Mercedes SL250 ZF 5-SPEED GEARBOX

1963 is perhaps one of the most important and exciting years for automobiles. Not only was the Porsche 911 presented for the first time in 1963 during the Geneva Motor Show, but also the beautiful convertible Mercedes SL type W113.

Due to the optionally available, inwardly curved hard top, the SL was quickly given the nickname Pagode. This convertible was the successor to the 190 SL and 300 SL and was a great success for Mercedes.

The W113 has first been produced in the version 230, then in the 250 and later also in the 280. The SL was a sports two-seater with a high performance, an excellent driving behavior and well-maintained comfort. It is not surprising that the car proved itself on one of his first outings during the legendary “Spa – Sofia – Lüttich” rally and drove home victorious the team Eugen Böhringer / Klaus Kaiser.

The design comes from the legendary Paul Bracq and it still delights people to this day. The distinctive masculine lines with the Mercedes star emblazoned in the middle characterize the unmistakable SL face. The bonnet has a slight, additional curvature in the middle to provide enough space for the standing six-cylinder. Even then, extensive safety measures were introduced with the SL, including a stiffer passenger cell, crumple zones, later safety telescopic steering column, seat belts and an impact absorber in the steering wheel. The SL series was also equipped with a dual-circuit brake system and front disc brakes, gas pressure shock absorbers and radial tires.

This 1967 Mercedes-Benz 250 SL left the factory finished in Dark Green over a “Antique light yellow” interior and was delivered to its first owner in Paris, France. The first owner was an American family who worked in France. When the family moved back to the US, the car was taken with them. Between 1978 and 1995, the car was registered in Connecticut. In 1996 the car was taken with the first owners to Florida were the car stayed until it was imported in 2016 by the second owner to Belgium were it has gotten an extensive revision over the years 2019 – 2020.

This 250 SL was delivered with the folowing options:

• Single seats
• Color-matched hardtop with garnish
• Power steering
• Phoenix tyres
• 5 speed gearbox
• Rear axle ratio 1 : 4,08

Mercedes built around 49,000 Pagodas of all types (230 SL/250 SL/280 SL) of which only 820 were equipped with the desirable ZF five-speed manual transmission like this example, which also has the optional ‘longer’ final drive ratio.  Only 112 examples of the 250 SL were equipped with the ZF gearbox from the factory, which makes this a extremely rare Mercedes. 

The vehicle will be accompanied by its original owner’s manuals, service book, and toolkit, along with a collection of maintenance invoices dating back to 1978.  

In short, this is an extremely rare opportunity to purchase one of only 112 Mercedes 250 SL’s built with a 5 speed gearbox. Don’t miss it.