automatic badge on trunk lid

[gnj588d]

I have noticed the automatic sign on the trunk lid is positioned in different locations
 sometimes under the 230/280 badge and sometimes on the right hand side, mine is under the 230 badge.should it be in the same position for every country?.Cheers.Mike.

[114015]

Hello GNJ,

The 'Automatic' badge belongs to under the 2X0SL badge - and only there.
Nowhere else. Right side of trunk lid is only sedan or aftermarket.

US-version Pagodas did never have the 'Automatic' badge.



Achim

[dirkbalter]

Achim,

My 66 230 was first sold in Germany. When I bought it some years ago, the Automatic badge was on the right side. According to you, this is aftermarket.
How sure are you about that?
(I like it better under the 230 badge as well and already moved it but did not have any holes in the trunk lid)

Dirk
 

[114015]

Hello Dirk,

As I mentioned before, for any non-US 2X0 SL, the Automatic badge should be there and below the type sign badge. Please see the attached pic of the white-grey 230 how that should look like.

Indeed I know only of one single factory pic where the Automatic badge is on the right side of the trunk lid, and this was for an automatic transmission ad with a French- (Paris) registered 230 SL.
However I think this was intentionally "factory-altered" to non-standard in order to better "visualise" the Automatic badge on that photo (pic attached).

All others I am aware of do not have that but the Auto badge is always below the 2X0 SL badge.

In this case the Automatic badge is located exactly there where usually the 2X0 SL badge is located on non-automatic (stick-shift) cars or US cars. Only difference is that the type badge has only 2 pins and the Automatic badge has three.

For the Automatic cars the 2X0 SL badge is then located higher above the Automatic sign; please see the badge arrangement of Bob 'Cascadia's wonderful '66 230 SL Euro which he sold about 2 years ago.

Factory-new trunk lids have tiny pinholes there sligthly "indicated" in the hood for the 2X0 SL badge, however not drilled completely.

Now, to make the confusion complete there is also another confusion.
Some "230ies " (never seen that so far on 250ies and 280ies) have their 230 SL badge located further upwards exactly at the same position as if they were "Automatic" cars, but _without_ the Automatic badge. I have seen several of these although they have always been stick-shift cars.
I have also got a pic attached ... again from Bob - thanks a lot for these excellent pics !!

Haven't got any explanation for this deviation at all ....

If I were you, Dirk (I know - I am not) I would do it exactly like the badges arrangement on Bob's DB-158 whitegrey 66 230 SL Auto.
That is ... to my knowledge the only factory-original Automatic badge arrangement.

There should be then ... traces of holes for your 230 SL sign in your trunklid then...
Or you have got once a new trunk lid in the past. Easily detectalbe because of the missing paint runs ....

All best,

Achim
(with 114 sedan with Automatic badge on the right trunk lid side)

[66andBlue]

Dirk,
as you probably remember we had already a discussion about the mounting location where you questioned the MB instructions:
https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=19044.0
Was that discrepancy ever resolved?

[114015]

Ouch .... !!!!

My "P38"-picture with the elegant French Lady in Paris is now missing the "Automatic" badge .

What's that??? There must be two pictures with the same content, once with the Automatic sign, one without.
Can only be "early 60ies Photoshop-effect".

I go looking for the other one.
Sorry, Dirk ....

Achim
(feels guilty for stealing an Automatic badge on a Mercedes advertisement)

[dirkbalter]

Alfred,
yes I remember. I was drilling the holes for the badges. And in my case, the mb instruction hole pattern didn't match the pins on my badges. I ended up using the actual measurement provided by jfkb2 / Michael Salemi. Wre also send me his measurements.

Achim,
Attached is a pic of the automatic badge mounted on the right side on my car when I bought it. It is certainly possible that it was added afterwards or that the trunk lid was changes at one point. I didn't like it in that position anyway.