Author Topic: Vintage photos of my 280 (Read 6603 times)

49er · « **on:** January 15, 2020, 21:43:35 »

Going through some boxes of old photos I found these three negatives taken back late '68 or '69 (the registration sticker still shows 1968 so before sept '69). For Oz, or anyone else that lives in the South Bay, they were taken along Via Campesina next to the Rolling Hills golf course in Palos Verdes.

John

Iconic · « **Reply #1 on:** January 15, 2020, 22:36:24 »

Thanks John,
Those are awesome. Many will enjoy looking at those pictures.
I hope all is well with you.
Mark

Charles 230SL · « **Reply #2 on:** January 15, 2020, 23:04:17 »

very nice!

neelyrc · « **Reply #3 on:** January 16, 2020, 04:34:24 »

Just lovely John!

kampala · « **Reply #4 on:** January 16, 2020, 05:17:34 »

John

Nice photos.

I know that street well. One side has the golf course and the other side has homes. I think you are parked directly in front of the “bird of Paradise” house built by Lloyd Wright. one of our favorite dream homes.

49er · « **Reply #5 on:** January 16, 2020, 15:24:17 »

Quote from: kampala on January 16, 2020, 05:17:34

John

Nice photos.

I know that street well. One side has the golf course and the other side has homes. I think you are parked directly in front of the “bird of Paradise” house built by Lloyd Wright. one of our favorite dream homes.

I do remember that house and you might be right. Wish I had turned the camera a bit to include it my picture.

EeVeeWee · « **Reply #6 on:** January 16, 2020, 15:46:09 »

Beautiful!

Pawel66 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 16, 2020, 16:11:47 »

Pictures with character!

GM · « **Reply #8 on:** January 16, 2020, 16:13:16 »

Great photos! I've lived here since 1994

Rolf-Dieter ✝︎ · « **Reply #9 on:** January 16, 2020, 18:06:54 »

Nice photos of a great car John! Must have brought back memories when you where younger and the joy you found then and still have with this fine car.

Dieter

lreppond · « **Reply #10 on:** January 17, 2020, 00:00:13 »

To see this gorgeous car when it was new knowing that it’s still driven all these years later by the same owner makes me smile. Congrats Ed!

Garry · « **Reply #11 on:** January 17, 2020, 00:54:51 »

Great old photos John.

It is interesting how high it sits as a new ca or is that just my failing eyesight.

MikeSimon · « **Reply #12 on:** January 19, 2020, 15:09:56 »

This one is not that old. I was still living in Germany and this was taken just after I bought my 280SL. Fall of 1982. It made a local newspaper

114015 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 19, 2020, 17:06:23 »

Absolutely great, Mike,

Love your pic !
Yes, very authentic for those days. Remember those very well.
Got my "Abitur" exam in 1982 ....
... but had no Pagoda back until then.
Was too young...

All best,
Achim

RobSirg · « **Reply #14 on:** January 27, 2020, 11:24:37 »

Great Photos John,

Once again provides excellent reference for all of us wrt to trim placement, exhaust tip protrusion, etc.

I agree that it looks to be sitting a little high but l think that might be because the road may be sloped.

Always throws me to see Gum Trees ( Eucalyptus) in a foreign land.😊

MikeSimon · « **Reply #15 on:** January 27, 2020, 18:10:28 »

Achim: I was ten years ahead of you with the "Abitur". So, if you got your Pagoda in 1992, the timeline would be right!

mbzse · « **Reply #16 on:** January 27, 2020, 18:45:09 »

Quote from: MikeSimon

.../... this was taken just after I bought my 280SL. Fall of 1982.../...

Interesting. In 1982 this SL model was just 11 years after the last one was sold. And in the text of the picture the reporter writes wistfully about "Old timer cars with outdated technology" like it was an A-Ford or something, he he

Compare if someone today should say that about for instance a R171 SLK or R230 sold in 2009...

MikeSimon · « **Reply #17 on:** January 28, 2020, 00:18:36 »

As you can see in the picture, the bystanders are looking at a different car. The show was about "Oldtimers" , cars that were exactly that at that time. My SL just "photo-bombed" as I was visiting the show.
One thing you have to consider, in 1982, a 230SL could have been 19 years old. That almost qualified for an "Oldtimer" and few people on the street knew a 230 from a 250 from a 280 without seeing the tag on the trunk lid.

114015 · « **Reply #18 on:** January 28, 2020, 01:39:45 »

Quote

For Oz, or anyone else that lives in the South Bay, they were taken along Via Campesina next to the Rolling Hills golf course in Palos Verdes.

Hello John,
Terrific !
Not too bad of a neighborhood where you were hanging around in those days....

Achim

114015 · « **Reply #19 on:** January 28, 2020, 01:42:06 »

Quote

Achim: I was ten years ahead of you with the "Abitur". So, if you got your Pagoda in 1992, the timeline would be right!

Well, Mike...,

Almost...
(1986 and) 1995 to be exact...
A bit late, I know ....

Achim

114015 · « **Reply #20 on:** January 28, 2020, 01:56:32 »

Quote

Interesting. In 1982 this SL model was just 11 years after the last one was sold. And in the text of the picture the reporter writes wistfully about "Old timer cars with outdated technology" like it was an A-Ford or something, he he

Well....?
Your car, Mike, is/was (back then) a Real one.
That (shitty) thing behind your car was a kit car. A "wanna-be Bugatti-like" plastic kit car on a (old) beetle chassis with genuine 34 bhp in its rear boxer engine....
Very common these cheap conversions back then....

Well 1982 ...,
I remember'a few years later'...,
I regularly went to a little car show that was around every "Labor day" (1st of May) in Velpe, close to my home town.
Always a very nice collection of about 100 or so cars. Sometimes expensive stuff (300 SL, Horch, etc.), and much regular "old cars", also pre-war.

In 1994 I was looking at a very nice silver-painted 280 SL with blue leather interior, Blaupunkt radio, no headrests. Licensed in Bielefeld...

, standing a bit aside in a side road there...

A lady realized that I was admiring (the very good overall condition of) the 280 SL and said 'that's not an old or classic car!'.

'Well', I answered, the car had late-style taillights but no hexagon emission-control sticker on the front number plate (which was mandatory in those days), so, I answered, ' this 280 SL must have been built between Feb 1969 (because of the taillights) and before 1 July 1969 (because of missing sticker, which was mandatory from that date onwards), and thus 25 years old!'

'Oh...', she said....

Those were the days....
Sadly, the Velpe gathering disappeared in 2014, split up and went anywhere else, one year before I finished my 230...
Those were the days ...

Achim
(car aficionado since 1965 - 2 years old back then)

49er · « **Reply #21 on:** January 29, 2020, 15:33:35 »

Quote from: RobSirg on January 27, 2020, 11:24:37

Great Photos John,

Once again provides excellent reference for all of us wrt to trim placement, exhaust tip protrusion, etc.

I agree that it looks to be sitting a little high but l think that might be because the road may be sloped.

Always throws me to see Gum Trees ( Eucalyptus) in a foreign land.😊

Thanks Rob and all others for the nice comments. As far as the the cars height goes, maybe it rode a bit higher because the springs were only about 6 months old

. Eucalyptus trees, yes they are abundant in CA but not so much here in the foothills. I believe they first were introduced from Australia back in the 1800's down near San Diego and they spread throughout the state pretty quickly. Finally Achim, I wish I could say that was my neighborhood. It was just a great place to drive the SL and provided a perfect backdrop for photos.

John

jkmmrs · « **Reply #22 on:** April 22, 2023, 22:35:52 »

I know this is an old thread, but I was reading another discussion about those thin rubber gaskets that sit behind the chrome trim between the trunk lock and the taillights on some models. The vintage pictures of this 280SL demonstrate that a rubber gasket sits only on top of the trunk lock and does not extend on either side of it to the taillights. It's easy to pick out due the car's white color. FYI my 1969 has the same arrangement.

Jay O
1969 280SL

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Author Topic: Vintage photos of my 280 (Read 6603 times)