1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL
Three-owner, collector-grade RHD example

Registration No: VHY 100H
Chassis No: 11304422012859
MOT: Exempt

• A highly original machine that is said to retain all of its factory-fitted panel work
• Originally supplied as a British-market, right-hand drive example by Charles Cruickshank Motors of Bristol in 1970
• In single-family, father-and-son ownership until 2011 when acquired by the vendor
• The subject of a sympathetic preservation-centric restoration, plus an engine restoration by marque specialist John Haynes in 2022
• Offered with a three-inch thick history file detailing expenditure from new
• Simply one of the finest Pagodas that we have had the pleasure of offering for sale

Mercedes have been producing an SL (Sport Leicht) model or range of models since 1954 when the landmark 300SL was unveiled. The similarly styled, but mechanically unrelated, 190SL followed in 1955, completing the first generation of cars. Their successor was the W113 series. The last of the line, the 280 SL, was launched in 1968. Blessed with the same effortlessly elegant Paul Bracq styling as its earlier siblings, it was powered by a new 2,781cc straight-six engine with a seven-bearing crankshaft, and developed 170bhp and 180lb. ft. of torque. The SL was equipped with all-round independent suspension—double wishbones and coil springs at the front and coil-sprung swing axles at the rear. Braking was power-assisted on all corners and steering was by recirculating ball. The car's 'square' track gave notably sure-footed handling. Able to blur the divide between city streets and open roads with ease, the majority of 280 SLs were specified with four-speed automatic gearboxes and power-assisted steering. Some 23,885 were made by the time production ceased in 1971, around half of which were exported to the U.S.A. The popular W113 'Pagoda' series of cars was replaced by the substantially heavier R107 range.

Ordinarily, if we were to describe a car not only as being “better than new,” it would have to have received an inordinate quantity of work in order to justify the claim. In the case of this particular 280SL, the bar is not set quite so high (as will be revealed); nevertheless, it has received an inordinate amount of work and is undoubtedly one of the best of its kind.

‘VHY 100H’ was first registered in January, 1970, to Howard Francis Carter, in the affluent Westbury Park area of Bristol. He bought it from Charles Cruickshank Motors Ltd., the Mercedes-Benz dealership on Fairfax Street. Surprisingly, the original sales documents have not been retained (Carter seemed to retain every letter or invoice which came his way), and the Mercedes’ paperwork history does not begin until March, 1970, unfortunately with an apologetic letter from Victor Gossington, Chief Engineer at Mercedes-Benz’s London offices. The 280, it transpired, had developed an engine noise after just 100 miles, caused by a damaged piston, which led to Mercedes offering to fit a complete new cylinder block and internals.

In these early days, Carter was covering around 10,000 miles a year, and was beset by problems. As a matter of historical interest, we might mention that he wrote to Mercedes (G.B.) implying that his car was less reliable than a Morris Marina, and saying he had started paying for the upkeep out of his own pocket because it was too embarrassing to put it on business expenses. We need hardly explain that Carter’s troubles were highly unusual and that 280s enjoy a well-deserved reputation for quality. We will simply add that Carter persevered until everything was satisfactory, and eventually became extremely fond of it; he must have been, for he continued driving it up to 2000, and persisted in having frequent servicing carried out by Cruickshank up to 1980, and thereafter by Parkway Automobile Engineering to the end of his ownership. To illustrate how fastidious he was, we need only cite his six-month letter-writing odyssey with Mercedes-Benz during 1986 in a bid to obtain the correct retaining washers for his hood and hardtop.

In 2000, ownership passed to Carter’s son, who continued to M.O.T. the SL annually, but used it little, and he sold it to our vendor in 2011. At its 2000 M.O.T., it had covered 51,913 miles; that rose to just 53,530 at its last test in 2017, and it is now at just over 57,000. The new owner gave the Mercedes a thorough refresh in 2012, commissioning Barham’s Auto Refinishers to respray it (except the under-bonnet area) in its original Signal Red for a cost of £6,800. From 2018, he entrusted it to marque specialist John Haynes for mechanical attention. In 2019, this included the refurbishment of the gearbox and rear axle, and the all-round renewal of the brake discs, pads, callipers and hoses, reaching a total of £22,662. This was followed in 2022 by a comprehensive overhaul of the engine, which involved a rebore and new Mahle pistons; new bearings; the renewal of the valves, guides and stem seals and the recutting of the seats; soda-blasting the aluminium parts; recoring the radiator; fitting electronic ignition; overhauling the fuel-injection pump; wiring loom repairs; 500 miles’ running-in and a service. To give some indication of the attention to detail involved in this work, all the zinc-plated parts were replated in the original-style gold zinc. The engine bay and hubcaps were painted, and new original-style loop carpets were installed, bringing the total cost to £37,500. A few months later, a new brake master cylinder and aluminium sill plates were fitted.

With that level of care across its life, it is not difficult to see why we consider this 280SL to be one of the best there is. Even the ease and quietness with which the doors shut is, from our experience, peerless. Believed to retain all of its factory-fitted panels, it is also supplied with a prodigious paperwork file containing many invoices and letters from 1970 onwards, the original chassis cards and Mercedes care products brochure, M.O.T.s from 1993 to 2017, the V5C, and the V5 from 2000.

For more information, please contact:
Lucas Gomersall
lucas.gomersall@handh.co.uk
07484 082430