Stuttgart

[JamesL]

A few pics from the SL-Club Pagode Rally 10 days back - over 190 cars and I HOPE to get an article together for PW
Dressed and ready to go Download Attachment: Picture 015a.jpg
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For those of you who've not been under the English Channel...
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This was parked in the hotel lobby
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On the Friday, I had arranged a  side trip to Mechatronik for a couple of us. This will likely be the subject of the article. A recently finished 230 (but you knew that). Amazingly, it even smelled like a new car!
Download Attachment: Picture 026a.jpg
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On the Saturday there was a road trip..
Parked
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Moving..
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Got back to the hotel and found this parked next to me..
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Sunday we had a Police escorted convoy through the city centre to the new museum with designated parking
Download Attachment: Picture 046a.jpg
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Download Attachment: Picture 051a.jpg
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The museum Pagoda is a 230, and is in the safety section (which is on level 5) [urlhttp://www.mercedes-benz.com/content/mbcom/international/international_website/en/com/Brandworld_Museum.html][/url]
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This one is just gratuitous...
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All in all, not a bad weekend at all!

[rwmastel]

quote:Originally posted by Tosh

On the Friday, I had arranged a  side trip to Mechatronik for a couple of us. This will likely be the subject of the article. A recently finished 230 (but you knew that). Amazingly, it even smelled like a new car!
Download Attachment: Picture 026a.jpg
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KB

Tosh,
Any idea on the color combo on this car?  Except for the flatter headlight glass an no Italian turn signals, it looks like mine!
Great pics, Tosh!  It must have been an incredible time.
Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both  tops
1994 E420

[JamesL]

Sorry Rodd, no idea
But the soft top was cream, as was the hard top. Cream leather interior too. It was absolutely gorgeous.  :oops:
Mechatronik said that customers typically spend more time over the colours of their finished cars than pretty much everything else. They have a wall of metal "swatches" individually painted on  slightly curved panels about 10x8".

[Douglas]

I'm surprised to see that the 230 SL at the museum has aftermarket chrome trim around its wheel arches.
Douglas Kim
New York
USA

[Naj ✝︎]

Rodd,

quote:Tosh,
Any idea on the color combo on this car? Except for the flatter headlight glass an no Italian turn signals, it looks like mine!
Great pics, Tosh! It must have been an incredible time.
Rodd

This could be the same 230 SL that was at the Techno Classica at Essen back in April '06.
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Download Attachment: 06esn101.jpg
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naj
68 280SL

[JamesL]

Naj, I can't imagine them doing 2 230s inside a year with the same colour scheme
So Rodd, it's cognac inside, not cream

[harleydan]

Tosh,
In picture 042a, there was numerous Pagodas.  The most I have seem at any one time.  About how many were there?
Thanks,
Danny
1970 280SL Euro 4 speed silver

[114015]

Rodd,
Naj and I saw the Mechatronic 230 SL at the same time. It was light blue (baby blue), I believe this is 334 - but I am not absolutely sure.
Achim
(Magdeburg, Germany)

[JamesL]

quote:Originally posted by harleydan

Tosh,
In picture 042a, there was numerous Pagodas.  The most I have seem at any one time.  About how many were there?
Thanks,
Danny
1970 280SL Euro 4 speed silver

As I set out for the Saturday drive I asked that self same question.
"Over 190" was the reply (we each had a rally plate and mine was 191)

[J. Huber]

If you think the 190 Pagodas is cool -- check this one out:
www.sl-day.de/html/bilder.html
James
63 230SL

[Bob G ✝︎]

Some very intresting shot of our Pagodas. I can almost hear the sound of 25 sls  and  the  mechnical sounds of that sweet six cylinder as they park at the new classic center in Germany to be admired. I would almost guess as a result of how many turned out that  their is a large following fo classic Pagoda owners in Europe , may be more than the USA.
I also wonder who is more precise in restoration when it comes to these cars .The European owners or the American owners?
Bob Geco

[JamesL]

Bob, I think it depends on the individual
Many of the cars had what others would consider atrocities like modern radios, sat navs, I saw a couple with centre consoles on the tranny tunnel, various types of tonneau hood and the like, lots of very untidy cars (sweet wrappers, maps, bottles, y'know, car junk)
That said, all were in good nick, all drove there (furthest travelled was from north of Stockholm), and some would no doubt hold their own in a beauty parade

[hands_aus]

So many 'Pagoda' cars without the defining feature .... the hard top!
Some of the colour combinations body/soft top are stunning.
Great pics!
Bob Smith (Brisbane,Australia)
RHD,1967 early 250 SL, auto