Picture I Have Not Seen Before (Launch Times?)

[Pawel66]

I am not sure if we have these... Looks like from launch days, seen on fb.
Interesting dash painting.

[Jonny B]

Kind of difficult to tell, but the wheel wells too.

[Benz Dr.]

Notice anything bout the diver's door?

[Pawel66]

Just the handle..

I think it might be the same car we saw on other pictures, that we know. But we said the second one is Frankfurt.

[Tom Colitt]

Notice anything bout the diver's door?

I can't really see the picture large enough, but what about the driver's door, Dan?. The shape of the mirror stalk?...

[Jonny B]

Looked a little closer today.

The grab handle on the driver's door?

[mbzse]

.../..The grab handle on the driver's door?

Here a still from the Intro film (video). Shows the grab handle on this pre-production 230SL
(sorry pic came out a bit grainy, but...)

[Pawel66]

Yes, the grab handle was to be spot, but it is not, perhaps, so extraordinary - we know they were installed in early 230SL.

[114015]

Yes, the grab handle was to be spot, but it is not, perhaps, so extraordinary - we know they were installed in early 230SL.

Up to VIN 000914 or so (with a few exceptions around)

https://www.sl113.org/wiki/Interior/DoorTrim


Achim

[Benz Dr.]

Yeah, the grab handle. You see them on the passenger door but not normally on the drivers door on LHD. It's odd because the first 700 cars were all standards and I can tell you that ( at least for me ) my knee will hit that thing while shifting a real pain in the knee cap. I am 6'3'' so maybe that's no so unexpected.

[franjo_66]

I also noticed how far down the suspension has travelled on that car !
Check out the rear wheel

[Pawel66]

I am 6'3'' so maybe that's no so unexpected.

I think you are far too tall.

My understanding was (a bit as per Tech Manual) that the first cars had that handle. Then it was cancelled (savings?). As the door pocket  sooner or later tears apart when you use it as a door handle of you are not careful, the final set up that emerged was a handle for passenger and a pocket for drivers who are more careful by default (e.g. it is true for me and my wife and kids).

[Benz Dr.]

I think you are far too tall.

My understanding was (a bit as per Tech Manual) that the first cars had that handle. Then it was cancelled (savings?). As the door pocket  sooner or later tears apart when you use it as a door handle of you are not careful, the final set up that emerged was a handle for passenger and a pocket for drivers who are more careful by default (e.g. it is true for me and my wife and kids).

I always was rather tall for my height.

[Mike Hughes]

I also noticed how far down the suspension has travelled on that car !
Check out the rear wheel

That is because that photo is an excerpt from the 1963 intro footage found in the Tech section of our site under "Videos."   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIuo82fubVA

That particular clip from of the footage shows the car being driven and then parked on a section of the test track that tests suspension travel.  As parked, the right front and left rear suspension are at full deflection and the left front and right rear suspension are at full extension.  The driver then gets out of the car and shuts, opens and shuts the door a couple of times to show off the torsional rigidity of the W113 body at these extremes.  (I'm sure the fitted hardtop helped in this demonstration!)

[franjo_66]

Thanks for that context Mike.

Makes sense !! And I have witnessed it first hand when parking my car under similar conditions