Lot details
Registration No: 233 WZ
Chassis No: 11304220003388
Mot Expiry: Feb 2019

- A rare right-hand drive example supplied new in Belfast on 24th June 1964, full DVLA ownership trace

- Extensively mechanically, bodily and cosmetically restored since entering the current ownership as a 'garage find' five years ago

- Pleasingly retains its original registration number and engine. Hardtop and soft-top roofs

- c.£50,000 worth of recent expenditure much of it with Pagoda specialist Colin Ferns Ltd of Richmond

Accompanied by a DVLA ownership trace which goes all the way back to its first keeper in Belfast, this rare right-hand drive 230SL previously belonged to a busy sea captain. Scarcely used from the 1990s onwards, the Mercedes-Benz was effectively a `garage find' when the vendor acquired it five years ago. Extensively mechanically, bodily and cosmetically restored since then with much of the work entrusted to renowned Pagoda specialist Colin Ferns Ltd of Richmond, the two-seater pleasingly retains its factory-fitted engine and four-speed manual gearbox. A comparatively early 230SL and thus notably lighter / sportier than its successors, `233 WZ' has been refinished in its original exterior livery (with the hubcaps correctly colour-coded to the hardtop). Reupholstered in leather rather than MB-Tex but using period authentic trim pieces made with the original factory tooling, the two-seater also boasts a fully refurbished / relined hardtop and brand new soft-top secured to the original rails. Describing it as `a wonderful car that starts on the button', the vendor notes a deep scratch to the passenger window but is not aware of any major issues. Offered for sale with V5C Registration Document, fresh MOT certificate, some service history dating back to the 1980s, recent invoices for circa £50,000 mostly with Colin Ferns Ltd and an insurance approved tracker (the latter requiring a subscription).

Successor to both the exotic racebred 300SL 'Gullwing' Coupe and its humbler 190SL sibling, the W113-series SL proved more comfortable than the former and faster than the latter (a point emphasised by Eugen Bohringer's 1963 Liege-Sofia-Liege rally victory). First of the line, the 230SL was styled by Paul Bracq and introduced at the March 1963 Geneva Salon. Powered by a 2306cc straight-six engine mated to either four-speed manual or automatic transmission, it was credited with 150bhp / 159lbft and a 124mph top speed. Of the 48,912 W113-series cars made between 1963 and 1971, 19,831 were 230SLs (the vast majority of which were left-hand drive).