Legacy Metrics

1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL W113 Pagoda

113.044.10.021751roadGermany
Engine
2.8L inline-six overhead-cam, 180 bhp
Colour
Tobacco brown

A 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL roadster (W113 chassis) powered by the 2,778 cc fuel-injected inline six. Sold new in January 1971 to its original owners in Illinois, the car remained in single ownership for decades before undergoing a full restoration in Germany, during which it was converted to European specification with metric instruments, period-correct lighting, and revised bumpers. A numbers-matching example retaining its original Pagoda hardtop and finished in Tobacco brown with beige interior.

Ownership

  1. Auction sale
    Sold €156,800 (≈ $172K)

    RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →

  2. 1971-01-29 →Factory delivery
    Tom and Stephanie Walthes
    full documentation

    Purchased new in Northbrook, Illinois, trading in a Mercury Cougar against the purchase price. Held in original ownership for an extended period before a full restoration was carried out in Germany, during which the car was converted to European specifications.

Competition

No competition history extracted from the catalogue.

Maintenance & restoration

  1. Restoration

    Comprehensive restoration carried out in Germany, during which the car was converted from US to European specification, including metric instruments, European-style lighting, and period-correct bumpers. Bodywork refinished in the original Tobacco brown paint, interior retrimmed in beige with matching carpets, and a crème canvas convertible roof fitted.

    Work undertaken after the car left its original long-term ownership.

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Each chassis record is compiled from public auction archives and links to its source material. Ownership, competition and maintenance entries are extracted from those catalogue listings by an LLM, which can make mistakes — please contact us with any corrections. The summary is Legacy Metrics’ own writing; we do not reproduce catalogue text.

“Full” and “partial” documentation labels indicate how well each entry is corroborated in the underlying sources, not an audit of the car’s physical paperwork. Names of recent or living owners are withheld for privacy.