream come true.

Mark had other priorities to deal with before he could put time into the Pagoda, he didn't want to risk starting and losing parts halfway through. However due to other circumstances Mark has just never found the time he wanted to put into the restoration - sadly the car has sat in his garage undisturbed for a while.

Mark told us that the car comes with the majority of parts to complete the restoration, meaning there's only a few items required to be sourced by the new owner.

Mark will be happy to answer any questions in the comments section below, he also has a request that the new owner sends him some photos of the car once the restoration is complete.

Mark

Vehicle Owner

Mark saved £7,020* when they
sold their Mercedes with us.

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EXTERIOR VIDEO

Exterior

The Pagoda has such a distinctive look and even in project form the silhouette remains.

Wheels and Tyres

The standard steel wheels were present on the car, painted black with just some slight corrosion showing in patches on all wheels - all easily fixable. The Mercedes hubcaps were not on the car, but Mark has them in a box (along with many other parts) and they all looked in decent condition.

A mixture of tyres was found around the car, Semperit, Firestone, and a Pirelli winter tyre. All looked in decent condition, we didn't notice any cracking in the sidewall, but of course a matching set should be fitted once the restoration is completed. The original spare wheel wasn't present but the leather cover and fixings were present.

Please have a look at the photos and video below to asses the condition of the wheels and tyres for yourself.

Bodywork

Overall, for a project car, the bodywork is in good condition - it looks like there's not much work to do. Just a few items to point out: of course the bonnet wasn't bolted in, the doors need some fettling as they don't shut properly and the boot seemed a bit off, but apart from those things the body did look straight otherwise.

We did notice a couple of signs of corrosion on the bottom sides of some bodywork, but nothing major though - importantly Mark keeps the car in a dry garage with a dehumidifier.

We've highlighted in more detail our observations through our hi-resolution images and videos, so please take time to look through all the media files for a detailed view at what’s on offer, and for you to assess the condition of the car for yourselves.

Paint

The silver paint did look in good condition with even coverage and depth, we didn't notice any swirls on the paint.

We did notice a couple of imperfections in the paint, on the nearside rear quarter panel and nearside front wing pointed out in the photos below.

The images are taken from a few different angles to show off the car as you would see it if you were standing there for yourselves. So please take the time to fully assess these hi-resolution images and videos of the car, for you to make up your own minds about the condition of the paint.

Glass and Trim

One of the main missing parts is the windscreen, the rubber and chrome finishers were present and in good condition. Side windows were present but were rolled down and the winders were not attached inside, so we didn't get a good look at the glass.

The chrome bumpers looked in good condition, with a nice shine. The cloth roof looked in great condition and rear window looked great too.

The Pagoda's hardtop was present, the paint was more like primer with a few scratches on it. Mark had four boxes filled with parts for the car, including all the badging - all looked to be in good condition too.

One other item missing is the fuel filler car - photos of the boxes are in the history section below.

Please view the photos and video below to review the condition of the glass and trim for yourself.

VIEW ALL

INTERIOR VIDEO

Interior

Red leather and a classic 60s dashboard fitted with a modern radio.

Seats and Carpets

The red leather seats looked in great condition, showing very little signs of wear. The matching red carpets looked in good condition too - we just noticed a small stain in the driver's footwell carpet, but nothing major. There is also one trim piece missing, just behind the passenger seat.

The inside of the soft top looked in good condition; we did notice a stain on the interior side. The Pagoda hardtop has a small tear in its headlining, it could benefit from a refurbishment and finishing.

Please take a look at the photos and video below to decide on the condition of the seats and carpets for yourself.

Dashboard

The original 60s dashboard looked good condition, the clocks were clear and displaying ~22,746 miles on the odometer.

A modern Sony CD player was fitted to the car.

Please take a look at the photos and video below to decide on the condition of the seats and carpets for yourself.

Steering Wheel / Gear Stick

The original steering wheel was present in the Pagoda and it looked n good condition, showing very little wear considering the age of the car, it was however missing the centre horn section (one of the parts Mark told us was missing).

Fitted with the automatic gearbox, the gear selector looked good condition, with only a few age related marks on the chrome surround.

Please take a look at the photos and video below to decide on the condition of the seats and carpets for yourself.

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'ON THE ROAD' VIDEO

Mechanics

Fitted with the same 2.3L engine it left the factory with almost 60 years ago.

Engine and Gearbox

Unfortunately we didn't get too start the car up during our visit but Mark provided us with some video of the engine cracking by hand to show it wasn't seized, some oil can be seen pumping in the video too.

The exhaust was off the car but Mark had it stored in his garage.

Fitted with the automatic gearbox, Mark believes after consulting SL specialists that only 30% or so of the initial variant 230 SL Pagodas were built as automatics. Further more, due to the factory specialist build required to configure the car as RHD it is estimated that only between 10-12% of all Pagodas were commissioned this way.

Please see the video below to see the hand cranking of the engine and detailed condition of the engine and underside.

Suspension and Brakes

Of course we didn't really get a chance to test the suspension or brakes, as we only pushed the car out of the garage and back in, the car did move freely and we didn't notice any knocking from the suspension when moving the car slowly.

The Drive

Of course we couldn't take the car out for a drive, proper re-commissioning work needs to be carried out.

Electrics and Other

We couldn't test any of the electrics in the car, but as mentioned we did note that it was fitted with a modern Sony CD player.

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History and Paperwork

A very desirable RHD car that will be hot property in the market once completed - an exciting a light project for a home mechanic or specialist.

The 230SL comes with its original build sheet, V5 and not much else, numbers have been checked by Mark and they are all matching.

The clock has ~22,746 miles on it and Mark can’t verify the mileage due to the lack of paperwork, it could be original but the vehicle was last motd in 2007.

The car has been garage stored during the ~13 years Mark has owned it, coming with four boxes filled with various trim and mechanical parts that looked ready to go back onto the car, three major missing parts are the windscreen, the fuel filler cap and the horn push.

Here's more detail on the vehicle's numbers and information found out by Mark:

Vehicle Numbers
- VIN: 113042-22-009851(as per VIN plate/V5)
- Engine no: 127981-22-001963 (as per V5/Engine block stamp & Engine plate)
- Transmission: 001903 (stamped on inside of bell housing, so not checked but use full for parts)
- Steering box no: 33976 (for parts)
- Left front axle no: 098374 (for parts)
- Right front axle no: 098380 (for parts)
- Body no: 00137 (confirmed on Paint code plate and stamped chassis leg)
- This was also used on hard top/bonnet/soft top/tonneau cover & gear box support. (Not double checked)
- Ignition key no: DI 3245 (on car DI 4125)
- Boot and glove box key no: KV 094 (confirmed with car and works)
- Door and petrol cap key no: TN 072 (this key has no number stamped on car keys)
- Production number: 00449 (confirmed on colour plate)
- Production shift no: 3002
- Order number: 4/537/3640 - ordered by dealer in 1964/UK region code / (Mark understands the final 4 numbers are dealer,region,country,year but these have not been decoded)

Paint and Trim Numbers
- Paint code: 050 / 050 - White body / White hard top and hubcaps (confirmed on paint plate and interior evidence)
- Upholstery: 115/1/6/6 MB Tex/Dark blue (colour code 2300)
- Carpets: Graphite Grey (colour code 6117)
- Soft top code: 723 - Navy Blue (colour code 896)

Mechanical Specification
- Wheel rim size: 6J.14HI (for parts)
- Tyres Brand & Size: Phoenix 185.14
- Battery: Varta
- Headlight manufacturer: Bosch

Build Options
461: Mileometer reading in miles with English lettering
524: Paintcoat preservation
613: Headlamps-symetric for left lane traffic
667: Shipping protection
681: Owners manual and Labels in English
416: Hard top mounted
426: combination code 420&422 - Automatic/Floor shift/Power steering

Of course Mark has done a lot of detailed analysis and his findings have been laid out here. As we know, the data cards remained with the vehicles throughout production for correct build specifications, and were referenced to for any after market repairs/parts. Mark says that if a new owner wished to restore the car to near factory specification, then all original information is here, and the majority of his analysis (keys aside) is correct to plates and stamps on car together with the V5 log book.

We’ve done all our usual seller checks including photo ID, V5 and also actioned a HPi check on the vehicle.

We've summarised our own view on the car based on information gained from the seller in the listing above, however, and as you can see, we go to great lengths to photograph and video the car in hi-resolution detail - this has been done for you to make your own assessment from the comfort of your sofa. So please sit back, have a cuppa and take your time to review everything on this listing in order to make your own assessment on the vehicle's condition. Viewings are also welcomed with all our listings, so please get in touch with us to arrange a suitable time - we just need to speak to you first and receive a valid photo ID before confirming.

If there's anything you're unsure about, no matter how small, then please first ask the owner in the comments area below before placing your bid/s, as bids can't be retracted and form a binding contract if you win the car - just like a traditional auction house.