https://www.octane-magazin.de/das-macht-die-pagode-fit-fuer-die-rallye/Some translated highlights:
“Our car won the class at the Targa Tasmania in 2000 and came third overall at the Vienna-Trieste Rally in 2004,” adds Christian Nikolai. “Front places in some smaller rallies and one or two winter events – with just a few changes a pagoda is ready for tough operations,” says the head of Ostendorf Classic from Hamm.
. . .
Ayris considers the mechanical fuel pump of the Mercedes-Benz 230 SL Pagode to be very reliable and durable, so converting it to a carburetor only makes sense in an emergency.. . .
For long-distance rallies on local roads, possibly designed as a consistency test, a pagoda is a grateful starting point [. . .]Engine bay in the article looks super. I can't wait for all my parts to come back from the painter and plater and hope mine looks half as good. Sure, they don't have the original firewall insulation, but to me the contemporary "correct" stuff has dubious effectiveness.
But what I really like are those plaid seats! How cool! I wish there had been a close-up of the dash. It looks like the radio cut-out has been used for switches of various sorts. I've often felt that was a better use of that space, with the underdash area more suitable for a radio (and much easier to work around). Center cluster would be a nice place for heated seat controls, a switch for cabin lighting... maybe a switch for town/country horn?
