Softtop colour

[ryan.mb]

Hello!

Could you please help me identify the correct soft top colour for Mercedes w113. According to the data card its colour code is 737 which is 437 brown. I recently bought the car and now the car's soft top colour is something between sand and beige and I can't identify is it original or it has been changed. The car colour of the car is 408 Havana brown and the hard top is 670 light ivory.

The question is what was the softtop original colour (what kind of brown)? Perhaps someone with such original softtop or with Havana brown vehicle colour can send some pictures? Which currently available Sonnenland classic colour would be the closest to original colour – light beige, dark beige, or something else?

Best regards,
Ryan

[rwmastel]

Ryan,

I see you are a full member, so you have access to our Tech Manual.  See this section, maybe there will be pictures?  https://www.sl113.org/wiki/DataCard/Start

Also, if you give suppliers your 737 data card code, and 437 material code, they should be able to send you samples of their "equivalent" material.

I think in the end, it will be up to you to find a supplier with a color and quality of material that you are happy with.  It is hard to know the appearance of the original colors.

[ryan.mb]

Thank you! Sure I can read data card data and can source softtop from many suppliers in Europe.

I was hoping that perhaps some member of this community have SL in this particular original color and can share a picture to see the exact color tone how it was on the original vehicle.
 

[rwmastel]

If you were to find someone with an original 50 year old soft top in that color, it would probably be faded and/or stained.  If you were to find someone with an original, non-faded 50 year old soft top in that color, and they send you pics, then you have to worry about quality of pics, lighting/shade in the pics, settings of the camera, settings of your computer screen (or printer), and the like.  This makes one more obstacle in seeing what was the original appearance way back when.  I hope you find someone who can help guide your decision.

I have a totally different issue with my soft top color.  My car came with hard top only, but a previous owner installed a black soft top & frame.  Now, it's time to replace the material and I don't know if I should simply use black again or pick something else.  I avoid all these color issues/decisions by being color blind and letting friends & family make color choices for me!     I will depend on my wife and a few M-B Club friends to help pick my soft top color from supplier samples.

[BobH]

Thank you! Sure I can read data card data and can source softtop from many suppliers in Europe.

I was hoping that perhaps some member of this community have SL in this particular original color and can share a picture to see the exact color tone how it was on the original vehicle.

Have a look on this link about soft top colours, and also google havana brown w113, there are a few that seem to have light brown tops.  I think Mike Hughes may have the same combination as you, perhaps send him a message and ask him nicely

https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=35782.0

This configurator may be helpful, it may not be an exact match, but it might give you an ides of what the roof colours look like with your paint colour

https://www.arthur-bechtel.com/configurator/280sl/#/

[rwmastel]

To my screwed up eyes, that looks like a black soft top.  So, it must be a very dark brown.  Do you think that your color material would be a close approximation to the factory shade of brown?

[Mike Hughes]

We both have the same two-tone exterior paint combination.  The brown top really looks great on a Havana Brown Pagoda and is much easier to take care of than a light-colored material.

Here is an older photo of my Havana Brown 230SL with brown soft top.  In this photo the top looks black - in reality it is not that dark.  Frankly, I usually drive with the top down or hardtop installed so I don't have another photo with the top up.  The next time I am up in the mountains where most of my cars are garaged, I will take another photo in different light to see if a more accurate portrayal the brown top/brown body combination can be obtained.

[MikeSimon]

Here is an older photo of my Havana Brown 230SL with brown soft top.  In this photo the top looks black - in reality it is not that dark.   

..and the car looks green on my PC...

[lreppond]

Soft tops were made from Sonnenland classic fabric.  There is only one brown and it’s a dark chocolate brown.  In this same section of the forum, further down, Pinder provided notes on his installation of a dark brown softtop over a cream body.  Pix are included in the thread.  The color appears accurate on my monitor.

I would guess that your particular car left the factory (per data card) with a  brown soft top,  and it was later replaced with a tan one to mimic the color of your car’s cream hardtop. Either would be appropriate. From a practical standpoint the brown top would be easier to maintain than a tan one which shows dirt more readily.  Tan is sometimes referred to as “light beige” at European websites. 

[Mike Hughes]

..and the car looks green on my PC...

Yup, that photo was taken on Fuji ASA 400 film with an Olympus OM1 and a 35-70 Zoom lens.  Later the negatives were digitized for imaging on a computer.

[ryan.mb]

Thank you all for your input and special thanks to Mike Hughes! Your Pagoda looks amazing and very original! I also see that wheels are in ivory colour the same as the hard top. Fantastic!