1968 Mercedes Benz 250sl - Very Original, Rust-free, Documented California W113 on 2040-cars

Offered for sale is a beautiful 1968 Mercedes 250SL finished in beautiful Horizon Blue (DB 304) and retaining its original, rust-free undercarriage, original, rust-free body (including factory spot-welded fenders), original, numbers matching engine and transmission and original stamped service booklet and owners manual. A local car from new, it was ordered by Mrs. R. Whitmarsh of Montecito, CA, and delivered by Butts Motors, the Mercedes distributor here in Santa Barbara at the time. The car was driven by its first owner until 1974, at which point she gifted it to her daughter and son-in-law, prompting a relocation to La Jolla, CA. The second owners used the car primarily as a weekend driver, keeping it until 1990, at which point it was sold to an acquaintance in Colorado. The third owner furthered the careful stewardship of the prior owners, using it sparingly, always keeping it garaged and properly maintained and never subjecting it to any weather or elements. Consequently, the car remains extremely original, with a strong, numbers matching engine, smooth transmission, charmingly patinated aesthetic condition, and (I can't stress this enough) the car retains its completely original, rust-free undercarriage and completely original, rust and bondo free body, including the original fenders which still have their telltale spot welds in the engine compartment.

The exterior is in great shape, the factory correct Horizon Blue finish marred only by minor imperfections accrued over the years, none of which are significant enough to appear in any of the pictures or detract from the car’s considerable appeal. The body is straight and free of any accident damage and it retains even, factory correct panel fits and gaps throughout. All of the chrome, glass and rubber are in good original condition, and the original color-matched, hub-capped wheels have their chrome beauty rings and are wrapped in tires with plenty of remaining tread. The car comes with both its hard and soft tops, the hard-top completely original and hardly ever used and the soft top showing minimal wear with a replaced clear rear window. The car’s original Medium Blue MB-Tex interior is equally as clean, the seats, interior panels and carpets showing only minimal wear considering their 46 years of service. The car retains its original Becker radio, dealer installed Kuhlmeister Air Conditioning system, as well as its rare, optional “kinder seat”.

The car’s odometer shows 01,773 and everything – including the original stamped service booklet – indicates that the car has travelled only 101k miles from new. This is bolstered by the car’s excellent mechanical state, the original engine starting without any hesitation, idling consistently and pulling strongly and smoothly through all of the gears. Compression is excellent, providing even and ample power, and the brakes and suspension all function exactly as they should. The car’s a joy to drive, whether tooling through town with the top down, winding through the back roads or cruising down the highway. The car’s undercarriage is entirely original and rust-free – this car has never had any accidents, rust or rust repair – it’s as clean and factory stock underneath as you’ll find on a W113 Pagoda SL.

The 250SL was an improvement to its 230SL predecessor and certainly the rarest of the Pagodas, making up less than 11% of the W113 production run. If you’re looking for an abundantly presentable, entirely solid and mechanically strong examples that is sure to appreciate and offer years of trustworthy and pleasurable service, this car deserves your serious consideration. It checks all the important boxes: gorgeous cosmetics with its original color combination, smooth running original engine and a rust-free original body and undercarriage. Please bid accordingly. 

We want this car to go to great home and would be happy to further discuss it and answer any questions, so please feel free to email us or call us at 805-202-4557. You can also visit us online at GoodmanReed.

Goodman Reed Motorcars 

We’ve always had an appreciation for classic European cars and over the years have created an eclectic personal collection. We only buy cars that we’d personally be interested in owning and generally only sell them to make room for other acquisitions. That time has come for this Mercedes (if the price is right, of course – this isn’t a fire sale). We try to give accurate descriptions of the cars we’re selling, but we’re enthusiasts, not experts, and we encourage and are happy to help facilitate personal or professional inspections. But please do so before bidding, as the alternative harms our ability to make sales to other interested parties who have done their proper due diligence before bidding. 

For U.S. buyers a 10% non-refundable deposit is required within 3 days of the auction’s end, the balance to be paid within 7 days of the auction’s end. Foreign buyers must pay in full within 7 business days of the auction’s end. Buyer is responsible for shipping, however we’d be more that happy to help with recommendations and arrangements. The car is listed locally and we reserve the right to end the auction at any time should it sell prior to auction’s end. Thanks for your interest.