Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands, UK has added a newly-restored 1968 280 SL Pagoda belonging to British race driver Paul Rees to its display–and it’s one of the best looking standard Pagodas we’ve ever seen. (Though, ok, it’s not quite as cool as a Pagoda rally car…). It’s been painted in its Horizon Blue paint color after a 4000-hour restoration over a 52 week period, and is now estimated to be worth £285,000 (£375,000). Rees, who’s currently racing in the Mobil 1 Porsche Supercup, bought the SL at auction in the USA and took it to specialist Hemmels in Cardiff for restoration in late 2017.
It was stripped and the shell sent for dipping, which revealed extremely rotten rocker panels (sills), chassis rails and inner wings, and previously repaired front wings. The entire from of the car was cut off while mounted on a jig, and rebuilt with new inner wings and chassis rails, the rocker panels were replaced, the rear inner wings replaced and the outer bodywork repaired and refitted. It was then trial-fitted with all the chromework to ensure a good fit. The car spent three months in the body shop. The engine was totally stripped and rebuilt, the gearbox, axle and differential rebuilt, and new brakes, brake lines, dampers and springs fitted. The interior was retrimmed in-house, replacing the original vinyl with leather, and the bodywork painted in-house before being fitted with all-new glass and refurbished trim.
The Pagoda’s restoration was carried out under Hemmels’ Neugeboren (“newborn”) process, in which every car is fully dismantled and rebuilt from its bare metal beginnings over a 52 week period. It’s handled like a new car purchase, with a full 12 month parts and labour warranty, servicing options and the chance to choose exterior and interior colors along with a selection of options and preferences.
Images courtesy of Hemmels
