For sale

Actual report

This stunning 1969 Pagoda Roadster is particularly unique with its combination of astonishing final Midnight Blue paintwork over soothing warm Parchment interior and contrasting original blue carpets. Car enjoys both a soft top and a removable hardtop. Every nut and bolt on the car would be disassembled and refinished to the incredible standard as seen today.

The Mercedes-Benz 280 SL was bought in Canada in 1969 and was used in London, Ontario all its life. Professor Robert L. Barr living at McClure Drive, London, Ontario, N6G 2L1, Canada was the first owner of the car. After his death the wife Susan Bar has driven this car until 1977. The next owner was Susan Sturns that owned the car for 17 years and sold it to Mr. H.Hervie from Strathroy, Ontario. After the death of Mr. Hervie in 2014 the car together with his property was sold to Mr. Kees Cheong Yu from London, Ontario, who decided to make complete restoration of the car. Facing the need of large investments, very specific Mercedes Benz expert knowledge and no antique car restoration experience, he decided to sell the car in 2019.

The car has original Mercedes Benz tools and accessories. According to the original Data Card the car has very rare feature of that time - factory installed Frigiking air conditioner. Furthermore, the car has complete documented service history till 1977. The original Service Book and repair receipts are preserved and included in the Document Wrapper in the glove box.

The work task that the workshop set itself was to save another beautiful car from the status of a spare parts donor. Now this task has been successfully completed and the car is being sold with the aim of recovering the invested funds and repaying the work done by the masters. 

Some words about restoration itself. The car has undergone complete and maximum precise restoration in the course of 3 years starting in August 2019. In total there were 3500 labor hours spent on this project including more than 850 hours spent on perfecting the bodywork. All floor panels and most of structural sheet metal parts replaced with new. At present car has EU registration and valid technical inspection certificate. Ready for drive. The car has its original Midnight Blue paint (code 904). The painting of the car was restored according to the highest standards of Standox Classic (original Mercedes painter) system and materials. The issued Standox Classic certificate certifies the originality of the used painting materials, the factory-specified system used in the painting process, and the quality of the work performed. The interior color is original Parchment (code 8014) with blue carpets (code 5003). The interior was finished in original vegetable tanned leather from Steenbock Germany and original rubberized horsehair seat pads. The engine fuel injection system was overhauled on special request at Oldtimer Technik Germany by Ing. Hans-T. Fritzsche. More than 50,000 euro was spent just for the new OEM spare parts from official Mercedes representatives and Niemöller Germany. The car is equipped with completely new electric installation made by specialized German workshop specially based on the modification of the particular automobile. During the restoration the US version was updated according to the European standards. The EU certificated front and rear lamps were installed. The dashboard instrument plates were changed to km, Celsius and liters, and all instruments were calibrated at Niederhelmann in Germany. Car remains complete set of spare parts available to make a conversion to US standards upon the wish of the new owner. The complete restoration history was precisely documented and photographed with more than 1000 pictures available from the restoration process here https://www.rmw.lv/page/en/mb-280sl-blue-2839-photo-gallery/. 

This car is known as one of the best restoration projects in different Mercedes Benz groups and clubs worldwide. Shortly after restoration the car had detailed technical inspection by well-known classic car experts - Classic Data Germany. The car was appointed the GRADE 1 VALUATION - “Immaculate condition”. There are no technical or visual defects. It has undergone top possible class restoration. Perfectly restored car “Like new” (or even better*). An absolutely rare find!Today, this meticulously restored 280 SL is truly a sight to see, the car impresses from a distance and reveals no flaws during closer detailed inspection. Technically, it meets the highest quality standards and significantly exceeds the standards of modern traditional production cars.

Contact us for more details and price: maris.bebris@rmw.lv