New member introductions

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Welcome to our Group Tony! 903H is a very nice colour and it is the colour of my car. I have received many positive comments about the colour over the years tat i have this car. The main thing is the driver likes the colour

I attach a photo so you may see what yours will look like after painting.

Once again, Welcome

Dieter

[primaale]

Good evening,

my name is Giorgio (primaale), I live in Italy and I have finally bought a PAGODA 280 SL coupè dated 1968   

[Cees Klumper]

Welcome Tony and welcome Giorgio. You will find much information and comraderie here.

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Welcome Giorgio to our truly International Group as Cees mentioned you will find many helpful Members here from all around the world in fact if you wish to find out how many Members we have form Italy all you need to do is check our "Member" area

When you log in you will see one pull down menu called “Members” when you click on it you will have 2 options “View the memberlist” and “Search for members”

When you click on “View the memberlist” it will open for you and is displayed as a alphabetically sorted list (with members that used numbers in there ID first). You can sort the entire list to anything you like.

To find other members in your area here is what you have to do;

If you open the memberlist and click on “Location” you will then have sorted the entire data base by “Location” The first 25 pages or so are International countries (page numbers depend on the size of your computer device display). Anyway, you can now page thru the pages until you find Itally (near Page 12 and 13).

Have fun and post some photographs of your find, we all love to see them.

Dieter

[Firechicken]

Hello there gents..

Mihael from Munich, Germany, 31 years old but a car enthusiast since i was wearing diapers I suppose.

I am a BMW and Corvette fan, never really understood the Mercedes vibe, I suppose I was too young to know better, but as a business partner of mine gave me a ride in his 230SL last year, I knew that very moment I had to have one!

Last week I stumbled upon this poor girl in Berlin and just had to have her, the previous owner dismanteled her and sanded the body as he wanted to start a restauration but unforunately passed away, so the car just stood there uncovered for a few years..
I know there's a lot of work ahead of me, but they deserved to be saved!!

Here is my Pagoda 250SL simbolically named "Rusty"



As I start with the restoration I will definetely start my own topic..

Wish me luck guys!

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Hello Michael,

Welcome to our Group, you certainly come to the right place to get all the help you might need with poor Rusty

We are a true International Group and if you like to find helping hands near you all you need to do is explore our “Members” Tab above select the Member Listing then click on “Location” this will sort our Members dBASE by “Location” Page tru the pages you will come to Germany showing Members in or near your area.

Once you start your Restauration it would be a good idea to start your own Thread and post plenty of pictures along with any questions that you might come across (there are similar posts here where Members show the progress they make or are still making to restore there car). Of course once you get into the Restauration a good investment would be to take out the Full Membership .... it would be the best investment you can make for only cents per day you gain full access to our Technical Manual as well as all the benefits that come with Full Membership.

Nice to see another Pagode/Pagoda rescued .... Good luck with your peoject and have fun.

Once again Willkommen zu unserer Seite!

Dieter

[neelyrc]

Hello Mihael, welcome to the forum.  From the single picture you posted, I can tell you have a lot of work ahead.  You will find a lot of help here.  I recommend a thorough tour of the site, particularly the  technical manual.  The main search function, fourth button from the left above, will be extremely important to you.  Some experimenting there will pay big dividends.  We look forward to following your restoration.

Again, welcome.

[vintagecoupe]

Hi all,
after taking advance of this tremendous Site for the last 10 years, i finally became a full member... ;-)
After starting in 2008 with a lovely w111 coupé, i purchased a 280SL, sort of a "barnfind project" in 2015 which hit the road again in 2017...
after lots of tinkering, welding, engine revision, etc...most of the stuff (except paint job and machine work on the motor) i did by myself as a weekend distraction from office work... ;-)
Thanks again to this forum and the friendly people for helping me along with lots of good explications and hands-on description of numerous topics...

Regards from Germany
Andreas

[neelyrc]

Welcome to full membership Andreas, € well spent!!

Please keep us posted as you move forward with your project!

By the way, what will your final color(s) be?

[Jonny B]

Andreas,

Yes, welcome to the group. Great photo!

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Well done Andreas ! Welcome to our Group.

Sterngrüße aus Kanada,

Dieter

[vintagecoupe]

Gentlemen,
thanks for the warm welcome, really appreciate it!
@ Ralph: actually the car is already (nearly...) finished, it´s the one on the first Picture.
Color Code is 904, dark blue also for hardtop, softtop also is dark blue, interior is leather 254, parchment and carpet is 7006, dark Grey, all according to original specs, suits my taste by the way...
;-)

still having some minor issues here & there but Overall big fun driving through our small mountains...

next big thing (probably in autumn) may be the installation of the 6-gear tranny...

Andreas

[Halftrack]

Back on the Group after a long hiatus (last post was June 2007!).
Sadly thinking of selling my 1964 230SL, but seeing such great posts here, having second thoughts.
It's good to be back.

[lowpad]

Lowell Paddock here, new member from NW CT in the US.  I bought my weissgrau 4-speed 1966 230SL off the floor of the Essen motor show in 1999 while I was working in Frankfurt for General Motors.  The car has an interesting history.  It was originally delivered to a French teacher who traveled regularly to teach in Madagascar and would store the car in Paris while he was overseas.  Its second owner, also a French teacher, but based in Claremont, California, happened upon the car in Annecy, France, in 1979 and brought it back to Claremont.  He is a multiple W113 owner and I remain in contact with him.  He sold it locally to the athletic director of Pomona college, who then sold it to a German dealer who had a 'scout' in Southern California.  And that's how it wound up at Essen.

While working in Germany, I had the good fortune to meet up with Walter Pusch, the ex service manager of the massive Mercedes dealer in Mainz, outside Frankfurt.  Herr Pusch and his son Markus run arguably the most competent Mercedes restoration shop in the Rhein-Main area.  After leaving Germany for China, the car remained under in Herr Pusch's professional care and in the early 00s, it underwent a full restoration, including an engine rebuild as well.  Sadly I had to sell my beloved Alfa Junior Z 1600 to fund the work, but I'm very happy with the result. 

I repatriated from Asia to the US last year and last month I arranged to ship the car from Mainz to the US  I'm looking forward to driving it from Charleston to our house in New England some time this month.  I've attached a photo of the car as it sat in the port at Antwerp in April.

Always interested in the restoration of W113s and their individual idiosyncrasies (particularly tracking down the parts that are specific to French export models).  If anyone else has a French market 230SL, I'd be very happy to hear from them. 

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Halftrack, Welcome back to the Group! Do keep that car, if you sell it the money will quickly disappear

lowpad, Welcome to our truly International Pagoda SL Group ,,, soon you should recieve your welcoming package.

Dieter

[neelyrc]

I repatriated from Asia to the US last year and last month I arranged to ship the car from Mainz to the US  I'm looking forward to driving it from Charleston to our house in New England some time this month.

Welcome to the group, lowpad! Great Story! When you get settled with your car in New England, please post some recent  pictures.

[yogich]

Dear All,
my name is Jürgen  - my pagoda is a 280SL 1970 - US Version. Bought the car last year. I do the maintance by myself and luckily I found this informative forum.

Best regards from switzerland

Jürgen

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Welcome to our International Pagoda SL Group Jürgen, best of luck with your car and post some Photos when you can of your car.

Best,

Dieter

[Halftrack]

Thanks Dieter.  I look forward to familiarizing myself with all the new information since 2007.

Mark (Halftrack)

[ChrisZeiss]

Very glad am I to have become a member in the Pagoda Group with my 1966 230SL manual 4 Spd., no AC, European version in Claret Red Pearl - actually my passion for the Pagoda goes back to Geneva 1963 (I was 12 then) when my dad and I went to that Geneva Autosalon (it was a reward for having passed the entrance exam into the Gymnasium (grammar school) in Zurich, Switzerland) and first saw the (I remember the red) 230SL - three years later, in Feb. 1966, my dad traded in the 220S (Fin sedan) for the 230SL I now own since 1995. Moreover, I recall memorable drives with my father, e.g. in August 1966 up the (then) newly opened through-going 190km of (pristine) Autobahn from Basel CH up to Karlsruhe - some of it at the top speed of 195 km/h (we had the hard top on) - but most of it on up to Denmark at 120 to 130 km/h.

I decided when I inherited the car (in less than good condition) in 1995 to bring it back to the best condition I could - and could afford - myself - and enjoy it as a "driver" not a Sunday afternoon show car. And, since 2010 I have been driving the car mainly over long distances (down to Palm Springs once or twice a year, out to Vancouver whenever I can) and as often as I can in search of the "Loneliest Roads" in Western Canada and the US. Not only does the car (as y'all know as well or better than I) get nice kudos and compliments - but also occasional offers to purchase - and even marriage (no doubt more attributable to the car than the owner) ! At the MB dealership here in Edmonton (I still get some parts through them, but never again service !) Yours Truly is known as their "client from heck" because of the 230SL - and the wise salespersons who think I would never be as happy or "feel the road" as well in a new Benz !
Here some Favorites as characteristics:

Favorite Road to Drive (so far): US Route 12 from Missoula MT over the Lolo Pass and down the Lochsa River Valley through Idaho - 300 km of wonderful serpentine curves (50 to 120 km/h ones) down to Lewiston ID and Clarkston WA

Favorite Road Sign: Next Services 180 Miles !

Loneliest Road (so far): NOT US Route 50 East-West through Nevada as claimed by the AMA - but instead about 190 miles on Routes 233 (In NV) & 30 (in UT) from Oasis NV over to Tremonton UT

Pet Peeve: The rusted, beat up truck that is parked eleven inches from the Pagoda - in a parking lot with about 300 empty spaces.

Favorite Catchphrase for the Pagoda: An Antelope among a herd of Buffalo

Favorite Place to Hang Out and Show Off : In front of the Ibis Cafe' in Logan UT.

Most severe weakness: Going on and on and on about MB 113s !

Glad to be with you in the SL Pagoda Group, and hope to meet y'all at the next PUB (in San Diego ?)

Cheers,

Chris Zeiss

PS - Rolf-Dieter, you might recognize the location of the pics - in front of the Strathcona Library in Old Strathcona, Edmonton !

[Garry]

Welcome to the Group Chris,  Great story on your attachment to your Pagoda.


Lots of great stories here on original owners or passed down Pagodas.


See you in San Diego next year, maybe in my Pagoda from Down Under.


Garry
Membership Administrator

[neelyrc]

Welcome to the croup Chris, your introductory story is great! 🙂
Looking gorward to your active participation on the forum.  Your pagoda appears to be in fine form!!

[Brian in NL]

Chris, thanks for sharing your story. I don't imagine there are many of us owners who actually attended the 1963 Geneva Motor Show and saw the first 230SLs! 

I also own a 230SL built in 1966. It has been in our family since 1970, when my father bought it in Southern California, slightly used. I bought it after graduating from college in 1981. I had it fully restored  several years ago and enjoy driving it on the back roads of Europe. It brings back memories of my parents every time I get behind the wheel. It's our family heirloom.

Yours is a beautiful color. I hope I have the chance to see it someday. Eventually I will return to the USA to retire somewhere, and I plan to put on a lot of miles exploring some of those North American back roads.

Cheers,
Brian Akre
The Hague

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Hi Chris,

Great Story! I told you it be fun to post it here as you can see it is a very popular thread started by one of our founding Members and former Presidents Cees Klumper, Read more then 405K times so far.

Your story is indeed fascinating as are so many others in this thread here.

Once again Welcome to our Pagoda SL Group!

Best

Dieter

PS. Check your mail I posted info to you how to add a Personalized Photo as an Avatar. Yes I do recognize the very spot your car is parked in the photos above, having lived in Edmonton 27 years since migrating to Canada 1n 1957 as a young man I know Edmonton very well.

[ChrisZeiss]

Dear Colleagues,

thanks for your welcoming words and anecdotes of your connection to the Pagodas. Nice to hear that other folks too have moved Pagodas back and forth between continents. Goude middag, Brian in NL, Gruezi Jurgen i'dr Schwyz , Gruess Gott in (Sued-) Deutschland !

I wonder what  y'alls views would be on (and I'm the or a wrong guy to say it !) whether the 113 Pagodas were or are the most attractive body/chassis that MB ever made ? That might raise quite a controversy - surely I recognize that the 540Ks and the later SSKs as well as the Gullwing 300 SL would be right up there in contention.

Maybe a topic to be disused over a glass of wine at a PUB,

Anyway, I sometimes float (or flout) it in talks with other veteran car owners.

Cheers,

CAZ