Registration No: T.B.A
Chassis No: 113.04322-002139
MOT: Exempt

• Very rare, UK supplied 250 SL specified with power steering, automatic transmission, hard- / soft-top roofs and third seat etc
• Factory finished in Silver with a Black hardtop, Black upholstery and Black soft-top
• Previously the property of speedway rider Taffy Owen
• Current ownership for fifty years
• Subject to an exhaustive 'bare metal' restoration between 2014 and 2016 by Classic Preservation, Roger Edwards and Aldridge Trimming etc
• Matching chassis and engine numbers

Introduced at the March 1967 Geneva Salon, the 250SL was blessed with the same stunning, Paul Bracq styling as its 230SL predecessor. Powered by an enlarged seven-bearing crankshaft 2496cc SOHC straight-six engine that developed 150bhp / 159lbft, the newcomer could reputedly exceed 120mph. Suspension was independent all-round by double wishbones and coils springs at the front, and swing axle, radius arms and coil springs at the rear. Braking was by power-assisted discs and steering via recirculating ball. Faster than the 230SL yet more agile than the later 280SL, the 250SL proved to be the rarest W113-series ‘Pagoda’ variant, accounting for a mere 5,196 sales worldwide, (more than a third of which were exported to America). However, total RHD production across all markets has been estimated at just circa 500 cars. A cult classic, SLs have had countless celebrity owners from Charlton Heston to Kate Moss and starred in myriad films.

Factory finished in Silver Grey Metallic (DB180) with a Black (DB040) hardtop and matching hubcaps, chassis 113.04322-002139 was also specified with a soft-top roof, side-facing single rear seat, power steering and automatic transmission. First UK road registered on 22^nd June 1967, the 250SL previously belonged to the famous Speedway rider Thomas Henry ‘Taffy’ Owen who had it de-seamed and colour changed to Cream by Portland Motors (Mercedes-Benz) of Manchester. Entering the current ownership on 11^th July 1974, the 2+1-seater was subsequently driven overland to Malta where the vendor’s family had a villa. A failure to submit the proper paperwork saw the Roadster impounded by the Maltese authorities. Determined to reclaim his property, the seller embarked upon, and won, a lengthy court battle. Arriving back in the UK during October 2013, the Mercedes-Benz was despatched to Pagoda specialist Paul Standley of Classic Preservation in Worcestershire the following April for an exhaustive, ground-up restoration. Stripped to a bare shell, any corrosion found was cut out and repaired with new metal (including remedying past jacking damage). The steering, suspension, brakes and fuel system were all attended to and the 250SL rewired. 120 hours was spent on refurbishing the hardtop alone! In all, the project accounted for well over 1,000 man hours not including either the labour expended by marque specialist Roger Edwards thoroughly overhauling the original engine and automatic transmission or Aldridge Trimming’s time for renewing the interior upholstery and soft-top roof.

The two lever arch files which accompany the car and document its refurbishment show that the odometer was displaying only 69,475 miles when work commenced. Given that the Roadster was impounded in Malta for thirty-seven years we believe that this reading may well have represented the total covered from new. The instrument was zeroed as part of the rejuvenation which was completed in 2016 and has yet to record a further 300 miles. Kept busy by his business commitments, the seller has never got round to enjoying the Mercedes-Benz. Recommissioned earlier this year with a new battery, the 250SL has undertaken various local journeys but would doubtless benefit from a thorough service and fettling following what has effectively been an eight-year slumber. Currently in the process of being re-registered with the DVLA and hopefully retaining its distinctive former number plate – ‘TAF 32’ – the 2+1-seater is only coming to market for the first time in five decades because of the seller’s impending relocation overseas. Worthy of close inspection.

For more information, please contact:
Damian Jones
damian.jones@handh.co.uk
07855 493737