1968 Signal Red 280 SL

John Mancini's 1968 280SL: Signal Red/Cognac Tex 4 - Speed

Although John is the lucky owner of multiple Mercedes-Benz Pagoda models, the featured car is the red one in the photographs, as it has such an interesting history and so much documentation. Below you will find the story. First the usual details.

• VIN Number: 113044-10-002553
• Completion/Shipping Date: May 15, 1968
• Engine Number: 130983-10-000965

• Colours Exterior DB 568 Signal Red
• Hardtop DB 568 Signal Red
• Interior DB 140 Cognac MB-Tex
• Softtop 740 Black
  

The story

I've had the "Car Bug" for quite a long time. I could never get my fill of beautiful 1950's and 1960's cars. "Classic" Corvettes, GT Mustangs, Shelbys, Porsches, E-types and MG's…. I was never satisfied, until now. My 1968 280SL is the seventh 280SL I've owned since 1999. I still own my sixth 280SL, a 1969 Horizon Blue automatic with 42,000 documented original miles. The timeless elegance, superior materials, construction quality, and the fantastic drivability and comfort make, in my opinion, the Pagoda the best classic, and best value, today.
 

One of the benefits of having collected and sold so many cars since the early 1980's is that you meet the nicest people and make some very valuable contacts. I have always been a big fan of original, un-hit, un-rusted, low mileage cars. Who isn't? It's getting harder to find them and once in the hands of the dealers the prices approach or top $100K. About two years ago I got a call from a contact on the west coast who told me about a gentleman who was selling a red 1968 280SL. He personally looked at the car and told me it was a one-owner car with more documentation than he had ever seen. I had bought a nice 1969 906 blue 280SL based on his advice in 1999. He knows cars. He told me that the signal red 4-speed was completely original, including the exterior paint, interior and soft top. The soft top had never been up! It ran great. It had been pampered. The original owner even had cognac leather driving gloves to match the interior. Looking at the condition of this Pagoda, all of the paperwork that the original owner had kept, he was as "anal" about his cars as I am. (Have you seen my garage?) Perfect match! I bought the car sight-unseen. It wasn't cheap but it's originality and condition made it well worth the price. When the car was delivered I was completely amazed at how well cared for the car had been. The original owner kept every bit of paperwork and correspondence from day one, including, his initial letter to Daimler-Benz that he sent from his amphibious squadron while off of the coast in South Viet-Nam in 1967.
 

What have I done to the car since owning it? Well, the original soft top had been in the folded position for so long that sadly it needed to be replaced. I also put an older Nardi steering wheel on the car even though the original black steering wheel still looks perfect. Just recently, I replaced the seat pads and covers. The older pads were too "saggy" and had melded to the covers in some spots. I'm not sure why but maybe there had been some spillage over the years causing the pads to stick to the covers.
 

I hope you enjoy the letters that were sent back and forth from the original owner to Daimler-Benz. They shed some interesting light on what it was like ordering a new Mercedes back in 1968. The enclosed documents represent about 1/4 of the original paperwork with this 280SL. I found it very interesting how Daimler-Benz "held his hand" through the ordering process. They discussed air-conditioning with Lane, the rear child seat, the color change, and even discouraged him from buying a 5-speed!
 

By the way, MB also sent Lane all of the hardware and rear upholstered pieces so that if he removed the third seat, he could convert it into a two seater with the proper pieces.
 

Lane also kept every factory brochure, instruction manual and more. He even received a letter from the IRS asking him for import tax money!

Thank you for letting me share my Pagoda experiences with you.

John Mancini