Lifting the lid on the best SL of them all that’s a brilliant future investment as well as a highly usable classic

Classic cars don’t come more timelessly elegant than the SL ‘Pagoda’ Mercedes, a sportster that’s at home in any setting and capable of crossing continents without breaking into a sweat. Now much more valuable than the R107 SL that succeeded it, the SL (code-named W113 by Mercedes-Benz) still represents exceptional value for money and is a sure-fire investment if you buy well.

The SL was a car that the famous flocked to when new. John Lennon was a fan, along with Tina Turner and Audrey Hepburn, while that suave caddish actor Leslie Phillips has owned one since new, purchased way back in 1966. What a sensible top bloke!

History

The first SL (SL is the term for Sport Light, not a trim level later used by Vauxhall!) was the mighty 300SL, an ultra-exclusive sports car built initially in futuristic gullwing coupé form. Launched in 1954, the car was fast and extremely costly; the roadster that superseded the closed car in 1957 was just as exclusive and is now even more highly prized.

After the 300SL came the 190SL; it looked much the same but was offered as a roadster only and packed nothing more exciting than a 1897cc four-cylinder engine. It was from this point that the SL became a more mainstream model; still relatively costly and beautifully built, but far more attainable than the 300SL had ever been. While the 190SL is sought after, it’s the Pagoda that followed in 1963 which is the SL that everyone wants.

Clean cut and built like a Mercedes should be, at first there was a 230SL only, fitted with a 2306cc straight-six: 19,831 were made in a production run that lasted until 1967.

Beautifully crafted and engineered, it cost more than £3500 new which was well over a grand more than a Jaguar E-type while performance from the 148bhp engine, despite standard fuel injection, was only satisfactory even back then.

Enter the 250SL. This was only ever intended as an interim model. The rarest of all the Pagodas, just 5196 were made, all but 19 of them in 1967. Each was fitted with disc brakes all round and a 2496cc straight-six for 170bhp plus usefully more torque while a fivespeed manual gearbox became optional albeit rarely specified over the four-speed auto.

The final incarnation of the breed was launched in 1967. The 280SL is the most common, most sought after and also the most valuable of all the Pagodas. With softer suspension (which made for inferior handling), better seats and a stronger engine featuring seven main bearings, 23,885 examples of the 280SL rolled off the production lines to be replaced the equally excellent 107 series.

When it ducked out, the price had risen to £4619, which would have got you a Porsche 911S or a nearly new Aston Martin DBS. Although officially SLs, the term Pagoda became common parlance. Pagoda is a temple which has a dip in the roof and it referred to the SL’s hardtop.

Driving

Despite its two-seater convertible configuration, the SL is no serious sports car but much more of a cruiser, as it’s based upon a saloon floor pan and running gear. However, it’s a role that the Pagoda rises to admirably, although - as in the best Mercedes tradition - to do the job properly it’s best to have an automatic gearbox fitted, whichever engine is installed.

The rather odd ‘back to front’ floor selector gait needs some familiarising with but the ‘box is pretty responsive and smooth. There are those who like the manual transmission though, so it’s worth trying one before you go the obvious route, as these cars can represent the bargain end of Pagoda ownership (if there is such a thing) even if the ratios were judged ill matched at the time.

Deeply impressive is how Autocar summed up the SL overall in a late ‘60s road test, so well honed was this machine. Make no mistake, these Mercs are no road burners and don’t like to be driven as such. Predictably, the bigger the engine the more performance there is and so the better the car is to drive, although road tests throughout the 1960s only saw the car hit 60 in no better than ten seconds for the top 280SL. Still, speed isn’t everything and if this Mercedes wooed a certain J. Clarkson a couple of years back then it can’t be that sedate!

The 280SL also received a retuned suspension; Merc’s actually boffins softened things to improve the ride at the expense of handling. However, most buyers would agree that this is the version with the best balance, proving that the SL is a car for cruising in, rather than for thrashing along twisty back roads - something that’s hardly unexpected given that the car was designed almost 50 years ago. What remains sky high is the feel good factor driving one, watching the frantic world fly buy.

Prices

Two SLs recently went for under £4000 at auction but these were real basket cases and in reality you’ll need at least £18,000 to secure a Pagoda that isn’t a liability which usually nets a 230SL.

According to leading SL expert, Roger Edwards of London, £30-75,000 is the general ballpark figure of a good turn key car, which is set to rise, and truly exceptional ones have broken the £100,000 barrier and will continue to do so.

Interior and exterior colour schemes can make quite a difference to Pagoda values; silver with red leather will always be popular, but cars with a dark paint scheme and dark interior trim aren’t seen as especially desirable. As with most Mercs, cars equipped with a manual gearbox are also less sought after even if it does make the car perform sportier; a stick shift can knock 10 per cent off a Pagoda’s value. Gavin Edwards says the later the car, the better the buy and the 280 is the best although any good SL is worth considering.

Improvements

Leave well alone - that’s the view of Roger Edwards and the company’s not alone in advising this! The SL is one of those cars that doesn’t benefit from normal upgrades like most oldies because it was so well engineered and usable in the first place and this is why is a fair number remain daily drivers. Indeed, be suspicious of cars that have been modified, as the suspension and braking systems are excellent in standard form and so are the engines and transmissions. Also be very wary of SLs with non-standard wheels and tyres, as these can easily upset the car’s dynamics.

The only upgrades worth incorporating are the fitment of a wind deflector to reduce buffeting, and perhaps a good electronic ignition and an uprated radiator to cope with modern traffic better.