How it all started...

[waqas]

I thought I'd share a little bit about why I'm so passionate about my Pagoda, and other Mercedes cars from the 60s.

My first Pagoda was a Lone-Star Tuf-Tots Mercedes "Sports" in dark green from the 60s. It was originally given to my brother by our dad. By the time I came around, my brother had moved on to other things (Corgi and Matchbox KingSize vehicles), and the Mercedes "Sports" was now all mine! Sure, it was now all scratched up and wheel-free, but it was gorgeous! Those curved lamps and simple lines had me mesmerized! Along with other Lone-Star Tuf-Tots (the Citreon DS, the Dodge Dart, the Milk van, etc), I had it made. I eventually found a way to re-insert the axles and wheels between the chassis base-panel and the body, and the car was back on the road!

I still have that car to this day (somewhere in my old childhood things-- don't remember where exactly; when I find it, I'll post a picture). Meanwhile, here's a picture of what it should look like, taken from this great web-page about Lone-Star die-cast cars: http://www.home.railscene.com/garyscars/dcmt/tt/lstt605.htm



I suppose this explains why my first Pagoda is green! As purchased, it was painted moss-green metallic DB834, but the data-card says dark green DB268. It is currently undergoing restoration (very slowly).



My second Pagoda is red, with a black hardtop. Interestingly, Lone-Star had another Mercedes "Coupe" Tuf-Tot in red, with a black hardtop! http://www.home.railscene.com/garyscars/dcmt/tt/lstt622.htm



My fate was sealed when I got my hands on a 1970 Matchbox catalog. Those pages showed the "Superfast" range of cars, rendered in bright colors with trailing lines as if in great motion. I loved the box artwork from that old line of cars. I was particularly in love with Nr-27, a Mercedes 230SL in brilliant white. This was a gorgeous looking car-- the grille with the big Mercedes star and barrel in the center, the oval lights, the superfast wheels... I was smitten!

The rest, as they say, is history. I have yet to buy a white Pagoda with red interior (Matchbox also had the same 230SL in yellow with black interior). I can't say I'm looking for another pagoda any time soon!

Next, I'll update this post with why I love the Mercedes sedans and coupes of the era.

[Peter van Es]

Interesting... and I note you've changed your avatar too. What's with the tow hook on these models?

Peter

[Mike Hughes]

Yup!  Understand completely!  Here's my Matchbox SL.  It's from the mid '60s and probably pre-dates the "Superfast" series.  I love the detailing of the grille and on the inside of the doors.  Most Matchbox models seemed to come with trailer hooks by the mid 60's as they had branched out into scale trailers by that time.  I still have a holiday caravan and a boat trailer complete with motorboat from that time.  I even constructed a home made car hauler trailer out of a busted boat trailer frame and a few thin strips of balsa wood from one of my model airplane kits!  Too bad I don't have the actual boxes any more.  My little brother "borrowed" them all to hide weed in back in the '70s!

[Richard S]

I keep wondering why the Franklin Mint doesn't make one of their high class models of the SL.  They seem to have models of most other collectable cars including the W107.

[glenn]

Re: How?   I was on a German holiday in 1971(I think?).   Baden Baden, Heidelberg, Munich, Trier, the Moselle, etc.  Don't know which place I caught the 'virus'?   Could have been the museum, a car ride, Octoberfest, just on the strassen, who knows?   Science has not yet come up with a cure----------

[waqas]

Interesting... and I note you've changed your avatar too. What's with the tow hook on these models?

The tow hook was for tiny trailers. For example, the caravan and the speed-boat.

[waqas]

Yup!  Understand completely!  Here's my Matchbox SL.  It's from the mid '60s and probably pre-dates the "Superfast" series.  I love the detailing of the grille and on the inside of the doors.  Most Matchbox models seemed to come with trailer hooks by the mid 60's as they had branched out into scale trailers by that time.  I still have a holiday caravan and a boat trailer complete with motorboat from that time.  I even constructed a home made car hauler trailer out of a busted boat trailer frame and a few thin strips of balsa wood from one of my model airplane kits!  Too bad I don't have the actual boxes any more.  My little brother "borrowed" them all to hide weed in back in the '70s!

Very impressive Mike!  Looks like yours is of the "regular-wheel" type (pre-1969). I wish I could still find mine. I think the Matchbox 230sl is one of the best pagoda models ever made (along with an extremely rare model made by Dinky).

[Naj ✝︎]

'Wendy House find' Dinky

[waqas]

'Wendy House find' Dinky

Beautiful!  Do you still have the hardtop?

Notice the perfectly shaped trunk lid edge, with the gentle arch through the middle?  I'm so jealous...

[mbzse]

.../... an extremely rare model made by Dinky

This would be the 1:43 scale model by French Dinky Toys...  Yes, well made. I have one silver and one red.
Both have creme coloured HardTops
/Hans in Sweden

[knockmacool]

This man probably has/had most of those toy models...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/automobiles/collectibles/07toys.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hpw

[wwheeler]

I had a Corgi model of the 600 limo and the windshield wipers swung when the rear wheels turned. Very impressive for the day. It is not in good shape today as I had a lot of fun with it back then.

Other than the 600 limo, I had two other encounters with MB that won me over. My dad and I test drove a new 1980 W123 300D. The salesman dared us to take this substantial hump in the road that would have destroyed any domestic sedan suspension of the day. It went over that hump with ease and I was stunned.

My next encounter was when a friend offered to sell me his Uncle's '85 W123 300D. In the process of researching, I ran across a picture of a white with red interior 220 SEb 111 coupe. WOW! Six years later, I have the attached.

Thanks Waqas for stirring up those memories! 

[psmith]

I've had this since the mid sixties when I was a boy.  I had never thought about what kind of car it was until I got it out to give to my daughter a few years ago.  I think wagas and wallace might recognize it although the headlights and taillights are wrong.

 

[wwheeler]

Very nice Pete!   

[Flyair]

If you imagine a country where at the time:

-   cars were rare and of doubtful beauty and certainly of low quality…
-   information was mostly withheld in order to prevent its citizens from having stupid ideas about modern life and freedom…

Then imagine a twelve years old boy who:

-   managed to see a black&white picture of a car (guess of which one?) in a local magazine…
-   kept this souvenir for long time… very long time, till he was 50…

So that's my story about how the dream started for me in early ‘70s...

Today, as things got settled, I bought my MB 280SL Pagoda in May. According to the seller is about to get shipped to Poland any day from now. So my dream is close to get fulfilled...  

Stan

[Garry]

Great story Stan, and a beautiful colour for the car.  I am sure it will be everything you hoped for.

[wwheeler]

I was in my son's room yesterday and saw he had been playing with some of my old Corgi cars from when I was a kid. Low and behold, there was a MB 240 D! I had forgotten I even had that. Now that I know I had a 600 limo and a 240 D, I wanted to see if I had forgotten any others. I found one more and it was the C111!

I am attaching a picture of the 240 D because interestingly enough, it has the tow hook like so many others above!

[Bob G ✝︎]

How about Tekino toy 230SL. working suspension opening hood door& trunk the car steers and has real rubber tires and steel wheel with little hubcaps. They also come  a part.

One of  my goals this year at PUB was to give the steering committee a letter I wrote to CMC to get theattention of the President of CMC  to consider our car a future model.

Bob Geco