1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL Pagoda

113.044.12.006311roadGermany

Engine: 2.8L SOHC inline-six with Bosch mechanical fuel injection, 180 bhp
Colour: Anthracite Grey Metallic

A 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL Pagoda (W113 chassis) finished in factory-correct Anthracite Grey Metallic over a dark grey interior with black hardtop. Its early history is untraced, but in the late 1980s a Japanese-American broker sourced the car for a Japanese client and commissioned a comprehensive bare-metal frame-up restoration, believed to have been executed by restorer Lothar Motschenbacher, completed in 1990. The car was subsequently shipped to Japan, registered in 1991, and has since accumulated just over 33,500 kilometres in careful private use.

Ownership

—Auction sale
Sold US$115,500
RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →
1990 → 1991Private sale
Japanese client of Japanese-American broker
partial documentation
A Japanese-American broker sourced and arranged a full bare-metal restoration of the car on behalf of this Japanese buyer; the completed vehicle was shipped to Japan and registered for road use in mid-1991.
1991-08-01 →Acquisition unknown
Japanese owner registered 1991
partial documentation
Car was registered in Japan in August 1991 and subsequently maintained and driven sparingly; the current and at least one prior owner account for a combined 33,569 km since the restoration.

Competition

No competition history extracted from the catalogue.

Maintenance & restoration

1990Restoration
Lothar Motschenbacher
Full frame-up, bare-metal restoration returning the car to factory-specification colours: Anthracite Grey Metallic exterior, dark grey interior with matching carpets, and black hardtop with body-colour wheel covers. Work attributed to restorer Lothar Motschenbacher.
Commissioned by a Japanese-American broker prior to the car being shipped to its Japanese owner. Restoration believed (not confirmed) to be Motschenbacher's work.
—
Service
Periodic routine servicing carried out over the ownership period; all services reported as current at time of sale.
Conducted across multiple ownership periods in Japan and subsequently; total distance driven across all owners recorded at 33,569 km.

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