Mercedes 230Sl Pagoda

We are Colin Ferns Ltd and have been specialising in the service. repair and restoration of Mercedes cars since 1980.

We are considered by many to be experts on pagodas in particular.

Here for sale is probably the best driving 230SL on the market today.

Whilst we have not fully restored this car. we have overhauled just about every mechanical component to better than new standard.

The car first came to us a few years ago with a rough running engine. we quickly established that someone incompetent had rebuilt the engine and we had to do it again. During the re-build we balanced every moving component to a tolerance of +/-3g and every last nut and bolt was cleaned/blasted/painted/plated as appropriate. we overhauled the fuel injection pump at the same time and so now the engine runs absolutely beautifully.

After we restored the engine to its correct power output the automatic transmission could no longer cope with the power and so we had to rebuild that as well. Once this was completed we were able to drive the car and advise the owner that the brakes. steering and suspension all needed overhauling in order to get the best experience from the car. the owner authorised to do whatever was necessary to bring the car up to perfect standard. and so she has had all new springs. shocks. rubbers and steering linkages and the chassis alignment has been correctly set up so she drives like a new car now. She has covered less than 1000m since all of this work was completed.

We have also freshened up the interior with new wood and leather to the dash but the seats and carpets were all the correct perforated leather and Boucle weave and in good condition so we left them alone. All of the window mechanisms have been overhauled so the glass doesn't rattle around and meets the aperture rubbers properly.

We have not done any body work as this was about the only thing that wasn't required. All of the original tell-tale spot welds are in place. as are the infamous headlamp notches.

She has the ultra-rare third "kinder" seat and the blue soft-top is in excellent condition.

The hard top is present. also in blue and also in excellent condition.

We have a large history file. although it is not complete it does go back to 1999. From the information we have we believe the mileage to be genuine as the car once resided in Jersey where mileages are always low due to the fact that cars don't generally float that well.

Naturally she will come with a fresh MOT.

If you are looking at one of these cars. then you are encouraged to test drive as many as possible. Only then will you be able to appreciate the quality of this car.

Unrestored examples of these cars have recently fetched in excess of £70. 00 at auction and so we believe that this car represents fantastic value.

We have several of these cars undergoing restoration at the moment for discerning clients and those restorations to our exacting standards will often cost £100. 00.

A popular misconception is that the 280 is the car to have. We don't agree! Apart from the fact that the 230 is a "squarer" engine and so is more willing. we believe the best one to have is the best one you can afford. Do not be tempted by the 40K rust buckets that are the normal market offering. be wise and buy this car whilst you can.

We would hope to foster a long term relationship with the new owner and continue to care for her in the years to come with integrity and professionalism. something in itself that is hard to find.

We are ready to take your calls and answer any questions on 020 8332 7660 or 07831 666411 but be advised that we will not take offers. the price is fair and fixed.

We will add better pictures next week if it stops raining!

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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