280 SL Goes for $77,000 at Saturday's 2013 Concours d’Elegance of America

[tobacco]

Looks like a pretty clean restoration, excepting the air-conditioning:

http://rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1060754

[Benz Dr.]

I had a look at this car after the auction and it looked nice enough. The engine bay was clean but it lacked proper detail that would have made it sell better.

The  car sold on the block for 70K.  They add the 10% buyers fee which inflated the sale price to 77K - a sneaky way to get everyone thinking ever higher prices each year. 

[gugel]

Nice looking car -- great color combination!

[66andBlue]

... The engine bay was clean but it lacked proper detail .....

Hi Dan,
did they really just spray paint the injection lines and linkages?  Or was that some kind of greyish plating?
UGLY!

[Benz Dr.]

I really didn't llook that closely at it but there was something going on that didn't seem right.  The engine bay weas clean but it looked far from right.

[mdsalemi]

Alfred, from the photo, unfortunately, it looks like a lot of detail in the engine bay is incorrect--not just the FI lines.  Look a little closer...
This is precisely what happens when even the best, well intentioned restorer, highly skilled, just doesn't have the knowledge of the specific model...

[Garry]

It looks like they have used a lot of paint in the engine bay to cover cad plating and even painted the under side of the hood black.  Plastic wipers, wrong sun visors, wrong petrol cap, 230 tail lights.  Lots of other things wrong as well but made to look pretty and appears to have worked.

[wwheeler]

The engine bay is a bit odd for sure. Interesting how the valve cover, intake manifold and air venturi are all the same color as the linkages and other parts that should be yellow CAD. I would vote that they used the same silver paint for all of that. Even the IP received a healthy dose of silver paint. I would expect better for a car at that price.

On the extremely picky side, the coolant hoses have the US style "rubber shreader" hose clamps.

On the plus side, it does have the original (hard to find and reusable) oil cooler hose fittings.

[ptooner]

Well the bright side is it makes me think I should raise my insurance valuation.   
Gerry

[Garry]

the the dark side is pay more for insurance, increased risk of theft, higher parts prices, all bad, but an increase in value if you dont want to own it any more is good....i suppose:-\ :'(

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

I noticed from one of the photos that the rear license plate has the logo from Pedigree Motor Cars

and

www.pedigreemotorcars.com

I wonder if they did the restoration on this car and just don’t know any better

Mine was partially restored at RM Restoration Canada, and my engine looks a bit more original.

As for Insurance increase ... I would just keep my car safe (perhaps have my dog guard it , use the extra insurance money to purchase more parts, as we all know we will need

[Bob G ✝︎]

That is reasonable. Gary Jarvis just had his wife's 1968 250SL restored and spend dover $300.000 all new OEM parts saved for over 25 years. When that car hits the auction Pagoda prices are going to  hit the coaling. The car has already won two major awards Palo Verdes, legends of the autobahn .
Bob Geco

[Bob G ✝︎]

I haven't seen the pictures yet of the engine bay. But from what your telling me it sounds like it is an expensive collectable driver. Not many folks are fibular of what is correct  and some go over board of on the cad plating . If it has American hose clamps that is a deduction in shows . however the person who buys these cars today is looking for a fancy ride  to impress the  country club crowd . How his or her SL is still there when that return to pick up the car from the Valets LOL
Bob Geco

[Bob G ✝︎]

Love the C111 mark ll. That's the car my dad wahted so bad he would of sold  his soul to the devil if it had been produced.
Bob Geco

[Nate]

I could be wrong but this car may have been restored by Pablo and his crew in the Dominican Republic.  It looks very similar to an SL he did a few months ago.  Dan, you've seen Pablo's work in the flesh, does this look like one of his cars?  And if that's the case the buyer got a "good deal" since Pablo's cars are advertised in the $1xx,xxx range.