1965 Mercedes

1965 Mercedes-Benz 230 SL ‘Pagoda’ (W113)

Registration: AHJ 146C

Mileage: 11, 450 miles

Transmission: 4-speed manual

Steering: Power assisted

Body: Convertible with removable hardtop

Restoration: Goldsmith & Young, completed 2019

Restoration expenditure: £175, 722

Original UK-market car

Desirable manual gearbox and power steering

Successful rally participant post restoration

This 1965 Mercedes-Benz 230 SL is a UK-market, right-hand-drive example, fitted with a four-speed manual gearbox, power steering and removable hardtop.

In 2019 Aston Martin specialists Goldsmith & Young, completed a comprehensive restoration with invoice totalling £175, 722, this was in addition to the circa £40, 000 purchase price of the car 5 year prior.

This was not simply a cosmetic refurbishment. The car was stripped to a bare shell, which was placed on a jig and rebuilt with new panels where required, including the hardtop. The engine, rear axle, brakes and suspension were all rebuilt as a matter of course, while the tyres (Michelin), gauges, exhaust, steering box, clutch, radiator, headlining, rubber seals are among the countless items that were either replaced with new or refurbished. All works undertaken and parts purchased are detailed in extensive bills held in the accompanying history file.

Presented in 050 White with black MB-Tex interior, the car retains the wonderfully elegant proportions that made the W113 one of Mercedes-Benz’s most enduring designs. With the soft top lowered it remains one of the most attractive open touring cars of the 1960s, while the accompanying removable hardtop gives the car its celebrated ‘Pagoda’ profile and makes it an equally handsome proposition for year-round use.

The odometer now records 11, 450 miles. Which is the total miles since restoration, so the car is proven.

The result is a particularly appealing 230 SL: right-hand drive, manual, power assisted, complete with its hardtop, and restored condition hopefully means you’re buying A Pagoda to enjoy as intended — with the reassurance that the expensive work has already been done and since restoration she has taken part in rallies ranging from The Three Castles in the UK to the Paris-Biarritz where it finished 1st overall, and the Dolomite Challenge where it achieved 3rd in its class in 2024. The car still has cabling for its Brantz trip meter.