w113 Pagoda Mercedes-Benz 280 SL Moss Green metallic

The Geneva Motor Show of March 1963 was the scene of a remarkable and well-regarded première: Daimler-Benz presented the Mercedes-Benz 230 SL, a new sports car to replace two models of the previous sales range. The new model, internally designated as W 113 series, held the balance between the sporty tuning of a classic roadster but added to them the comfort of a two-seater touring car featuring high performance and the most advanced features for optimum driving safety. The bonnet had a slight additional bulge in the middle to provide space for the vertically-installed six-cylinder engine. The boot was generously dimensioned. The hardtop with high windows and a roof borne up only by slim pillars conveyed an impression of lightness which simply did not match the stereotype of a sports car. With its inwardly-directed curvature it reminds one of the Far Eastern temples, and straightaway the car had a nickname before it really even hit the road: “Pagoda”. In addition, because of its shape, the hardtop made it easier to get in and out of the car. In the wake of the market launch of the intermediate-range models of the 114/115 series, not only the luxury-class saloons, coupés, and cabriolets, but also the SL was powered by a 2.8-liter engine. Thanks to a camshaft with changed valve timing, the variant of the M 130 engine used in the 280 SL mobilized 10 bhp (7.4 kW) more than the base version of the 280 SE, developing 170 bhp (125 kW) at 5750 rpm. 23,885 units of the fast and reliable Mercedes-Benz 280 SL rolled off the assembly line.

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source: Mercedes-Benz Classic ALL TIME STARS