Pininfarina Pagoda

[Garry]

Rummaging through old photos looking for pix of water bottle and came on these.
I am sure car owner would not mind sharing with this group.

[Ulf]

Sure looks great - this thread also covers it: http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=574.0
And this link: http://www.ritzsite.nl/230SLPF/02_SLPF.htm

Must be both wonderful and scary at the same time to own a one-off, must be tricky to source parts such as chrome etc....

[Garry]

It was just fantastic to see it in the flesh last year and meet the elderly gentleman who stored the car who was happy to show this and several other cars that he has including a original W113. The Paul Baracq signature on the Pininfrina car and its history really make it something special and such an iconic "one off".
Garry

[114015]

Cool car ! 

Hello Garry,
How envious I am that I have never been able to see the Pininfarina-SL in the flesh - as you could!
Just a marvelous car!

The Paul Baracq signature on the Pininfrina car

Ah nah, I don't think so. Look at the pic... It says "Tom Tjaarda 17/9/97 Pebble Beach" (and he was among the jurors if I remember that correctly from the tellings) but I can't see any Paul Bracq signature ...
As it was Tom Tjaarda who "designed" the Pininfarina-SL and not Paul Bracq, whose design was mostly removed/replaced on this unique vehicle.
Anyway...

Have you seen the "new light-colored-leather-protecton-panels" on the left door sill and door panel?
Absolutely cool!

Thanks a lot for these great pictures, Garry!

Best,
Achim

[Jonny B]

It is indeed a gorgeous take on the standard 113. I was able to see it several years back when it was displayed at Pebble Beach, 2005?

[Garry]

I stand corrected Achim, you are quite correct and its for a second time I am corrected as I originally thought it was owned by Weston Hook when I saw it but he had already passed away and it was on the next owner as pointed out by Alfred who was with me when we went to have a look with Dave Gallon. I must have got too much of that CA sun on the day.

A couple more Pix for the interested.

[hauser]

Was there more than one of these?  If there was only one what is the color sequence?

[66andBlue]

There was only one and the original color was silver.
I had posted more photos of the restored car in this topic: http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=6435
In there are a few more links about this car.

[114015]

Was there more than one of these?  If there was only one what is the color sequence?

Hello Hauser,
As Alfred mentioned, only one. Unique car.

The color sequence? Car was manufactured (AFAIK in whitegrey - just a regular pagoda) - converted into the one-and-only Pininfarina-230SL and sprayed in silver (maybe DB 180).
First owner Axel Cäsar Springer (look up in Wikipedia), then his wife. Was later sold several times.
Was black with bundt cake rims, then red (related to but not identical with DB 568) with original rims and after Weston Hook acquired it, the car was thoroughly restored at Jerry Hjeltness' shop again painted in "original paint code" silver. Won Pebble Beach in its class then.
That's what my memories are about this fantastic car.

Best,
Achim

(Postscriptum: Instead of parting out and dumping so many (slightly rusted-out) 230ies, there should be a few converted into "Pininfarina copies" ... IMHO)

[hauser]

Achim,this has been done recently.  Not a 113 but with a 190sl.

http://bruceadams190sl.com/html/current/pappo.php

[Cees Klumper]

Years ago I came across some original Pininfarina studio black and white promotion / press photos of this car. I sent them to Weston Hook and he wrote me a very nice 'thank you' letter. It only seemed right that these photos should be with the car.

Tom Tjaarda was from Dutch origin and designed many a car, including the De Tomaso Pantera and the original Ford Fiesta.

[hauser]

Found a photo of this car for sale on ebay shown in silver with a red interior.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1966-Mercedes-Benz-Pininfarina-230SL-Factory-Photo-/370373169152?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item563bf61000

[114015]

Thanks, Hauser, for this great contemporary picture of the car.


However, I "believe" the interior was not red (when new) but somehow light tan - very similar (or identical) to what it is today.
This recent pic which you found shows some color fading or "misinterpretation" maybe...

There are other pics around (on the internet) where the car was black and later even red. It seems (given the quality of those pics) that the car had the tan interior already by then and the leather showed slight aging.
So I "believe" it was not red but tan.
But I can't prove that for sure; please check also here.

http://www.mercedesheritage.com/2009/the-pininfarina-230sl/

Could have been possible that the car got tan leather very early - let's say with the 2nd/3rd owner briefly after 1967 or so...

Best,
Achim
(likes the Pinin-230 a lot)

[114015]

Here is another "factory" one from ... around 1965

Quality is poor, downloading the pic (see ref thereon) was not quite easy.
Appears to me as if the interior was more tan than red - but as I said, the quality of the pic could be better.

Enjoy!

Achim

[Ulf]

Am I the only one who thinks that the tail lights look very similar to the ones on the 300 SL Gullwing?

[Naj ✝︎]

Am I the only one who thinks that the tail lights look very similar to the ones on the 300 SL Gullwing?

Probably 

Naj

[Ulf]

Okay Naj - I stand corrected :-)
But you must admit that there is a slight resemblance...

Ulf

[Allen]

I saw it at the 2005 Pebble-Beach Concours d'Elegance.