Description
‘Every driver who has more than a purely utilitarian interest in automobiles should drive a Mercedes-Benz 250SL at least once in his life. The car is an almost perfect yardstick against which to measure any other car. There are cars with better acceleration, cars with better brakes, and cars with better roadholding. But there is no car we can think of that has such a remarkable good balance of performance, safety and comfort, and has them in such an absolutely civilised structure.’ – Car & Driver.
First produced late in 1966, the 250SL used the same bodyshell as the 230SL that had founded this spectacularly successful sports car dynasty, and which it replaced. Minor improvements were made to the interior, but the major differences were the new 2.5-litre six-cylinder engine – as fitted to the 250SE – and disc brakes instead of drums at the rear. The new car’s top speed of around 120mph remained the same but the larger engine significantly improved flexibility and responsiveness. The 250SL was built for just one full production year making it the rarest model of the ‘Pagoda’ range.
This matching numbers European example has been in single ownership since 1986. Purchased from a friend who acquired the car from his professor, the cars history is fully known, documented and the remarkably low mileage of c.51,000miles (83,000km) warranted.
One of very few non-American imports, this lovely, honest and well-looked after example is offered with an extensive and thorough history file that dates back many decades, yet also holds a swathe of maintenance invoices and MOT’s for more recent years. This year alone, the car comes with invoices totalling £2,500, a true testament to the fastidious nature of its owner.
Included in the sale is its beautiful ‘Pagoda’ hard-top and not to mention its newly trimmed soft-top.
