Your Handy 1963-71 Mercedes-Benz SL Buyer’s Guide

Mercedes-Benz has had an on-off relationship with its two-tiered sports car lineup. More recently there has been the SL/SLK, but the original was the 300SL/190SL dichotomy. The 300SL, whether in Gullwing or Roadster form, was of course a classic for the ages, while the 190 was a handsome but relatively heavy, underpowered boulevardier. Both had run their course by the early 1960s—the 190 was outdated, and the 300SL was both complex and very expensive to produce. M-B saw its next generation SL—the W113—as the way to replace both. And while its lack of any racing heritage along with its luxury focus and lower price were a marked shift away from the old 300SL, the 230/250/280SL (often referred to as the W113 for its internal code, or as “Pagoda” for the shape of its hardtop) has become an elegant and desirable classic in its own right.

Being an old and expensive German automobile, though, there are things to look out for before going out and buying one.

While the Germans tend to favor “evolution over revolution” in their approach to car design (see the 3-series BMW and Porsche 911), the Paul Braq-designed W113 was a clean sheet design stylistically, albeit one that took mechanical elements from the W111 “Fintail” and the new W112 sedans. It also eschewed the 300SL’s complicated tubular spaceframe in favor of more conventional but still advanced unibody construction.

Today, it would be unheard of for a new sports car to be less powerful than its predecessor, but the launch version of the W113, the 230SL, had almost 100 less horsepower than the 300SL (148 hp vs. 240 hp) despite them both using mechanically fuel injected straight-sixes. Mercedes rationalized it by reminding everyone that the 230 wasn’t a direct replacement for the 300SL but more of a splitting of differences in sportiness between the 190 and the 300. Regardless, its less sporting identity was very much a product of a time when Mercedes was distancing itself from competition, having withdrawn all factory support from racing in 1955 after the disastrous accident at Le Mans. The W113 was rallied to a degree, but that’s about it.

Despite being considerably less potent than the 300SL, the W113 is undeniably elegant, and it’s elegant in a more modern way. The car’s gracefully tapered removable hardtop lent it the lasting nickname “Pagoda.” Its proportions are clean and understated. The body is light on brightwork and free of flourishes, and yet it’s still eye-catching. The gracefully tapered removable hardtop that give it the Pagoda nickname looks great and yet serves a function, as the raised ends maximize headroom.

As had been Mercedes-Benz practice for some time, the rear suspension employed single pivot half-shafts otherwise known as “swing-axles.” If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s the same rear suspension setup that Ralph Nader skewered in his epic takedown of the Corvair. Not surprisingly, Mercedes-Benz went to greater lengths than GM to ensure that wild swings in camber were avoided, (including the use of then-novel radial tires), but still, the car could be a bit of a handful at its limits.

The 230SL utilized front disc brakes and rear drums. Power steering and a four-speed automatic were the major options. Air conditioning from manufacturers as diverse as Behr and Frigiking was almost always dealer-installed and effectiveness varied with the quality of the unit chosen and the installation. An all-synchromesh four-speed manual was technically standard, but the very nice four-speed Mercedes automatic was significantly more common, especially in the U.S. Lively (lacking a torque converter) and shiftable, it’s not as much of a buzzkill as you might think. The 230SL was also among the first German cars to use an alternator rather than a generator, as was more common in the early 1960s. It’s touted as the first sports car with crumple zones baked into its unibody for safety, too.

In 1967, after four years of production, the W113’s engine grew by about 200c and gained a seven main-bearing crankshaft (as opposed to the previous five-main). The model’s new name was 250SL. Horsepower remained the same, but torque went up by about 10 lb/ft. Some felt that the car was less revvy, but the added low-end torque was welcome. The 250 was a single-year model. In a bid to keep up with new U.S. emission laws for 1968, the engine grew again, and the car became the 280SL.

Now with 168hp (roughly the equivalent of a Porsche 911E of the same period), the SL was morphing into even more of a grand tourer, although a five-speed ZF manual box was introduced in the U.S. later in the car’s run (it had been available in Europe since 1966 but was extremely expensive and thus rare). The 280SL version of the W113 remained essentially unchanged until 1971, when it was discontinued in favor of the new R107 350SL. About 49,000 copies had been built, and a little more than half of those came to the U.S.

Annual model year changes were subtle and few were visual. During the 230SL’s run, the wheel size increased from a 5.5-inch width to 6.0 inches, and the fuel tank grew from 17.2 gallons to 21.7 gallons. The location of the spare also changed. An oil cooler and a fan with a viscous clutch arrived in 1966 to improve cooling. The 1967 250SL added rear disc brakes and taller gear ratios in the manual box, and final drive ratios were lowered for both the automatic and manual. The interior also received more padding to comply with new U.S. safety regulations. Prices also went up from about $6500 with options to over $8000, or around $80,000 in today’s money. You could also delete the soft top from the 250SL and add a small rear seat. The 280SL debuted for the 1968 model year, and this sadly is where the European and North American versions began to diverge.

The new car nominally displaced 2.8-liters and in the U.S. made a little over 160 horsepower, but in Europe, the use of a different camshaft made that about 195 horsepower, around the same as a contemporary Porsche 911S. In the U.S., meanwhile, the car became even softer (rubber suspension bushings lessened the need for extremely frequent chassis lubrication but gave a cushier ride). The early U.S. 280SLs also came with a 4.08 rear end which made for a busy 4000 rpm at 70 mph. Around 1970, U.S. cars went back to the 3.92 rear axle ratio.

What to Look for

Few W113s seem to have been modified substantially. In the U.S., mods seem to consist of replacing the feeble sealed beam headlamps with the much prettier and more effective European composite headlamps, and adding later 14-inch “Bundt” alloy wheels (from the factory, W113s all came with steel wheels and either hub caps through the 250SL or full wheel covers on the 280). Most featured what are arguably the prettiest auto radios of all time—pinstriped Becker head units. Thanks to the Beckers’ good looks, few have been swapped out for more modern setups.

Rust is the primary pain point with any W113. The unibody structure has plenty of natural cavities for rust to take hold, and the tar/bitumen sound deadening applied to the floors under the carpet pads cracks with age and creates even more tiny crevices that trap any moisture intrusion, making rusty floors and longitudinal supports sadly common. Old dried trunk seals allow water intrusion and rust there. Jacking points and wheel arches can be trouble spots as well. Even alloy door skins and hoods can suffer from corrosion.

Mechanically, W113s are like most German cars. They can be robust, but it’s heavily dependent on maintenance. Prior to the introduction of rubber bushings in the 280SL, for example, chassis lube intervals needed to be strictly followed to avoid premature wear to suspension components.

Engine oil changes every 3000 miles were and are advised as well, and they will help the Bosch mechanical fuel injection pump last longer. This complicated, six piston analog computer was developed with Bosch and Daimler-Benz in the 1930s for use in DB V12 aero engines, and signs of a worn out Mercedes MFI pump include rich running with excessive black smoke on acceleration and occasional backfiring. Black, sooty and fouled plugs are another sign. Lean running cars, meanwhile, are down on power and experience flat spots on acceleration. It’s not something you can ignore. Happily, there are still a few specialists out there who can rebuild the pump, including the wonderful Mercedes-Benz Classic Center. Drive shaft U-joints are also common failure points, as are wheel bearings.

Interiors are straightforward and of course beautiful, but very expensive to restore. Carpet pads are old-school jute. Seat padding is equally old-school horsehair. The wood at the top of the dash splits from sunlight but is reasonably easy to replace. Gauges can be rebuilt by places like North Hollywood Speedometer. Seat cover materials are either leather or durable MB-Tex vinyl, the latter of which has probably survived a nuclear test somewhere. While not as chrome-laden as an American classic, there is a fair bit of bright trim, and Benz aficionados are hyper-picky about the quality, and shade of the chrome plating. Properly done cars have a mellow, bluish tinge to the chrome.

What to Pay

W113s have never really been cheap, but like many classic cars they are a lot more expensive than they were 10 or 15 years ago. Generally, they get more expensive the later you go. The current condition #2 (“excellent”) value for a 230SL in the Hagerty Price Guide is $88,900. For a 250SL it’s $95,200, and for a 280SL it’s a much richer $150,000. Concours quality cars stretch well into six figures and past $200K for a better-than-perfect 280SL, but driver-quality #3 (“good”) condition cars are considerably cheaper with current values of $54,000 (230SL), $60,000 (250SL), and $77,300 (280SL). Expect pay a significant premium for a manual gearbox and/or air conditioning. Expect a significant discount for cars missing their hardtop.

Almost every part that you could need is available via Mercedes-Benz Classic. Predictably, none of it is cheap, but you probably knew that already. As with any German classic, in almost every instance it’s cheaper in the long run to pay up for a done car that’s ready to go. A cheap W113 will almost always wind up being the most expensive option eventually. In almost any color, though, the W113 is exceedingly handsome and almost universally admired, a low-key testament to the owner’s good taste.