Pagoda break de chasse

[pierre]

I found perhaps something new for our forum, a web page with a pagoda shooting break, or hunting break, à la Volvo 1800 ES or once, a famous aston martin DB5.
This strange car solved obviously some "we need more room" problems !
http://http://www.pietro-frua.de/1966_mercedes.htm

[rwmastel]

Pierre,

Very interesting.  I can't decide if I like it or not!  I can't read the language, is this something made by MB, a well know coach builder, or an individual person?

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both  tops
1994 E420

[isofast]

I like it! Sign me up for a 113 wagon. Although monster garage could have frankensteined a better looking Mercedes grill on the front.
Just my opinion.
Cheers
Ernie

First Place AACA Show Winner 350SL July 2003
I love low mile Mercedes.
First Place AACA Show winner for 2004 280SL
1969 280 4spd Papyrus White

[pierre]

Still in the sixties , designers used to do a lot of prototypes, and Frua is one of the most famous. On this german webpage, there are links to the several cars he made.
Some are original and famous : the Maserati Mistral 1963 /68 is the one I remember when thinking of the italian designer Pietro Frua, in the USA you may remember the late version of the AC 428 fastback.
The language is german. The history of this Pagoda "shooting brake" is interesting. The car was in the sixties in Switzerland (1st owner), later owned by a spanish diplomate(2nd owner) who imported it to Madrid in 1984.Then, it had about 5 other owners in Toledo, Cordoba, Madrid and even in Gran Canaria island.  It had a restauration, changing the plexiglas window, and got another engine in 2002, after the 1st one broke on the way to Sevilla.
Pierre
230 SL 1964
It has been sold in 2000 for 19 833 euro.

[Cees Klumper]

This car surfaced before. I suppose this is the second one-off produced by a professional coach builder, the other being the Pininfarina coupe that, unlike this Frua creation, is in all the books and is now living in California.

Cees ("Case") Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic

[n/a]

After supersizing one of the photos of this car, I have decided the car is parked at a very appropriate place-right next to a large dumpster.  The best thing that could happen to it is to roll it into the dumpster, compact it and send it to the big trash dump in the sky.  I can see no saving grace in the design of the car.  

At the risk of offending many Mercedes and Pininfarina fans, I can say that the Pininfarina design is little better.  I know that many think the car is beautiful, but in my opinion the changes that Pininfarina made only distract from the attractive lines of the original 113 car.  

Thanks for letting me have my say.

Iverson

[Douglas]

Iverson,

I agree about the Pinanfarina Coupe. It looks like they were changing things for the sake of changing them. Very few of the details are better, in my opinion. If anything, they added very derivative details that you recognize in other Italian cars from the day. In my opinion, the appeal of both of these cars is merely their uniqueness.

Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

[ChrisInNashville]

Translation tools can be found at:

http://www.google.com/language_tools

Insert the webaddress of the page you want to translate and the language conversion and voile, you can read!

[Mike Hughes]

I believe that Frua designed the original Volvo 1800 Coupe, which was built by Jensen in the U.K for the first few years before production was moved to Sweden.  The ES design mods were done in-house at Volvo.  Funny thing about that U.K. connection though:  Right up until the end of production (I bought the 10th from the last 1800ES produced back in 1973) all the 1800s still used Wilmot Breeden door locks.  The ignition key from ny 1966 MGB would unlock my ES!

Having said all that, I am not able to open the link for this SL estate being discussed.  Can anyone post a couple of pictures?

- Mike Hughes  -ô¿ô-
  1966 230SL Auto P/S
  Havanna Brown (408)
  Light Beige (181)
  Cream M-B Tex (121)

[pierre]

quote:Originally posted by Mike Hughes
[

Having said all that, I am not able to open the link for this SL estate being discussed.  Can anyone post a couple of pictures?

strange that you are not able to open the link...
www.pietro-frua.de
The images have a copy-right, I think. that is why I prefered to send the website address.
In a french forum, there are lots of mercedes pictures and look here the message sent on the 27th of mai, there is the pagoda estate there also. Good luck!
:http://http://forums.motorlegend.com/cgi-local/ubbcgi//ultimatebb.cgi/topic/9/119/11.html?

[Malc]

There used to be a lot of coach builders /design houses who knocked off a few cars such as this, especially in the 1960's. lots of "common" UK cars were worked over, Mini's,the humble MGB, and even Land Rovers. Most have now go to the wall or are just names in a big company.
One or two survive such as Brabos who "fiddle" with MB, but more in the engine/handling department these days..... at a very very high price.
Malc

[Albert-230SL]

Mr. Paul Bracq, the designer of our really nice Pagoda, should be very angry with Frua... What a shame to do this with a W113! [!]

Maybe Frua had a headache when designed this Shooting brake Pagoda...

Regards


Albert de la Torre Chavalera
Barcelona (Catalunya/Spain)
Feb.'64 230 SL Euro 113042-10-002432