Lot 135: Mercedes-Benz 250SL

While the 190SL may have borrowed heavily from the styling of the 300SL/SLR that is where any similarity stopped. In performance terms the 190 was a Tortoise compared to the 300SL Hare. The all new 113SL of 1963 owed nothing to the 300SL and made no effort to emulate the performance but it still delivered on all fronts. The dished roof of the hardtop was responsible for the Pagoda title but the 113 offered more than great styling. The hidden hood idea was not new, the Americans had done it many times, but the way it was achieved in the 113SL was simply superb.Under the bonnet was a fuel injected 2.3 litre, 150bhp, straight six, which could deliver 120mph and a cruising speed of 100mph. The car had servo assisted brakes with discs up front and good road manners. In 1967-68 the engine was replaced with the new 7 bearing 2.5 litre unit but the final incarnation of the "Pagoda" had the 2.8 litre, 170bhp engine, disc brakes all round and slightly softer suspension. With less than 50,000 examples sold in 8 years, the Pagoda remains relatively rare but the model was very successful for Mercedes.The 250 is, by far, the rarest of the 113 SL range. Only built in 1967/68, production numbers were tiny at only 5196, while the 230 ran to 19831 examples and the 280 to 23885.This 1968, RHD example of the 250SL is said to have benefited from a major overhaul between 1997 and 2006. This is said to have included the renewal of all bushes, brake overhaul, engine overhaul, injection overhaul, cooling system and much more. The chrome is new and the car is said to have covered only 2000 miles since 1997.Finished in light blue with navy blue interior, the car has the rare manual transmission and is described as being a good looking car that drives very well.