Intriguing Rally-prepped Pagoda (with plaid OEM seats!)

[Jack the Knife]

https://www.octane-magazin.de/das-macht-die-pagode-fit-fuer-die-rallye/

Some translated highlights:

“Our car won the class at the Targa Tasmania in 2000 and came third overall at the Vienna-Trieste Rally in 2004,” adds Christian Nikolai. “Front places in some smaller rallies and one or two winter events – with just a few changes a pagoda is ready for tough operations,” says the head of Ostendorf Classic from Hamm.


. . .
 
Ayris considers the mechanical fuel pump of the Mercedes-Benz 230 SL Pagode to be very reliable and durable, so converting it to a carburetor only makes sense in an emergency.

. . .

For long-distance rallies on local roads, possibly designed as a consistency test, a pagoda is a grateful starting point [. . .]

Engine bay in the article looks super. I can't wait for all my parts to come back from the painter and plater and hope mine looks half as good. Sure, they don't have the original firewall insulation, but to me the contemporary "correct" stuff has dubious effectiveness.

But what I really like are those plaid seats! How cool! I wish there had been a close-up of the dash. It looks like the radio cut-out has been used for switches of various sorts. I've often felt that was a better use of that space, with the underdash area more suitable for a radio (and much easier to work around). Center cluster would be a nice place for heated seat controls, a switch for cabin lighting... maybe a switch for town/country horn?

[BobH]

Here's another rally prepared car, i love the plaid seats as well, particularly on the 300SL's.  Shame they weren't an option at the time on W113's

https://mercedes-benz-archive.com/marsMuseum/en/instance/ko/Mercedes-Benz-230-SL-Rallye-W-113-1964.xhtml?oid=186059070#prevId=186059749

[Jack the Knife]

Here's another rally prepared car, i love the plaid seats as well, particularly on the 300SL's.  Shame they weren't an option at the time on W113's

https://mercedes-benz-archive.com/marsMuseum/en/instance/ko/Mercedes-Benz-230-SL-Rallye-W-113-1964.xhtml?oid=186059070#prevId=186059749

Ha actually I was looking for those seats (wanted to compare them to a pair on eBay) when the one in my OP popped up in the search. I had asked the Classic Center some time ago who had made the seats for their replica of the Boehringer car and they did not know. I figured possibly a Recaro Rallye replica, though I do not believe those could have been equipped in the '63 car since they were invented in '65. I'm unsure if any other manufacturers were making seats just like that at the time. I've considered having GTS Classics make me a pair with 300SL plaid fabric inserts and cognac bolsters.

https://www.hk-engineering.com/en/sales/d/1021
Must be the same car. Nice underdash instruments, though I would've painted and/or upholstered the panel they made. Looks like auxiliary switches for the fog lights, secondary headlights, horn, and interior lights.

[JamesL]

Recaro is the legacy Reutter business: they made a load of the early Porsche (356/911) shells

[zak]

Yes, love the plaid seats. I have the blue plaid seats and door cards in my 1983 107 euro 280 SL.
The fabric is delicate and prone to wear almost as badly as the velour seating MB used.
I soursed the original seat fabric from a German supplier to repair the drivers seat but haven't had it installed as yet.

If I were redoing the seats in my pagoda I would consider using the plaid.

jz

[Jordan]

Pepita/houndstooth would also look fantastic.  Porsche started using it in the cars in 1965.  BMW also used it in their Baur Cabriolet 2002's.

[Jack the Knife]

Pepita/houndstooth would also look fantastic.  Porsche started using it in the cars in 1965.  BMW also used it in their Baur Cabriolet 2002's.

I recall when I did the whole sway bar buy on here that the manager of Addco had reupholstered the inserts of his early 997 with pepita after they were worn out. It really enlivened an otherwise mundane black interior, looked fantastic.

Looking at first generation Porsche seats with those inserts, it's easy to picture how it might look in an SL. While Mercedes cars generally have many strong points, their seats always lagged (in my eyes), despite the claims of superiority over everyone else in their add copy. Even in the period, many of the American companies (like Studebaker!) were making seats that had a more robust internal construction. I hate the No Sag in our seats. I might as well be sitting on the floor, despite having totally restored mine.

[Jordan]

I recall when I did the whole sway bar buy on here that the manager of Addco had reupholstered the inserts of his early 997 with pepita after they were worn out. It really enlivened an otherwise mundane black interior, looked fantastic.

Looking at first generation Porsche seats with those inserts, it's easy to picture how it might look in an SL. While Mercedes cars generally have many strong points, their seats always lagged (in my eyes), despite the claims of superiority over everyone else in their add copy. Even in the period, many of the American companies (like Studebaker!) were making seats that had a more robust internal construction. I hate the No Sag in our seats. I might as well be sitting on the floor, despite having totally restored mine.

Jack, have you tried the pool noodles under your seats?  I did this over 10 years ago and it really improved the seat and it still feels as good today.  Bunch of threads on this.  Really changed the seating on my seat.

[Jack the Knife]

Jack, have you tried the pool noodles under your seats?  I did this over 10 years ago and it really improved the seat and it still feels as good today.  Bunch of threads on this.  Really changed the seating on my seat.

I'm just about to, as well as the pool noodle/zip tie trick. I am surprised Mercedes didn't do that in the factory, actually, since that's pretty standard when upholstering sofas and the like that use this spring setup.

As seen here, but using 80lb+ test zip ties: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU3wmEuMoK4

I also know that W123 seats and W126 seats were improved in the factory by the addition of one coil spring on both corners of the seat bottom towards the knees to prevent that collapsing effect. Mercedes also sold/sells their own version of the pool noodle, seen here: https://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/ksearch/pel_search_2016.cgi?SUPERCAT_FLAG=Y&make=&please_wait=N&forumid=&threadid=&command=DWsearch&description=1269142215&I1.x=8&I1.y=9

I wish I opted for denser foam instead of the rubber "horse hair" pads. It suits the top/back support cushion, but not the bottom cushion, in my opinion.