Pagoda SL Group

W113 Pagoda SL Group => General Discussion => Topic started by: n/a on October 01, 2003, 08:08:25

Title: Famous owners
Post by: n/a on October 01, 2003, 08:08:25
Can anyone help me?

We are filming an item on BBCs Top Gear with the SL Pagoda and we are really keen to find out the names of famous SL Pagoda owners, past and present.

If anyone can help it would be much apprecited.

Kind regards
Michelle Julier
Top Gear
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: rwaw on October 01, 2003, 10:18:33
David Coulthard
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: rwaw on October 01, 2003, 10:19:10
when will this programme be screened ?

280SL 1969 Euro RHD
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: n/a on October 01, 2003, 10:54:19
Audrey Hepburn
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: tobacco on October 01, 2003, 11:01:18
Colin Powell, as I understand it.


Bill Greffin
Chicago
#22375
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: Cees Klumper on October 01, 2003, 11:08:50
To recap and also to add some:

David Coulthard
Peter Ustinov
Stirling Moss
Sophia Loren
King Hussein of Jordan
Juan Manuel Fangio
Colin Powell
Audrey Hepburn


Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: rwmastel on October 01, 2003, 11:25:14
Carlo Riva was the original owner of my 1966 230SL.

See http://users.libero.it/rivahs/ for the Riva Historical Society.  Carlo Riva is still with us as far as I know.

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both  tops
1994 E420
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: n/a on October 01, 2003, 11:39:28
I think Elvis bought one for Pricila. Pretty sure there's one in the auto museum at Graceland, but I'm not sure. I tried to validate it on the web but couldn't find anything.

Who more famous than Elvis?

Shawn Rock
Philly, PA USA
1968 280 SL 4 speed
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: Douglas on October 01, 2003, 12:08:12
Governor Jay Rockefeller (W.Virginia-D) and Sen. John Glenn (Ohio-D)(Also, the Moon)

Douglas Kim
New York, NY
#018260
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: n/a on October 01, 2003, 12:17:57
Found it. Here is a photo of a white 1970 280 SL given to Pricila by Elvis. I knew I saw one when I went to Graceland. That was over 12 years ago!

http://www.tcefanclub.com/foto/bilar.shtml

Shawn Rock
Philly, PA USA
1968 280 SL 4 speed
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: LFrank on October 01, 2003, 12:26:18
John Lennon
(too bad there is no pic of Elvis at the wheel!)

LFrank
Washington DC
65 230 sl - auto
DB334/Hellblau
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: pierre on October 01, 2003, 15:48:22
Last week I saw in a magazine miss France , a familiar wheel in her hands
Pierre 1964 230 sl 4 spd
Download Attachment: (http://images/icon_paperclip.gif)    IMG_2451.JPG (http://www.sl113.org/forums/uploaded/pierre/200310117460_%20%20%20IMG_2451.JPG)
414 Bytes
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: pierre on October 01, 2003, 16:03:13
problem with the image, I try again.
Pierre 230 sl 64 4 spd
Download Attachment: (http://images/icon_paperclip.gif) 124-2452_IMG.JPG (http://www.sl113.org/forums/uploaded/pierre/200310118128_124-2452_IMG.JPG)
81.09 KB
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: kns on October 01, 2003, 20:36:13
Michelle, does your enquiry extend to the use of the Pagoda in movies? For example, I recall seeing a still of "Oddjob" in a Pagoda in a James Bond movie, and I expect that there are many other such examples known to the group......

Cheers (and good luck)

kns.
1965 230SL, Manual
[1965 220SEb Coupe, Man.]
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: Tom on October 01, 2003, 20:42:22
Donna Reed (It's a Wonderful Life)
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: Naj ✝︎ on October 02, 2003, 07:17:39
Mihelle
Can we buy an uncut video of the Pagoda material you gather?
(For a fee of course!!!)
Would be good to know when you are going to screen it.

naj

'Kloines Scheisserle'
65 230SL
68 280SL
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: Peter van Es on October 03, 2003, 09:31:33
Don't you need a large bunch of Pagodá owners to attend to ensure that Clarkson keeps us on the "ice cool" wall?

We might even bring our cars...

Peter

Check out http://bali.esweb.nl for photographs of classic car events and my 1970 280 SL
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: n/a on October 06, 2003, 13:02:35
Go to www.oursl.com to see a picutre of Colin Powell will his 113.

230SL
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: Albert-230SL on October 07, 2003, 07:44:32
We have a list of notable owners in our site:

http://www.sl113.org/detours.asp


Albert de la Torre Chavalera
Barcelona (Catalunya/Spain)
Feb.'64 230 SL Euro 113042-10-002432
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: n/a on October 08, 2003, 02:44:15
Dear all,

Thank you so much for such a massive response, I passed all your ideas onto Jeremy and the filming went very well.  The new series of Top Gear starts on Sunday 26th Oct, 8pm, BBC2.  At present the Pagoda piece is shceduled for transmission on the 21st December, however items regualry get moved, I guess you'll just have to watch the whole series to make sure you don't miss it!

Many thanks again, especially to Kim who I spoke to.

Kind regards
Michelle
Top Gear Researcher
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: kns on November 06, 2003, 14:12:37
This is probably a dead topic, and this post is perhaps off the topic, but who knows if the next 'list' will extend to the Pagoda in the movies? I just woke up in front of the one-eyed monster to find myself half way through a 1968 film "Nowhere to Run" with Christopher Plummer and Rod Taylor. The 'beautiful young sophisticate' played by Camilla Garv rushes Rod Taylor to Wimbledon in another beautiful young (then!) sophisticate, the Pagoda. I couldn't pick the model from the short glimpse, but I was delighted to see that the colour was identical to the car of which I presently have custody.

Cheers

kns.
1965 230SL, Manual
[1965 220SEb Coupe, Man.]
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: Cees Klumper on November 06, 2003, 15:07:26
The topic "W113 in the movies" has been addressed before in several places - for example, here are some posts off the old Yahoo! W113 site:

"Insomnia, flipping through channels, came accross a movie called Gold, with Roger Moore (looking VERY young) and Susannah York. They were driving an SL in South Africa; a white one with the top down. Anyone else seen this film?

Ah, Susannah York. Almost as good as Audrey Hepburn in "Two for the Road." And how about the one I saw earlier in the week -- a very nice blue one tooling around Bloomington in the classic "Breaking Away" ('79?)?

Last one I saw is in "Killing me softly" a 2002 movie.

In the movie "Intersection" Richard Gere totals his 113.


Other movies with a Pagoda in them (info from Pagoda113.com):
- Shampoo
- Nothing to Hide
- A "Colombo" episode with Leslie Nielsen driving an ivory Pagoda
- A sixties TV commercial for Mr. Slim cigarettes ...
- Walt Disney's "That Darn Cat"
- Life or Something Like It (2002)
- Elizabeth Taylor drove a 113 in "Butterfield 8"
- An odd colored 113 appeared in a recent film called The Blonde Bombshells with dame Judi Dench
- "Die, die, my darling" (previously released as "Fanatic") has a 230SL in it

Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: tuultyme on November 06, 2003, 16:48:33
Julie Andrew drove a silver Pagoda in "10".

Bruce; Blaugrun(green) 1970 280SL; IL
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: n/a on November 07, 2003, 08:09:51
James Erle Jones drove one in Sum of All Fears. You didn't really see the car, but the shot throught the windshield was clearly a 113.

Shawn Rock
Philly, PA USA
1968 280 SL 4 speed
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: kns on November 09, 2003, 20:14:13
OK, I'll try to make this my last post on this thread!

It seems that many of the cars mentioned below were 230's, at least according to this rather specialist site:
http://www.hampstead.com.au/mb/index.php

Searching for 250's was not very productive, but for those of you with 280's, the list includes:

Shampoo
Hopscotch
Sum Of All Fears, the
Killing Me Softly
10
Intersection
Let's take Sweden
S.O.B.
Fear
Breaking Away

Cheers!


kns.
1965 230SL, Manual
[1965 220SEb Coupe, Man.]
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: LFrank on November 10, 2003, 12:24:11
In the pilot/first episode of anime "Speed Racer", Speed's girlfriend Trixie pulls up to the powerful Mach 5 in a what is clearly z Pagoda, yellow red interior (Spritel and Chimm-Chimm in tow! Not in kinderseat).

LFrank
Washington DC
65 230 sl - auto
DB334/Hellblau
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: n/a on November 12, 2003, 17:21:08
Hi all,
I noticed this thread on my server logs.
as webmaster of "Mercedes in the Movies", can I ask if anyone has objections to me using some of the info in this thread/site to update my Film/Movie info?
Some of you seem to have caught some films I have missed.....

I have just captured a short clip of "Gold" and will be adding it to the site early next week (quality quite poor however).

Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: LFrank on November 13, 2003, 13:04:09
No objection, but you have to promise to put in "Speed Racer" (I also commented on the gorgeous lwb Pullman 600 in "High Anxiety").

LFrank
Washington DC
65 230 sl - auto
DB334/Hellblau
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: Douglas on November 13, 2003, 13:53:11
Paul, have fun with this info. I've enjoyed your site many times in the past. Good to see that it's not only still up, but growing.

Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #018260
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: n/a on November 13, 2003, 15:44:43
Thanks for your quick responses to my request to include the info in this thread, also that you said yes!

I'll be updating the "Mercedes in the Movies" site early next week! (work keeps getting in the way)

Regards,

paul
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: JamesL on December 21, 2003, 14:22:30
The show aired tonight

I took a VHS of it

If anyone has the wherewithall to transfer to host an mpeg of the clip - probably about 5 mins - let me know and I'll send the video.

Bear in mind that it's UK TV, so PAL, not NSTC (or vice versa)
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: Douglas on December 21, 2003, 15:00:21
How was the show? Informative? Entertaining? Was it good press for the Pagoda?

Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #018260
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: Benz Dr. on December 21, 2003, 23:52:23
A few years ago I saw an ad in Hemmimgs Motor News for a 230SL (I think) near Detroit MI. I think the actual town is called Jackson.
 Anyway the ad said a few things about the car and to call Ted. On a hunch I called the number and asked for Ted.
'' This is Ted '' said a familiar sounding voice.
I asked a few more questions and then asked where he lived which was out in a fairly rural area. The more I talked to him the more I was sure it was who I thought it was.
Then I asked him if he ever had Tommy out for a ride in the car and there was a short pause and he said ''Tommy Shaw?''
Tommy Shaw was the former guitar player for the rock band Styx back in the mid ' 80's and was a band member for The Damned Yankes of which this guy namd Ted was also a member. This was none other than Ted Nugent himself.
He was right in the middle of selling the car but we had a nice chat anyway. Never spoke to him again but it was interesting.

Dan c
SL Barn
113@mbz.org


Daniel G Caron
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: JamesL on December 22, 2003, 02:44:35
Douglas

It had it's moments. Started out saying that car design reached it's zenith in the 60s - comparing the Miura to the Toyota Yaris! So if you want a well designed car 60s car what chioces do you have? There's the MG (points to pile of rust)or the Alfa (points to 2nd pile of rust)...

Clarkson ends up in a 280 and says he hopes he hates it so he's cured of always having wnated one. Stylish and easy to drive. Accessories "there's a heater and, err, a cigarette lighter" -so nothing to go wrong. There's also the switch. Put your foot down and the noise level increases, but the speed does not. SL was never a sports car....then again, with the paint on it weighing 20kg....

Also completely amazed that Merc can still build you an engine for £4500. And carry all the parts. Also mentioned a number of famous people (as requested by the thread starter)

Wanted to hate it, but couldn't - just far too cool. You can drive around in your Euroboxes and have all the gadgetry and convenience. It's not about how IT feels, it's about how it makes YOU feel and this car makes you feel good.

Ended the piece with the 280 sitting next to a new SL. The new one has everything and is fully kitted but I can't help think that design wise, we've gone backwards.

So overall, positive, and entertaining. Not saying anything most of us didn't already know, but then again, it wasn't aimed at owners!


The overall show ended with 5 "standing 5ths" with 80s cars going head to head with the current equivalent - so the Mk1 Golf GTi goiing against a current hot Golf. And the old one was quickest. 5 races, Golf, MR2, Nissan Z, Peugeot 205/6 and a n other. The old'uns won!
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: Peter van Es on December 22, 2003, 07:19:08
Saw the programme too. As a Top Gear Afficionado, and therefore familiar with the way Jeremy Clarkson manages to find fault with most of the worlds best and most expensive motor cars, what he had to say about the 280SL in the programme was truly praise indeed.

If someone manages to make an MPEG of the programme I would be much obliged... I'd like a copy too.

Peter

Check out http://bali.esweb.nl for photographs of classic car events and my 1970 280 SL
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: Gerhard on December 28, 2003, 06:56:53
[:(!]Missed the show. I like the way Clarkson talks about cars.

Tosh I can put the vid over to MPEG, you can send me a copy of the tape would not want to mess up the original.



Gerhard
1965 230SL
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: JamesL on December 29, 2003, 04:27:53
Gerhard

I have a neighbour who can do the conversion to Mpeg so thanks but I'll use him

I have contacted Michelle Julier - the thread starter  -to ask permission for us to post the clip on the site. i should hear back next week - I got an "out of office" note and she's back in on the 5th Jan

So watch this space!
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: Gerhard on December 30, 2003, 05:48:37
Great, I am looking forward to the converted vid!
BTW. If he testdrove a 230SL the kickdown would have made a big difference.



Gerhard
1965 230SL
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: kns on January 21, 2004, 00:15:10
Hey Tosh, any progress?

Cheers,

kns.
1965 230SL, Manual
[1965 220SEb Coupe, Man.]
Title: Re: Famous SL Pagoda owners?
Post by: JamesL on January 21, 2004, 08:04:13
Yes

and

No

Yes I made contact with Ms Julier. She put me in touch with the Top Gear team (she no longer works on the show).

They finally got back to me and said "not our decision to make. Contact BBC Library Sales"

Which I did last week

So it's progress, but not very productive! :D   If all else fails, I'll burn a few copies onto CD and mail them out to folk. Perhaps we can share this wonderful modern technology with snail-mail. It could be like a pyramid letter where you all pay me...... ;)

Title: Famous owners
Post by: rob walker on January 23, 2009, 15:45:59
My wıfe ıs just readıng the autobıography of Dawn French, who ıs one of the UK's best known comedıans. In her book she notes that she ıs the proud owner of a whıte 1966 230SL Pagoda.
Both she and the car resıde ın Cornwall a stones throw from our holıday home, so maybe we wıll see the car and her around....promıse I wıll stıcker her ;)
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: JamesL on January 23, 2009, 16:56:24
plenty to sticker ;)


My car was once owned by Tom Conti. Not that he is that famous.
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: Douglas on January 23, 2009, 17:06:28
I guess she traded up from a Jag XK8:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/news/34570.html
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: jameshoward on January 23, 2009, 20:28:25
Kate Moss and both of the Dimbleby's - at least according to Clarkeson. I think he mentioned Colin Powell too in that Top Gear video.

Rob, where's you place in Cornwall? Do you take your car there? It's my family home though I enjoy living in London most of the time (!).

James
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: Richard Madison on January 24, 2009, 15:31:19
Part of the previous version of this website had a page that included names of notable Pagoda owners. In the "clean" new version of the website, the frivolous stuff has been eliminated. The website now, in my view, is far more efficient but less fun.

Maybe the Administrator can find that old page in an archive someplace and post the names again for our pleasure. I think history has a legitimate place in these forums.

Richard M, NYC
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: Mike Hughes on January 24, 2009, 16:39:53
Colin Powell did have a light blue '71 280SL.  (He also likes old Volvos. ) I recall a news item in local media back in the spring or summer of 2000 mentioning him rearending a Silverado pickup on the Dulles toll road while driving his "wife's baby blue classic 1971 Mercedes."  I do not know if they still have it. 
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: k on January 25, 2009, 04:02:45
Colin Powell did have a light blue '71 280SL.  (He also likes old Volvos. ) I recall a news item in local media back in the spring or summer of 2000 mentioning him rearending a Silverado pickup on the Dulles toll road while driving his "wife's baby blue classic 1971 Mercedes."  I do not know if they still have it. 

Powell is famous for his base silver C6 Vette too
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: Peter van Es on January 25, 2009, 15:40:43
Sure I can retrieve the page... I can actually create it, as could ANYONE here on the Wiki... We can create a section called "Frivoulous Stuff"... Famous owners, appearances in films.... etc.

The fact of the matter is that very few people visited those pages...

Peter
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: waqas on January 25, 2009, 16:01:40
Sure I can retrieve the page... I can actually create it, as could ANYONE here on the Wiki... We can create a section called "Frivoulous Stuff"... Famous owners, appearances in films.... etc.

How about a section entitled Frivolous Owners Who've Appeared in Famous Films?  ;D

Some of these so-called famous cars are poorly cared for by their well-off owners...
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: benzportland on January 28, 2009, 04:56:59
Colin Powell did have a light blue '71 280SL.  (He also likes old Volvos. ) I recall a news item in local media back in the spring or summer of 2000 mentioning him rearending a Silverado pickup on the Dulles toll road while driving his "wife's baby blue classic 1971 Mercedes."  I do not know if they still have it. 

Here's some more trivia - I heard that Powell also worked on the cars himself, but not always with the best results.  They frequently broke down, and caused so many traffic jams and security issues that the metro police tried mediating with him to drive more roadworthy vehicles. 
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: Peter van Es on January 28, 2009, 11:33:34
Check out the following pages and feel free to add diversions:

http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.Diversions

Peter
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: Witt on January 28, 2009, 19:18:20
.....while not famous, but pretty, didn't the Playmate of the month received a Pagoda during the sixties? Any record of that one.......?

CHEERS !
WITT !
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: JamesL on January 28, 2009, 20:51:48
By record, I assume you mean pictures... ;)
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: Peter van Es on January 28, 2009, 21:31:11
If someone would scan pages from their sizeable collection I'll gladly receive them and, after checking them out for quality and accuracy, post them!

Peter
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: lurtch on February 01, 2009, 22:41:06
Hello All PagodaMen - - -  I just logged off of  eBay Motors .  Right now a Los Angeles broker is selling Ricky Nelson's 1966 230SL. The amazingly complete associated photoset documents his name as owner in several places. Pagodas do not  more perfect than this one!

Larry in CA
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: Witt on February 02, 2009, 03:03:13
By record, I assume you mean pictures... ;)

........well, yes of the car of course......come to think of, the Pagoda could use some curves.....

CHEERS !
WITT !
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: rob walker on February 02, 2009, 12:12:32
Kate Moss and both of the Dimbleby's - at least according to Clarkeson. I think he mentioned Colin Powell too in that Top Gear video.

Rob, where's you place in Cornwall? Do you take your car there? It's my family home though I enjoy living in London most of the time (!).

James

James, its actually Devon, just outside of Okehampton and about 5 mins off the moor :o
I was intending to take the car down last year for the summer holidays but it ended up at RE's due to the radiator giving up.
This year though as long as we get some sunshine 8) just returned from there just great driving roads.
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: rob walker on February 02, 2009, 12:13:12
plenty to sticker ;)


My car was once owned by Tom Conti. Not that he is that famous.

 :D :D :D :D :D
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: rob walker on February 02, 2009, 12:21:10
Check out the following pages and feel free to add diversions:

http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.Diversions

Peter

how do we add famous members, obviously Dawn French and her autobiography is the link.
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: Peter van Es on February 02, 2009, 15:55:54
Go to the diversions page: http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.Diversions.

Then first read Basic Editing (http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=PmWiki.BasicEditing), a link on the left of the page, for help on basic editing. Then you press the Edit (http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.Diversions?action=edit) link on the left (under Actions) and Edit the page...

It's that simple...

Peter
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: rob walker on February 04, 2009, 14:21:58
Go to the diversions page: http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.Diversions.

Then first read Basic Editing (http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=PmWiki.BasicEditing), a link on the left of the page, for help on basic editing. Then you press the Edit (http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.Diversions?action=edit) link on the left (under Actions) and Edit the page...

It's that simple...

Peter

Got it ::) done it, got the t-shirt ;)
Title: Re: Famous owners
Post by: Peter van Es on February 04, 2009, 15:24:41
You'll only get the T-shirt if you add at least an entire technical topic to the Wiki!  :D

Peter