Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a rare, factory right hand drive, 1967 Mercedes-Benz 250SL with a factory 4-speed manual gearbox.

Mercedes-Benz only built 5,196 250SLs (from 1966 1968), compared to 19,831 230SLs (from 1963 1967) and 23,885 280SLs (from 1967 1971), making it by far the rarest of all the Pagodas.

It is not known how many were built with a manual gearbox, however, what we do know is that a factory right hand drive Mercedes-Benz 250SL with a manual gearbox is a rare car.

The Data Card on file shows a date of delivery of the 8th May 1967 and confirms this factory right hand drive example was delivered new to Great Britain. It also confirms this car was originally painted Tunis Beige (paint code 462) with a matching hard top. The interior upholstery code is 116, which is caviar coloured seats (trim code (2100) and black carpets (carpet code 6125). The soft top was originally black (soft top code 720).

We have verified that the ID plate, stamped chassis number, engine number, data plate as well as body number stampings on the bonnet, gearbox support, under the soft top lid and the hard top are all correct and matching.

This car has an excellent history file with ownership noted back to 1977, when it was owned by Ian Shanks Jeffrey from Falkirk in Scotland, UK. There is email correspondence on file between the current owner and Stephen Jeffrey (Ian Jeffreys step son), who wrote that he understood the previous owner to be a lady by the name of Sylvia Anderson who sold the car to his step father because it was too fast for her! The car was then registered as SA505, which is confirmed by an old UK V5 on file.

In 1983 the car was sold to John Kennedy from nearby Alloa and at that time it was registered as NMS537F. Kennedy owned the car for just over a year and it was then sold to Martin Swist from Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. The car remained in continuous ownership for the next 33 years, before being acquired by a well-known Australian enthusiast and collector in 2017. There is an Import Approval on file dated 13th July 2017.

The current owner acquired this Mercedes-Benz 250SL through the Classic Throttle Shop in Sydney in April 2022. It was a lovely car, however, the current owner is pedantic and wanted to improve the overall presentation of the car.

One thing led to another and the end result was that he spent as small fortune on his 250SL. The car was stripped and the body repaired and painted by Styling Automotive in Yeerongpilly (Brisbane). The bright work was rechromed and the external trim refurbished or replaced.

Classic car restorer Paolo Piazza Mussos Garagisti in Brisbane was tasked with the project managing the restoration work and the reassembly of the car.

Mechanically, the engine was found to be strong, so it was not rebuilt. All the ancillaries were assessed and refurbished as required, including the Bosch mechanical fuel injection pump. The final recommissioning and mechanical works were completed by classic Mercedes-Benz specialists Three Point Classic in Brisbane. They carried out a range of work installing a refurbished rear differential and a new clutch kit.

The interior was in excellent condition and it was only the timber that was refurbished. All the instruments were checked and repaired/refurbished.

The owner was heavily involved in the project and chose to purchase all of the new parts directly from suppliers including Niemoller, Authentic Classic and others.

The end result is beautifully presented Mercedes-Benz 250SL that drives every bit as good as it looks!

Today the odometer reads 61,009 km.

A change in the current owners circumstances has meant that he has reluctantly decided to sell the car.

Highlights:

- rare factory RHD 250SL with the 4-speed manual gearbox.
- presented in its stunning original colour of Tunis Beige.
- matching numbers chassis, engine and body.
- all tags present and correct.
- hard top / soft top.
- ready to use and enjoy.

Price $289,950.



Background

Following the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Europes car industry was decimated. In Germany both Daimler and Benz went back to producing cars post-war, however, times were tough. A merger between Daimler and Benz would ensure that both companies survived and following a technical co-operation agreement in 1924, the companies formally merged on the 1st July 1926. Mercedes-Benz was born!

Subsequently, Mercedes-Benz went on to build some of the greatest cars of all time. The cars from Stuttgart bearing the three-pointed star all had one thing in common . . . they were renowned for their technical innovation, build quality, luxury and performance.

In the 1950s Mercedes Benz produced one of the greatest cars of all time the iconic 300SL Gullwing and 300SL Coupe. Whilst fabulous cars, they were very expensive and generally sold to the rich and famous. Mercedes wanted to build a sporting luxury car that still looked classical in the mould of the 300SL, but it had to be affordable and the plan was to build such a car in far greater numbers than the exclusive 300SLs. Enter the Type W121 or 190SL as it became known in the mid 1950s. This model was an outstanding success and circa 25,000 cars were built over the next 8 years of production. The formula worked and Mercedes Benz carried it on with great success in the 1960s with the Type W113 230SL/250SL/280SL models. This evolved into the Type R107/C107 280SL(C)/350SL(C)/380SL(C)/450SL(C) models built throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

The Mercedes-Benz 230SL (Type W113.042) was first shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1963. Production started by June of that year and the car was a resounding success for Mercedes-Benz with 19,831 cars built in just over three and a half years of production.

In late 1966 the Mercedes-Benz 250SL (Type W113.043) was introduced. This model had many subtle improvements, but the most significant was an increase in engine size to 2,496cc giving the car significantly improved performance. The majority of the 5,196 250SLs were built in 1967 before production ceased in early 1968.

By late 1967 the final iteration of the Type W113 cars, the Mercedes-Benz 280SL (Type W113.044) was introduced. The Type M180 engine was bored out to provide a total engine capacity of 2,778cc and a further increase in power and torque over its predecessor. Mercedes-Benz built 23,885 280SLs taking the total number of Type W113 cars built to almost 48,912 over 9 years of production.

The Paul Baracq designed Type W113 Mercedes-Benz is today recognised as an all time classic. In recent years the demand for these cars has skyrocketed and the Mercedes-Benz Pagodas have become highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts worldwide.