Mercedes-Benz 280SL 1971 Pagoda Roadster California Car

I am an executive native of Silicon Valley who happens to love Mercedes cars and loves restoring them to perfection level as a hobby. Once they are perfect I drive them for a while and then move on to the next one. This is my fourth SL since 2000. The last one I sold I had it for twelve years. when I sold it I was contacted by a gentleman from Germany who had purchased the car two months later for 40 percent more than what I had sold it for!  He was curious to know why I sold the car because he could not find anything wrong with it. He thought may be the owner had passed away otherwise why anyone sells a perfect Pagoda?!I have just finished another car that I have owned for a year. The car is an original California car. It had the blue California license plate that I could not keep because it was customized. The car was owned by one person in our neighborhood in Los Altos. California for 25 years. He had done a restoration ten years before he sold it to me including paint and upholstery. I changed the radio to the original Becker Europe II. fixed the non-working and dented clock. and many other items. I put a new AC (it did not have one). that cost $4500. changed the camshaft and related items for $3500. I have ordered the original spare tire cover plus the tool kits that will arrive shortly. The wood work in front of the windshield is slightly warped. If you did not like it I will replace it. As a matter of fact I wanted to give a one year warranty with the car but my lawyer said that is a dangerous proposition even if the car is in a perfect shape. The paint is in a great shape 11 years after it was painted because it was always garaged and the upholstery is been changed from vinyl to dark blue leather and is in perfect shape. The shoulder belts have been added by the previous owner to replace the lap belts which is a safety issue. The car is completely rust free. The muffler was replaced by the previous owner before I purchased it. Yes it has the head lamp notches too. The car has the aluminum wheels that was just introduced in the late 60's (if you like it more with hub caps I can take care of that). While on some classic cars there may not be much difference between different year models on Pagoda's each year they have added something. In 1970 they added the headrest which is a safety item and in 1971 they added the rear window defogger which is another safety item therefore 1971 Pagoda's are the most desirable and they only produced 830 from which 520 was shipped to the US.  I have not opened the canvas dark blue soft top but I was told it is in perfect shape. If otherwise I make it perfect. Interior is in perfect shape as if it was never used after the upholstery job. Steering Wheel looks like brand new with no cracks. The dash also is perfect with no cracks. Door and trunk seals are brand new and so is the hard top seal. The engine compartment looks good and the firewall that normally cracks after so many years is brand new. I normally do not trust the old cars with low mileages but trust the higher mileages. Chrome pieces are either in a very good shape or they are brand new. The trunk mat is in perfect shape. All systems work.  I think I am so proud of all my restorations that I start using my own motto: restored by Farad.

Also published at eBay.com

Want to buy this car?