1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL

A motorcar made for year-round adventure, from evening appearances to weekend escapes the Mercedes-Benz 280 SL Pagoda hails from a purple patch of automotive engineering, a time when grace, pace and taste were the essence of design.

50 years have passed since these style icons entered production and the ravages of time have taken their toll.

Some succumbed to age, others have been fortunate enough to undergo restoration and then a very select few have been reborn at the expert hands of classic Mercedes-Benz specialists, Hemmers.

With a reputation for being the finest at their trade in the world, UK based Hemmels solely restores 190 SL Roadsters, 280 SL Pagoda’s and 300 SL Roadsters and Gullwings according to the exacting standards of its trademarked Neugeboren (newborn) Process where every car is fully dismantled, wholly catalogued and rebuilt from its bare metal beginnings over a 52 week period.

An obsessively detailed process, Neugeboren has seen the company restore cars for the original manufacturer and one of their own is now on display in the Mercedes-Benz Museum.

The MD of Hemmels, Joseph Sullivan states that "Every day for a year our craftsmen see and work on a single motorcar, coaxing it back to perfection, ready for another 60 years of enjoyment."

The supremely talented work of the Hemmels team returned this Australian delivered and numbers matching 280 SL Pagoda offered here to its former glory in 2018.

Originally sold new by York Star Motors, Sydney complete with Midnight Blue paintwork and matching hard-top and soft-top over Beige leather upholstery this car was flown to the UK to be restored to the standard with which it arrived on the showroom floor in February of 1970.

Accompanied by a 40-page photographic log of the entire restoration, Hemmels began the process of disassembling the Mercedes back to bare metal to assess the condition of its bodywork.

Extensive work was then carried out on the engine, being rebuilt from the ground up along with the gearbox. Hemmels then replaced the entire cooling matrix, brakes and suspension componentry finished with new paintwork and interior trim and a final road-test to produce this as-new roadster.

The final product is superb.

Not simply an Australian delivered and numbers matching 280 SL Pagoda but one that drives with all the sporting elegance period journalists raved and still rave about with an exterior that presents as though the car rolled off the showroom floor yesterday, this would have to be the finest 280 SL in the country.

A portfolio of original build information, restoration details, service receipts, an original owner’s manual and tools also comes with the car.

The opportunity to own, drive and invest in a world class Mercedes-Benz 280SL Pagoda is seldom available. This is one of the most exciting cars we’ve had the opportunity to bring to market. A viewing is an absolute must.