SL 280 Pagoda - One of car collectors favourites!

We can assume that design is a key element in the aforementioned models. The E-type is recognized as one of the world's most beautiful cars, even if the reliability may not be great, as with, for example, the Mini Cooper, which possesses both the design element and the performance quality. The Volvo P1800, like the E-Type, may not have been a car for everyone when it was released, but today has a huge following and possesses the feeling of timelessness and build quality. Mercedes-Benz SL models should not be forgotten to be mentioned in this article, not least because we at Bidders Highway have received an exquisite example from 1968.

The example we have the utmost honour of auctioning is a 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL in timeless cream white with dark brown leather interior. The car has been completely renovated between the years 2015 to 2018 and the condition of the car is, to say the least, exquisite! Equipped with the smooth and well- sounding M130 inline six of approx. 170 hp, there is enough performance, and the engine sound is more than wonderful. Shifting thru the gears are handled by yourself as it comes with a manual gearbox. For those days when the weather does not permit a convertible lifestyle, there is a dark brown hardtop to mount on.

If you want to know why the Pagoda is a top ten collector's car, you are more than welcome to keep on reading:

Mercedes-Benz's first SL model (W121) 190 and 300 SL, also known as the Gullwing were introduced to the racing scene back in 1952. It was not until two years later that a street version could be ordered by the ones who could afford it. The car became extremely popular among celebrities and was driven by Jan Manuel Fangio, Sza Sza Gabor, Tony Curtis and Sophia Loren, among others. The car was produced in a scant 3,258 units until 1963 when the replacement W113 was introduced.

The successor 230 SL (W113), nicknamed the Pagoda after its unique shape on the hardtop, was, unlike the previous model, not a sports car in its true spirit, but an undoubtedly more useful car. Unlike, among others, the Jaguar E-Type and the previous 300 SL, the car was reliable and user-friendly.

Model W113 is today highly valued on a collector basis and the reason for this is clear. From a design point of view, it is timeless and looks as good now as it did when it first appeared. In terms of operational quality and usability, the situation is the same. There is plenty of knowledge and spare parts to get your hands on and that makes it considerably more user-friendly than other collector cars. The price picture has been steady, despite production figures of approx. 49,000 cars and some reduced interest in the car is not to be talked about.

The successor R107 is by all measures not a bad car in any way, but it doesn't quite have the same aura as the Pagoda. We at Bidders Highway have, after some discussion back and forth, agreed that we will place our vote on the W113 body, but only time can tell which model is the absolute favourite.