1966 Mercedes-Benz 230SL Coupe

Looking like it is an extra from an episode of television's “Mad Men,” this 1966 Mercedes 230SL oozes cool. This car was delivered to Ed Potter Inc., in Columbus, Ohio. The car's first maintenance was performed on June 26, 1967, at 3,877 miles. This is a wonderful driver quality example, perfect for cruising and local car shows.

Made in Stuttgart, West Germany, this two-seater was ahead of its time in some respects during the mid-1960s. The bonnet, trunk lid, door skins and tonneau cover were made of aluminum to reduce weight. The comparatively short and wide chassis, combined with an excellent suspension, powerful brakes and radial tires gave the W113 superb handling for its time.

Wearing a gold hardtop over a cream-colored body, the car's paint and trim are in overall very good order. The bodywork is straight and solid, the chrome bumpers look great as well as fit tightly to the body and the cargo area is clean. The paint is older and shows with patina & grazing. Fuel gauge is inop. The styling of the front, with its characteristic upright headlights and simple chrome grille, dominated by the large three-pointed star in the nose panel, paid homage to the 300 SL roadster.

This Benz rolls on older Road Handler radials, size 185 75R14 at every corner. Each tire is mounted to a steel wheel and topped with a body-colored factory wheel cover. The tires and wheels are all in good order showing age.

Under the hood is a 2.3L SOHC straight six-cylinder engine with mechanical Bosch multi-port fuel injection (code M127.II). Backing this motor is a four-speed automatic transmission with a responsive fluid coupling, but no torque converter. We just installed a fully remanufactured transmission and torque converter at a $4k cost.

Open the driver's door and you'll find cream-colored leather interior. The Connolly leather bucket seats look great and appear to be original, as does the matching Wilton wool carpet with a white headliner. A two-spoke steering wheel adds to the car's classic look. The two-tone dashboard and inner door panels echo the rest of the interior's condition. The center console, console-mounted shifter and a Becker AM/FM radio complete the interior.

Production of the 230 SL commenced in June 1963 and ended on 5 January 1967. Its chassis was based on the W 111 sedan platform, with a reduced wheelbase by 11.8 inches, recirculating ball steering (with optional power steering), double wishbone front suspension and an independent single-joint, low-pivot swing rear-axle with transverse compensator spring. The dual-circuit brake system had front disc brakes and power-assisted rear drum brakes. The 230 SL was offered with a four-speed manual transmission, or an optional, very responsive fluid coupled (no torque converter) four-speed automatic transmission, which was popular for US models.

The 2.3 L M127.II inline-six engine was based on Mercedes-Benz' venerable M180 inline-six with four main bearings and mechanical Bosch multi-port fuel injection. Mercedes-Benz made a number of modifications to boost its power, including increasing displacement from 2.2L and using a completely new cylinder head with a higher compression ratio (9.3 vs. 8.7), enlarged valves and a modified camshaft. A fuel injection pump with six plungers instead of two was fitted, which allowed placing the nozzles in the cylinder head and “shooting” the fuel through the intake manifold and open valves directly into the combustion chambers.
The W 113 was the first sports car with a "safety body," based on Béla Barényi's extensive work on vehicle safety: It had a rigid passenger cell and designated crumple zones with impact-absorbing front and rear sections built into the vehicle structure. The interior was "rounded," with all hard corners and edges removed, as in the W 111 sedan. Barényi and Paul Bracq created the car's patented, slightly concave hardtop, which became nicknamed the “Pagoda.”

Documentation includes the original owner's manual.

Competition to this 230SL in 1966 includes Alfa Romeo's 2600 Sprint and Chevrolet's Corvair 500.

If this classic two-seater Benz just does something for you, then you need to stop by MotoeXotica Classic Cars to scratch that particular itch.

VIN: 1130422012886

This car is currently located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer shows 72,775 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and clear, mileage exempt title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!!

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