Mercedes-Benz is not the kind of outfit to change for the sake of changing, and their “SL” line (which stands for “Super Light”) might be the best evidence of that. It’s currently on its seventh generation since 1954, and the W113 “Pagoda” lasted from 1963 to 1971, which was actually a fairly short run for an SL (its successor, the R107, lasted from 1971 to 1989). Of the W113 models, this 1967 250SL is the rarest of the bunch, and this Euro-spec example with its neat glass-covered headlights was imported from Italy in 1975 “by a colonel in the United States military.” It’s now being offered as a Hemmings Auction in Buffalo, New York.
Only 5,196 250SL roadsters were built during its brief production run that mostly encompassed the 1967 model year. (Its Pagoda predecessor and successor sold much better: 19,831 230SLs and 23,885 280SLs were built.)
The 250SL’s name was derived from its 2496cc overhead-cam six, which was enlarged from the 230SL’s 2306cc displacement, although the improvement was only noticeable in the torque rating: 173.6 lb-ft compared to 159. Horsepower, however, remained the same at 170. This was enough to power the 250SL to sixty in about nine seconds and on to a top speed of just over 120 miles per hour. The seller says that the engine and transmission are original to the car.
Being a Euro-spec example, the speedometer reads in kilometers-per-hour, and the SL has 103,738 on the clock, which translates to 64,460 miles, not bad for a 59-year-old car. Another selling point is the four-speed manual transmission, which used ratios of 4.05:1, 2,23:1, 1.42:1, and 1:1 respectively. The interior itself is in excellent condition, and it looks great in “Cognac,” a name that is evocative but perhaps not appropriate for anything involving driving.
The luggage compartment and upper shock mounts look solid.
As does the undercarriage, although the low-angle pictures don’t offer as good a view as a buyer spending Pagoda money might like. I’m not sure the drivetrain has ever been out of the car, and everything has the general light, oily film of a car that’s been driven but also maintained. The videos of the car running and driving don’t trigger any alarms, and the list of work that’s been done to the car is extensive.
The “Pagoda” moniker stands for the squarish design of the SL’s hard top, but this Papyrus White example also has a black soft top, which was installed in 2000. It’s not quite as distinctive as the hard top, but dare I say that it looks even better in this variation?
Speaking of that Papyrus White paint, the car was treated to a bare-metal respray in 2007, and if you want to feel bad about how much paint and body work costs in 2026, look at the total: $8,290 with tax. That includes bead blasting the entire car and giving it a base/clear paint job. I don’t think I’m out of line in saying that the total today would be three times more expensive, if not more.
The W113 is certainly my favorite of the SL roadsters, as its styling is equally sporty and posh. It wasn’t cheap and it wasn’t particularly fast, but it was a car to be seen in, and in a lot of ways it was a good buy: 1960s M-Bs were built to last decades, if not centuries. Pagoda prices are strong, but nobody has yet bitten at the $21,000 opening bid. That’s bound to change.
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Vintage R&T Road Test: 1968 Mercedes 280 SL – “It’s Alone In Its Field” (by Paul N)
My favorite Benz of all time. Came very close when buying a car in Feb of ’74, it came down to a used ’71 280SL vs a new Saab 99, and as practicality ruled it was the latter we bought. Of course now wish it had been the SL but whether we’d have kept it all these years is another matter, 3 kids soon after would have changed things rather drastically.
Both the 230/250/280s predecessor and successor look bloated and over-stuffed to me, the Pagoda looks lithe and elegant in comparison, a rare attribute indeed for very conservative M-B who tended towards heavy and substantial looking designs.
It does look right, spiffy as a “soft top”.
Lovely ;
Just when I was going down the Diesel Mercedes rabbit hole (still there ) I looked at a similar car, one lady doctor owner 1967 survivor in white with decent red upholstery .
IIRC it was $10K at a local small used car lot .
-Nate
The 250 was indeed a rare sighting. The manual transmission was also a pretty rare sighting in the US, except maybe in the early 230SL. In its latter years, the W113 SL was becoming more of a high-end boulevard cruiser in the US than a sports car, so the automatic fit with that role.
What’s the most interesting part is while the car is rare it is not always considered the most desirable of the pagoda. My late father, who also gappened to be a retired Army colonel, imported a 1969 280 SL from Italy into Ireland and had the car restored by a retired Mercedes Engineer. This car has 44,000 original miles on it and has been in storage since 2018 when my father passed.
Bound to change is right as it stands at $50,000 with 100 minutes left.
Looks like $54,600 with fees. Out of my range!
I did some work for Mercedes Benz Service in Sydney. I fell in love with their cars right away after seeing how the are designed and built.
One day, an old lady brought in a Pagoda just like this one. The manager called me over, pointed to the rear of the car and said,
“This car has a non genuine bumper piece on it. Can you guess which one?”
Right away, it was obvious that the left bumper was corroded and full of blisters in the chrome. People complain about the cost of genuine parts, but it’s not worth the disappointment of buying knockoffs.