Correct color for interior.

[bneville]

I own a 1964 230 SL. My id cards under the hood show the color of my car to be 181 H. Which it is.  The numbers read across  181 H 040 G 6. I have owned the car for 26 years. It has been garaged and used as a weekend driver. Kids are starting to get out of college and I am looking forward to restoring it. I am trying to stay factory original with the color scheme. Does any one have an idea as to what the correct color should be for the seats,  carpet and top.  Having the light beige color would it take a red interior ?  Right now the seats and dashboard are black and the rugs are blue.  Thank you

[bogeyman]

Your data plate indicates the outside color only. Yours shows 181H = light beige body, 040 = black hardtop.
The interior and soft top colors would be on the data card. If you do not have it, the Classic Center will email you a copy with proof of ownership.
The codes to interpret the data card are in the Tech manual.

[bneville]

Bogeyman, Thanks for the info. How do I get in touch with the Classic Center ?

[Iconic]

Google Mercedes Benz Classic Center Irvine CA or use:
http://www.mercedes-benz-classic.com/content/classic/mpc/mpc_classic_website/en/mpc_home/mbc/home/classic/classic_center_usa.html

Enjoy your Pagoda with the contrasting roof ! NICE  !!
Show some pictures when you get a change.

[Ulf]

Mine was originally light beige (now silver) with burgundy interior, but with a blue soft top - a rather bizarre combo, but I guess taste and fashion was different then...

[Jonny B]

I can understand a bit about the color combinations. My 280 SL is dark blue (DB904) with a red leather interior. Light blue softop, hard top is DB 904. Appropriate for the times, not quite what you might see now.

[bneville]

Thanks everybody for all the info.

[KevinC]

Link to Technical Manual "datacards"....

http://www.sl113.org/wiki/DataCard/Start

[mdsalemi]

Appropriate for the times, not quite what you might see now.

a rather bizarre combo, but I guess taste and fashion was different then...

...and this is why today, car manufacturers have limited choices.  The color palette is considerably more limited than it was, and the choice of interior color, and which one they will allow with what exterior even more so.  Some combinations, particularly with lease cars, you just can't do...

[zoegrlh]

According to the Farben und Ausstattungen specs book your car was a 181 Hellbeige, and came with following color combination packages for interior: In MB-Tex Kaviar 2100, or Rot 2500, with solf top in Schwarz 872 or Braun 437.  If with black soft top (Schwarz 872), color was Kaviar, if dark Brown soft top, leder was dark red interior (Rot 2500).  Carpets were Rot 1079 (dark red) for black soft top with leder seats.
However if package came with Creme 702 soft top, then MB-Tex was Creme 2403, no leader for this package.  Most likely if your SL had a black hard top, then the soft top would be black too.
Bob

[Garry]

The only way, repeat only way to be sure what was originally supplied with the car is to get the Data Card as you could order any combination you wanted then and whilst lots of reference books talk about combinations they do not cover special orders of which I suspect a large majority were.  I know my combinations do not appear  in any of the reference books.

garry