Lot details
Registration No: OWH600H
Chassis No: 11304422011711
Mot Expiry: Oct 2005

The 280SL is directly related to the 230SL which replaced the 190SL at the Geneva Salon of March 1963. The 230SL had a wider body and, though still a two-seater, offered more room inside for weekend gear. It was powered by a 2281cc fuel-injected six-cylinder engine which produced 150bhp and gave the auto-shift version a 124mph top speed potential.
To provide their clients with more grunt for autobahns and storming mountain passes, Mercedes-Benz replaced the 2.3-litre 230SL with the 2496cc capacity 250SL in 1966. After only 5196 were built though, the 2778cc 280SL came to market. With a 180bhp six under bonnet and up to 121mph on tap, SL customers were happy again, buying 23,885 of them 1967-1971.
This right-hand drive 280SL on steel wheels first left the Stuttgart factory in 1969. The vendor, who has owned the roadster since 1990, reckons that he is only the third owner. He tells us that he has driven OWH 600H some 33,000 miles and that the 91,000 mileage displayed on the odometer when entered for the sale is believed by him to be the genuine total for the car from new.
Currently, two-door bodyshell, panels and metallic maroon paintwork are described as being in very good condition and the black interior excellent. The 2.8-litre engine, the four-speed automatic transmission and the electrical equipment are all reportedly in very good order. The soft-top has been renewed by the owner with a genuine M-B hood, which is claimed to be in excellent shape, whilst the classic convertible also has the benefit of a hardtop.