1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL Gorgeous, Mechanically Strong, $30k spent at MB Classic

Goodman Reed Motorcars

805-202-4557

Tons of additional photos and scanned service receipts available on our site or upon request.

Offered for sale is an absolutely beautiful, entirely honest and mechanically excellent 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL finished in attractive Light Ivory (DB 670) over a dark brown interior, a sophisticated livery that is all at once timeless and era specific. Acquired by the current owner from Chequered Flag International in Marina Del Ray in 2004, the car was entirely gone through by the Mercedes Classic Center in Irvine at a cost of more than $30k to ensure that it was the best possible weekend driver, which was the owner’s goal. As such, this beautiful example has a completely solid undercarriage and is in turnkey mechanical condition.

The car’s Light Ivory finish is beautiful – deep, lustrous and marred only by the most negligible of imperfections (a couple of chips on the driver side door, some rock chips on the front valence, etc.), none of which are significant enough to appear in any of the pictures. The body is also excellent – straight, free of rust and retaining correct and consistent panel fits and gaps throughout. The fenders are original (with factory spot welds), the undercarriage is entirely solid, the chrome is in excellent original condition and the original wheels are wrapped in Michelin tires with plenty of remaining tread.

The car’s brown interior has been entirely reupholstered, the MB Tex seats, interior panels and carpets appearing effectively brand new. The interior wood trim shows some age but is entirely presentable, and the car is missing its original soft top – the owner never tried or wanted to use it and didn’t even recall that it was missing, surprisingly not an uncommon situation for many W113 owners in terms of soft top use. The hardtop’s headliner is perfect, the car retains its original steering wheel, has a fully functional dealer installed Frigiking air conditioning unit and the glove box houses a more modern CD/radio unit (which means the dash has never been cut.)

Unsurprisingly following the Classic Center’s work, the car is also in excellent mechanical condition, starting easily, idling consistently and pulling strongly and smoothly through each of the transmission’s gears with strong and even compression across all cylinders. The car is in turn-key condition, the ride quality is excellent, the suspension is tight and the brakes are strong and true. The car is an absolute pleasure to drive, whether tooling through town, winding through the canyons or bombing down the highway.

One of the Mercedes W113’s most appreciated aspects is that they are truly mechanically modern enough for everyday use on today’s roads, and while this car certainly lives up to that standard, it clearly has always been a well looked after weekend driver. This is an excellent opportunity to acquire an appreciating 280SL Pagoda with all the right things going for it: clean cosmetics, wonderful era specific color combination, solid undercarriage and strong mechanicals. Whether for the seasoned collector or the weekend enthusiast, this car deserves the serious consideration of anyone in the W113 market.

We want this car to go to great home and would be happy to answer any questions or discuss a deal, so please feel free to email us or call us at805-202-4557. You can also visit us online atGoodmanReedto see additional photographs or contact us directly.

Goodman Reed Motorcars

Santa Barbara, CA

For U.S. buyers a 10% non-refundable deposit is required within 3 days of the auction’s end, the balance to be paid within 7 days of the auction’s end. Foreign buyers must pay in full within 7 business days of the auction’s end. Buyer is responsible for shipping, however we’d be more that happy to help with recommendations and arrangements. The car is listed locally and we reserve the right to end the auction at any time should it sell prior to auction’s end. Thanks for your interest.