This early design exercise looks fairly rakish but not entirely consistent from a design standpoint. We see the struggle between design elements rooted in the '50s - roof curvature, sloping upper door line - and sharper more modern elements such as the horizontal crease running the length of the coachwork. Note the 300SL door handles and 13" wheels right off a 220SE ponton. At this stage the new SL was badged as a 220SL. This would soon change.

An SL for the swinging ’60s
The Pagoda emerges

The brief in 1959 was to replace the essentially irreplaceable 300SL and the charming but listless 190SL with a sports car combining new levels of refinement, agility and performance. It was a tall order for the Daimler Benz design team led by Rudloph Uhlenhaut, Daimler’s multi-talented design chief. The new SL would feature six cylinders, fuel injection and use a number of mechanical systems already in production.

To many purists, the resulting creation was most certainly not a sports car. In contrast to the sporting roadsters produced in Great Britain at that time, it offered too many creature comforts and, appallingly to some, the option of an automatic transmission. With its incomparable sensuality and muscular 3.8 liter six, Jaguar’s E-Type would capture the headlines in the early ’60s but Mercedes’ new SL would become a universally competent sports car cum grand touring boulevard cruiser cum country club accessory. Nor would Uhlenhaut’s new SL strand you with drowned electrics.

A design for the ages: The new "Pagoda" debuts at the Geneva Salon in March 1963. Design and structural safety collaborators Bela Barenyi (l) and Paul Bracq (r) stand proudly in front their creation. This shape was drawn by Bracq in April 1960 and quickly be approved by the board of directors for production. Harmony had been achieved and the modern understated shape would endure for 50 years.

Off -the- shelf underpinnings

Known for its pragmatic approach to sports models – the Gullwing’s mechanical DNA arose from the 1951 300 sedan – Mercedes-Benz utilized the W111 sedan series engine and suspension systems as the basis for the new SL’s mechanical specification. In fact, the new SL was intitially destined to receive the 220SE’s engine and be badged as a 220SL with an output of barely 14 additional horsepower over the 4 cylinder 190SL. This was hardly the powerplant for a proper sports car. After a 2mm overbore, a compression ratio increase and better cylinder head breathing via larger valves, the 220SL thankfully became the 230SL producing a respectable 150hp.

The new SL borrowed the double wishbone front suspension layout fitted to the then-current 110/111/112 sedans but with revised spring rates. The low pivot rear axle also was based on the sedan unit but with the addition of a transverse compensator spring over the differential to compensate for load changes. Did the new SL handle? The new SL behaved quite well in fact, particularly in the right hands. Rudi Uhlenhaut famously chased Ferrari F1 driver Mike Parks (aboard a 3 liter Ferrari Berlinetta) around the tiny Montroux circuit in a new 230SL, lapping just .2 sec slower than Parks over the tight course. With peak torque arriving just 1,000 rpm below peak power and odd gear ratio spacing, sporting drivers needed to crowd the 6,500 rev limit to chase the new SL’s more technically sophisticated competitors.

New 230SLs roll off the assembly line led by a rare RHD example. 19,831 230SLs were constructed followed by 5,196 250SLs and 23,885 280SLs. This inefficient 'hands-on' assembly process would die with the introduction of the 107 series SL in late 1971 and signal the end of MB's classic era.

Success on and off the track

Despite poorly matched gear ratios in the 4-spd manual transmission, infuriatingly low final drive ratios for US models and discs fitted only up front, the new SL did succeed as a sports car – and as a race car. Factory MB drivers Erich Bohringer and Klaus Kaiser triumphed in the grueling 1963 Spa-Sofia-Liege rally.

Improvements continued with an increase in engine capacity and the addition of rear disc brakes coming with the short lived 250SL in late 1966. Refinements and revisions were consistent over the Pagoda’s lifetime and the final iteration arrived in 1968 as the 170hp 280SL. Heavier, slightly more opulent inside and beginning to age, the 280SL ended the Pagoda’s rein as the chic boulevard cruiser to aspire to. Looming US smog and active safety requirements killed the lithe Pagoda and ushered in the ’70s, a lackluster decade of indifferent designs generally equipped with anemic emissions compliant engines. Mercedes coped but one could argue that the classic era ended in 1971 with the Pagoda’s demise.

The Pagoda's design endured, however, and within a decade of its demise it became a sought after classic. Savvy marketing experts recognize the Pagoda's value today as a classic, timeless, design with which to associate their products.

Roy Spencer, editor MercedesHeritage.com
Photography from Daimler media and Polo Ralph Lauren.

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The Italians weighed in on the Pagoda's design by creating this particularly attractive and well balanced design. Pininfarina's 230SL 'Coupe' featured a roof that was decidedly fixed. Other interpretations would follow although with less success.

Variations on the theme:
Improving the Pagoda?

While the demonstrably Teutonic design of the new 230SL was indeed attractive and the mechanical specification reasonably compelling, over the years there have been those who felt there was room for improvement. Variations on the theme ranged from the sublime to, shall we say, the rather heavy handed. We have a look at some of the more interesting efforts.

Power Plays:
Waxi’s 6.3 Pagoda led the way

The first attempt to vastly improve the Pagoda’s modest performance came from within Mercedes-Benz in 1967. Erich Waxenberger, Mercedes-Benz’ renowned development engineer and the fellow behind the epic 300SEL 6.3, couldn’t shake the vision of a 230SL fitted with his beloved 300hp 6.3 liter V8. The one-off 630SL he and his staff created absolutely destroyed the Pagoda design brief of an agile, refined, Grand Touring car for quick and comfortable Continental motoring. One was constructed and after harrowing tests at the Nurburgring, the car was crushed. Others have tried to improve the Pagodas performance and we present three of those efforts below Waxi’s brute.

Waxenberger's monster 6.3 liter SL rests during tests at the Nurburgring. It was a misguided effort and we see one of the many front tire changes being completed; the front tires were destroyed after only 9 laps of the 14 mile Nurburgring's Nordschleife ("North Loop").

No doubt inspired by the rumor of Waxenberger's brutal creation, this 280SL morphed from a rust ravaged hulk to a tire melting hot rod. Note the later style alloys, roll bar and aggressive stance. The engine shot reveals some interesting fabrication; the factory hood hinge layout had to be abandoned and replaced by central pivots and extended shocks. This was a massive project.

We go from the brutal concept above to Hatch and Son's sublime transformation of a 280SL using period M116 3.5 V8 drivetrain. This is a more successful result and provides about 40 extra horsepower and a similar increase in torque. Note the beautifully integrated 15 inch wheels and wheel covers. Hatch constructed one automatic and one 4 speed edition. And no, despite pleas from interested buyers, he is not interested in constructing any more.

Extreme in its updated specification but executed to perfection, Mechatronik's efforts to update the Pagoda are breathtaking. Their new M-SL offers a 4.3 liter 4-cam V8 coupled to a 5 speed automatic, ABS brakes, power windows and automatic climate control. Mechatronik's Pagodas stand alone as the most highly engineered cars of the genre. The German firm thrives today with faultless restorations and extraordinary oldtimer MBs re-engineered with contemporary drivetrains.

Derivative Designs:
Frua and Pininfarina Concepts

Could the original taught and aesthetically pure Pagoda shape be improved? Contrary to North American manufacturers’ incessant and often contrived fiddling of their original designs, Mercedes-Benz left the Pagoda’s shape alone for the car’s entire production life. Post 1966 US models received DOT mandated side marker lights and of course our cars were fitted with sealed beam headlamps. Bumper guards were an option but that was it for cosmetic variations. The fact that the sheetmetal remained unchanged for 7 years reinforced the strength of the original design.

This isn’t to say that the entire automobile styling community was convinced the shape could not be improved, or at least given some additional utility. The most notable interpretation of what a Pagoda could look like emerged from the studios of Pininfarina. Managed during the Pagoda’s era by Sergio Pininfarina, the firm was responsible for most of Ferrari’s extraordinary designs in the ’60s. Their creation using an early 230SL achieved the impossible by retaining much of the original design’s Teutonic crispness but in an elongated and subtly sensual manner. It was and remains a stunning 230SL.

‘Utility’ was not an intended characteristic when the Pagoda was conceived. I suppose it was all relative to the other sports/grand touring cars on the market. Yes, two people and a moderate amount of luggage – fitted luggage was an option – could tour Europe briskly and comfortably but trunk and interior space was limited. At least one Pagoda owner required more space than the original design could provide, much more. For this client Frua, an Italian styling house known for designs generally less harmonious than the house of Pininfarina, created a bespoke 230SL. The result was interesting to say the least. While the rear 3/4 view preserved much of the Pagodas charm the treatment of the nose was, well…atrocious.

Pininfarina's gorgeous 230SL remains the finest of the few Pagoda re-bodies. For the sake of cost and complexity, a fixed roof was selected. This car has seen color changes to both red and black over the years and the addition of Bundt style alloys for a time. Mid-sixties Ferrari enthusiasts will recognize a number of design elements found on Ferrari road cars of the era both inside and outside this SL.

Frua's bespoke 230SL wagon is certainly unique and not entirely objectionable but the nose treatment destroys the design. There was a reason Mercedes-Benz eschewed the vertical star for an understated enameled badge all the SLs. Integrating 2/3 of a Fintail grille and a modified sedan bumper spoils an otherwise pleasing design.

Roy Spencer, editor MercedesHeritage.com
Photography from Ralph Kesting, Frua, Mechatronik, Daimler Media and Hatch & Sons.

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Mercedes-Benz Chief Engineer, Dr. Fritz Nallinger addresses the global motoring press in the grand ball room of the Chateau des Eaux Vives overlooking Lake Geneva. Blue covers draped over all the new SL debutantes kept the drama on high.

The Pagoda Debuts in Geneva
Leaving the ’50s behind

March 1963: The gravity of the event was amply illustrated by the venue in which the new Mercedes-Benz model, obscured by a deep blue car cover, sat amongst the gathered automotive journalists, Mercedes-Benz top brass, and servants delivering champagne to one and all. The historic and richly ornate 18th century Chateau des Eaux Vives overlooking Lake Geneva was host to an historic event of the automotive variety, the release of a new generation of Mercedes-Benz SL. All the new SLs arrayed around the picturesque grounds were still under cover and keen observers could discern a design with sharp edges tugging at the corners of the car covers but not a trace of the curvature they had become accustomed to envisioning when hearing the words: Mercedes-Benz SL.

Chief Engineer Professor Dr. Ing E.H. Nallinger’s comments summed Mercedes’ philosophy on the new car succinctly, “We maintain the opinion that, in particular in this time of large mass production, a genuine need of individual vehicles exists, which not only make possible transportation from place to place, but which are also in a position to impart real motoring happiness. I believe that in particular the European automobile industry, which initiated automobile manufacture, is predestined for the production of such cars, as has been proven by the sales of European sports cars achieved in the United States.”

Nallinger’s hubris was reasonably well founded and thinly cloaked: who could argue with the European automobile industry’s (Nallinger’s and Mercedes-Benz’) position as a pre-eminent sporting automobile manufacturer and, by the way, the creator of the automobile itself. And based on the success of the 300SL and 190SL abroad, the US market for motoring happiness indeed beckoned.

Left image: Rudi Uhlenhaut (L) and his assistant cast a knowing eye over their creation. Note the absence of a firewall pad and the matte black cam cover. Uhlenhaut's high speed driving prowess and vast technical knowledge insured the new SL behaved properly when pushed to the limit. Ewy Rosqvist and Ursula Wirth are front and center in the right image. The two Swedish rally experts won the 1963 Swedish Rally aboard a fintail.

An SL for the ages revealed.

Off came the covers and the motoring world was treated to an SL unlike any other preceding it. Contrary to the response at the debut of the 1954 300SL Gullwing, the new design was not unanimously applauded, something today’s Pagoda enthusiasts no doubt find puzzling. Muscular in some aspects and effeminate in others, the new 230SL design was going to require an open and progressive mind. After all, this was 1963, the year the tumultuous ’60s essentially began and an era when our values and expectations were to be seriously challenged.

It was a design whose utility anyone wishing a mode of quick, elegant and confidence inspiring motoring soon began to appreciate, particularly after a drive. As journalists circulated Lake Geneva in the new SLs – some curiously devoid of wheel trim rings and firewall pads – the brilliance of the overall design began to emerge. Driver’s enjoyed a spacious and airy interior offering superb visibility via the uniquely designed hardtop’s vast glass area, sure-footed handling afforded by radial tires designed specifically for the car and lively performance from the 4 main bearing 2.3 liter inline six. The SL that would soon be referred to as the Pagoda due to the subtle concavity of its roof line was beginning to win over the skeptics and has continued to do so for the last 50 years. Happy motoring at its best.

Showtime: The new SL is the talk of 1963's Geneva Salon and a two-tone black over signal red model is the center of attention. In the right image we see journalists testing the W113's abilities around the Lake Geneva. Note the absence of wheel trim rings and the drooping bulge of the vertical spare tire well showing beneath the rear valance. The spare tire would soon be relocated and lie horizontally in the right corner of the trunk.

Roy Spencer, editor MercedesHeritage.com
Photography from Mercedes-Benz (in aller Welt)

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Australia is passionate about their Pagodas. 58 turned out to celebrate this timeless design.

58 Mercedes Benz Pagodas attend the 50th Anniversary Celebrations in Australia
The Aussies meet 113.org’s challenge

To celebrate the introduction of the Mercedes Benz model W113, known in German as the Sport Leicht or SL and nicknamed the “Pagoda”, that was shown at the Geneva iMotor Show in March 1963, Pagodas and their owners from around Australia gathered in Canberra on the weekend of 16-17 March 2013. In total, 58 Pagodas made up of the three different models produced during the period 1963 to 1971 representing a mix of 230sl, 250sl and 280sl’s.

This is the biggest single known gathering of Pagodas out side Germany and came about through a challenge thrown down by Peter van Es, the President of the sl113 Group (www.sl113.org) whilst visiting the USA that Australia would be lucky to even have 50 of these cars running at any one time let alone get them all in the same place at the same time.

Happy Birthday Pagoda!

Austrailian Parliment photo-op seals the deal

The challenge for us as an International internet based Group was to let as many owners as known that we were going to better the challenged 50 and planning commenced nearly one year ago, initially to be done in Sydney but due to the shear difficulty of the logistics of gathering 50 cars in one place at one time, was moved to Canberra. The Mercedes Benz Car Club ACT agreed to host the gathering as part of the annual Shannons Wheels display but the International sl113 Group pushed further for their assistance to get a photo of all 58 participants and their cars in front of the Australian Parliament House as proof that it had been done.

First thing on the Sunday morning, we all converged on Parliament House and the evidence of the gathering was photographed and flashed around the world on the sl113 Group’s site. Now the Australians have put out a further challenge to both USA and the Europeans to better the numbers. Germany will host a gathering of Pagodas in August followed by USA in September.

If I do my sums correctly Australia has a population of appx. 23 million, that makes 2.2 cars per million. We suggested that the USA with a population of 313 Million, should be getting 600 and the Europeans lots more. After this example of Australian enthusiasm, we watch with interest to see how Europe and US meet the challenge.

Pagoda owners celebrate on the lawn in front of Australia's Parliment House.

Text from Garry Marks
Photography provided by Garry Marks and John Green

Related links:
Genesis of the Pagoda
Improving the Pagoda
Geneva 1963: The Pagoda debuts

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