Richard, it's good to see a long-time member joining the discussions at last. One Pagoda occasionally coming out ahead of a lone 300SL in a judged event is one thing - two Pagodas coming out ahead of a whole fleet of 300SLS is quite another. Our hats are off to you and Hugh!
Only German Cars (we hope to know your real name at some point), without opening up a whole discussion again about what constitutes the "best" or "most desirable" or "most valuable" Pagoda (that subject has been explored elsewhere here ad infinitum!), I would just suggest that you simply consider what the things are YOU like most about a Pagoda as you and your Pagoda find each other.
A 230SL, while the most numerous of the early W113 SLs, is not the most powerful version, but embodies the purest expression of the design. Only the earliest 230SLs have the upright spare like you saw in Richards car; not long after his was built the factory redesigned the trunk floor and relocated the spare to a horizontal position on the opposite side of the trunk like you saw in Hugh's car. There are many elegant little trim details unique to the 230SL that carried over into early 250 SL production. The seven main bearing 2.5L engine had the same power output as the four main 2.3L unit but had more torque. 250SLs may be thought of as transition models, carrying forward most of the early W113 trim features but eventually losing some of the elegant early style trim as evolving safety elements were incorporated during its short model run. Stirling Moss famously acquired a 250SL and promptly swapped in a more powerful and torquey 2.8L engine from a sedan for more performance; D-B followed suit within months. The 280SL Pagoda carried the SL torch into the early '70s until replaced by the V-8 powered R107. Being the newest and most powerful expression of the Pagoda, it has long been considered the most valuable, but the earlier models are reaching parity. When you met Hugh and Richard you saw wonderful examples of the early and late expressions of the Pagoda theme.
The bottom line is that everyone here loves their Pagoda for different reasons, all good in the eyes of each of us, and we all have good stories about how they came into our lives.
Richard related earlier how he acquired his at the tender age of 15. My boss at the Lincoln Mercury dealership where I worked for 30 years owned a pair of lovely 280SLs, one stick and one automatic. The Signal Red 4-speed car had a Mack Truck Bulldog bolted on the hood when he first saw it!
When a customer, who at age 85 was contemplating the prospect of no longer being able to drive, approached my boss for advice on selling his beloved 230SL I first discovered and began to appreciate all the elegant little details that make a 230SL special. I tried to buy it from him, but my boss's brother in law had a fatter checkbook and a quicker draw. Every time he came in for a new car I would ask him, "Hey Marvin, you ready to sell that Mercedes yet?" One afternoon fourteen years later, just days before my 50th birthday, he called me at the office and asked, "Hey Mike, you ready to buy that Mercedes yet?"
We look forward to hearing how you and your Pagoda find each other!
