Special chassis number 280SL/8-113044-10-20350 is a rare Mercedes-Benz code 997 factory show car featuring special engine and chassis refinements for exhibition display. Equipped new with the rare and coveted ZF 5-speed manual transmission along with suspension equipment for sport driving, this ‘Holy Grail Pagoda’ retains not only its original paint and interior, but also the irreplaceable factory applied engine and chassis customization that set it apart from all other 230, 250 and 280SL’s. Chassis 20350 280SL may be the only factory built, specially prepared Mercedes ‘Standwagen’ show car of any model type still preserved in such a stunning original condition; a car sporting a dizzying array of bespoke factory options that make it the envy of the German Pagoda range of cars. This one-off ZF 5-speed ‘Standwagen’ is an undeniably important and fabulously unique Mercedes-Benz collection piece, a car fairly described as the ultimate expression of the legendary W113 chassis.
Highlights
- Commissioned new by Mercedes-Benz Paris Royal-Élysées SA
- First privately owned by Claude Lelouch’s Les Films 13 Studio
- Factory customized “Standwagen” show car
- Code 997 special engine and chassis finishes
- Factory installed ZF 5-speed transmission
- Factory fitted with sport suspension equipment
- Special chassis no. 280SL/8-113044-10-020350
- Engine no. 130983-10-007162
- Transmission no. 003695
- Original 568 signal red paint
- Original 147 parchment MB-tex upholstery
- Original 720 black soft top
- Original Hepco suitcases
- Becker Europa stereo
- Becker cassette deck
- Radio delete plate
- Rare original service booklet
- Original data card, books and tools
- 40,373 KMs from new
ZF 5-Speed ‘Standwagen’
According to its factory data card and special supplemental build sheet, Chassis 20350 280SL was commissioned new as an ultra-rare code 997 ‘Standwagen’ model specially built and finished for show stand display. This ultimate specification W113 Mercedes-Benz is, in the simplest of terms, a sport optioned, factory prepared show car; one equipped from new with desirable features that unmistakably distinguish it from all standard production 230, 250 and 280SL’s. This car was hand assembled and meticulously finished by the very best craftsmen at Mercedes-Benz and built off of the general assembly line in a special projects department where the full weight of the factory’s enviable resources were utilized to create the ideal, no-expense-spared 280SL for exhibition showing and sport driving. As testament to the ambition of its build specification, and as compliment to its unicorn status as a custom finished ‘Standwagen’, this sensational 280SL was bred specifically to engage the driver as a car fitted from new with the now legendary ZF 5-speed manual transmission paired with rarely seen sport shock absorbers. By any standard, chassis 20350 280SL is an exceptionally rare and desirable build specification of the famous W113 Mercedes-Benz.
As a primer for the uninitiated, the term ‘Standwagen’ simply means “car for the show stand”. There were four factory option codes applied to W113 (230SL, 250SL, 280SL) chassis Mercedes-Benz cars that were commissioned new as show vehicles destined for exhibition. These rarely invoked options included code 994 (standard production car used for display), 995 (car for display with custom chassis preparation), 996 (demonstration car for test driving) and 997 (car for display with both custom engine and chassis preparation). Of these 4 designations, cars optioned with code 994 were the most common variety purposed for exhibition use given they could simply be pulled from the standard production range for display purposes. Alternatively, the few cars designated as code 997 were by far the rarest of the ‘Standwagen’ optioned Pagodas given the considerable excesses of time and resources required to produced them, with unofficial estimates suggesting resource allocation for a 997 car would be 3 times that of a standard production car. Chassis 20350 280SL, the code 997 ‘Standwagen’ offered here, is one of only a few display vehicles of its kind ever produced across all Mercedes-Benz models, and a car that is most easily distinguished from all standard W113’s once you open the hood. The bespoke presentation of the engine of this special Mercedes is significantly upgraded over that of a standard production example. Additionally, Mercedes-Benz made refinements to the chassis of the car in order to eliminate the vestiges of mass production otherwise found on “normal” W113’s. It is of the utmost importance to note that all of the customized flair imbued on the car by the Mercedes-Benz special projects team that built it is retained today in stunning original condition.
Setting aside the custom engine and chassis presentation of the car for a moment, this peerless Pagoda has also been equipped from new with the coveted and rare ZF 5-speed manual transmission. Built for Mercedes-Benz by subcontractor Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen AG, otherwise known as “ZF”, these special 5-speed transmissions were installed new on just 350 280SL’s. For some perspective on their rarity, this means that roughly 1.5% of the total 280SL production run, which lasted from 1968 through 1971, was factory fitted with a ZF 5 trans. The factory equipped ZF 5-speed manual Pagoda’s, especially the 280SL models, are by far the most sought after versions of the W113 chassis Mercedes-Benz range of cars. This desirability is not solely due to rarity, but also because of the quiet comfort these manual transmissions offer at highway speeds and the sport-oriented experience they provide beyond that of a standard 4-speed manual or automatic version. To add further style and customized rarity to this particular example’s original specs, it was unusually equipped new with sport shock absorbers, a feature itself that may well be as rare or rarer than the car’s code 997 special ‘Standwagen’ engine and chassis preparation for show, and certainly an optional trait that is far rarer than the ZF 5-speed manual transmission itself. Mercedes-Benz appear to have left little on the table when it came to the build of this incredible 280SL, the details of which are examined below.
According to the data card, the full list of options for chassis 20350 280SL are as follows: factory preparation for display with special engine and chassis preparation (code 997), ZF 5-speed manual transmission with power steering (code 429), 568H signal red paint, 147 parchment MB-tex with red carpets, 1:3.92 rear axel ratio (code 212), hard top mounted in body color (code 416), paint repair kit (code 525), version for France (code 629), 10 liters of fuel (code 665), single seats (code 401) and soft top fabric in black (code 720). Beyond these options noted on the original data card, the additional ‘Standwagen’ special supplemental build sheet confirms further options, notably that chassis 20350 280SL came additionally equipped with a license plate holder in the front and rear, a model type plate for the front license plate holder, plastic sheet covers on the front seats, shock absorbers with limited travel (sport shocks), Phoenix tires, and 1 set of keys “to be sent to the Display Department, attn: Mr. Korell”. Also noted on this supplemental build document, as a general remark, is that “the cost of preparing the car for display is to be captured and billed to 8420 000402. Copy Mr. Kubler”. This billing code, beginning in “842”, is a number familiar to Scott Grundfor Company as a means of internally tracking the costs of special projects and race cars within Mercedes-Benz for accounting purposes. All of the above is confirmed by Mercedes-Benz as well as the documentation accompanying the car.
Chassis 20350 280SL was commissioned new by Mercedes-Benz distributor Royal-Élysées SA of Paris, France on July 14th of 1970. While the car was certainly custom built and finished for the show stand, as confirmed by Mercedes-Benz and documentation accompanying it, it remains unconfirmed through photographs as to whether or not the car was ever actually displayed at the Paris Motor Show in October of 1970, or another exhibition in the interim after production and prior to its first registration in private hands. As recorded in the car’s original service booklet, the first private owner of the car was Les Films 13 Studio, a famous movie production house located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, a firm founded by legendary French director and producer Claude Lelouch. An icon of film in France, Claude Lelouch has over 50 films to his credit and is perhaps best known to car aficionados as the man behind the short film C’était un rendez-vous, an exhilarating 8-minute race though Paris at dawn with Lelouch filming from behind the wheel a 275 GTB Ferrari (supposedly), all shot in a glorious, single take. Mr. Lelouch’s Les Films 13 Studio would first register chassis 20350 280SL on April 28th, 1971 with original license number 9945 XF 75 as noted in the service booklet. In addition to the notation of Les Films 13 Studio as being the car’s first private owner, the original service booklet also documents early servicing work performed by Mercedes-Benz of France with mileage recorded up to 9,604 kilometers during its first several years on the road.
The second owner chassis 20350 280SL, as recorded by numerous pages of service records and yearly inspection reports, was Mr. Gregoire Kowal, a resident of the 19th arrondissement of Paris. Mr. Kowal began his ownership tenure on March 27th, 1987, registering the car under license number 357 GGA 75. Under Kowal’s ownership, documentation confirms that he serviced the car regularly and housed it in a climate controlled garage, all of which lines up with he fabulous original condition of the car today. On May 2nd, 1996, the car changed hands within the Kowal family to Franciose Cossay Kowal of Rouvray-Saint-Florentin. Now registered under license number 2088 TD 28, Ms. Cossay Kowal would continue Gregoire’s fastidious care and record keeping standards with mileage documented throughout her ownership tenure. The car remained with Ms. Cossay Kowal in the North of France until November of 2013, at which point the car’s next and final private owner was made aware of its availability as an option for inclusion in his respected US based Mercedes-Benz collection. While initially intrigued by the rare ZF 5-speed transmission and striking color combination of this special Pagoda, what really drew the attention of this knowledgeable collector was the undeniably unique “factory show” appearance of the engine bay, a feature that would seem nothing more than peculiar at best to the untrained eye. Purchased from Ms. Cossay Kowal on April 27th, 2013 and imported to the United States in 2014, this factory customized, exceptionally preserved ZF 5-Speed ‘Standwagen’ 280SL has resided a in climate controlled showroom having seen limited use with an odometer reading today of just 40,373 original kilometers (25,087 miles).
Given the superbly kept, factory customized original condition of the of the car today, chassis 20350 280SL offers a fascinating glimpse into how the creative brass at Mercedes-Benz envisioned the ideal 280SL if time and money ceased to be relevant. The effort, planning and craftsmanship that went into producing this undeniably unique Pagoda far exceeds that of a standard production 280SL, especially and most noticeably with respect to the engine. The rocker arm cover has been finished in glossy black paint and accented by a chromed oil cap, an appearance that is distinctly more alluring and sleek than the bare metal presentation of the cover and oil cap on a standard production W113 Mercedes-Benz. Also easily recognizable vis-Ã -vis a standard production version is the manner in which the air intake manifold has been specially prepared and finished. On our ‘Standwagen’ chassis 20350 280SL the manifold has been ground and meticulously hand polished to a high gloss sheen, whereas on a standard production car it would be left in rough hewn bare metal.
Smaller components within the engine, such as the thermostat housing, have also been hand polished to the match the fine finish of the air intake manifold, all working in concert to display a remarkably more appealing and dynamic presentation of the fuel-injected inline 6-cylinder engine that powers the car. Beyond polish and paint, the now beautifully patina’d, mosaic-patterned original firewall pad has been specially finished in high gloss, a distinct hand applied visual improvement over the more subdued matte finish of firewall pads found on standard production examples. Still other factory enhancements to the engine presentation include the chroming of all fuel injection lines, chroming of the throttle control linkage and brackets bracing it along with chroming of the idle control hardware. Nearly all accessible hardware on the engine itself has been chromed all the way down to the clamps and screws. The sensational originality of this customized Mercedes-Benz engine presentation may well be the only of its kind in the world today, with no signs of the engine having ever been taken apart or treated to more than anything but standard servicing. Importantly, the car is fully matching numbers while retaining all original tags and stampings to include the engine, firewall, chassis and transmission.
Beyond the customized glamour of the engine, dozens of subtle improvements were made by Mercedes-Benz in order to eliminate the “rough edges” normally found on standard production cars. The inner lip and inner walls of the engine bay have been hand finished to a high degree of smoothness prior to the application of paint, eliminating dozens of spot welds otherwise visible in the metal on standard W113 chassis cars. Additionally, the spot welds and overlapping sheet metal pieces found within the door jambs of standard production examples are elegantly shielded from view on our factory on ‘Standwagen’ chassis 20350 280SL. This beautification of the door jambs was accomplished through hand-fabricated, body color painted metal plates that have been expertly fitted and screwed into place to cover the normally unfinished door jamb. All of the custom finishing and fabrication work performed by Mercedes-Benz on chassis 20350 280SL amounts to a superior finish and fully-realized version of the model; a car assembled with intention towards what the factory intelligentsia circa 1970 envisioned as ideal for the W113 chassis, resource allocation and other constraints be damned. As further proof that Mercedes-Benz saw chassis 20350 280SL as particularly special, the front frame rail on the passenger side in the engine compartment has been stamped in a unique manner, with the official three-pointed-star emblem hand stamped into the car itself, followed by a unique accounting of the vin number in the form of “280SL/8-113044-10-020350”.
The sensational original specifications of chassis 20350 280SL may well make it singularly unique among Pagodas, but it is the the originality of the car and the manner in which that originality is retained that make this special 280SL priceless as an historical Mercedes-Benz artifact. The car miraculously presents today in a condition more commensurate with 10 years of careful use than one with 50 years in its wake, with stunning original paint and interior surfaces still in tact along with an engine bay that importantly remains as it left the factory in Stuttgart. The ultra-thin, original single stage paint is worthy of close inspection as a case study in preservation, almost unbelievable in its retention of vibrance while having all the hallmarks of a meticulously prepared custom paint job performed by the special werks team who built the car in the fall of 1970. The paint has been finished with none of the typical “production runs” or defects in the areas where it is typically present on standard production cars, such as in the form of “drips” in the door jambs and on the bottom side of the hood. The paint is also notable in that it is remarkably thin, with the amount of material on the body of the car, including both primer and paint, consistent when measured by a paint-gauge with readings generally on the order of 2-7 mils in thickness showing off an unusually straight body that probably saw significantly more preparation than usual. In the cabin of the car, the parchment MB-tex seats along with the dash gauges, red carpets, door panels and wood dash all present in outstanding factory original condition. There are no signs of sun damage to the original wood on the dash and the spectacular original carpeting appears just as one might expect given a well cared for 40,000 kilometers of use.
This impeccable Pagoda is well equipped with both a model correct Becker Europa radio and a rarely seen Becker cassette tape deck below the dash. It is not mentioned definitively on the data card or special supplemental build sheet as to whether the car was or was not “factory radio delete”, though an original “radio delete” 280SL lettered plate is with the car which would make sense as an option in concert with the other sport options along with the penchant for French market cars to be favored without radios at the time. As further proof of chassis 20350 280SL’s exceptional originality, the factory rubber trim on the windows, doors, trunk and elsewhere on the body remains in superb original condition, contributing to the familiar excellence of original Mercedes-Benz fits. Interestingly, the car has a unique driver’s side mirror, one quite unlike all other W113 mirrors we have seen, appearing to be a custom addition to the car with no signs of having ever been off the car while preserved in a condition commensurate with the rest of the original chrome. The trunk space opens to display a mint-condition 3-piece set of original brown Hepco suitcases while the original black soft top under the metal tonneau cover is still in very good, usable condition. The underside of the car is predictably and wonderfully original given the presentation of the car topside, with not even a hint of rust present and signs only of basic maintenance over the years. The undercarriage still retains an array of multi-colored, painted factory applied witness marks along with original protective cosmoline coatings. Chassis 020350 280SL is a prime example of low-mileage being a representation of overall condition.
A remarkably ambitious build specification by any standard, fitted new with a ZF 5-speed manual transmission along with the ultra-rare blessings of factory ‘Standwagen’ custom engine and chassis finishing, this impeccable 280SL remains in stunning factory original condition today and should be considered nothing less than a “Holy Grail” example of the W113 Mercedes-Benz. Chassis 20350 280SL comes with its original books, tools, hard top, soft top, Becker Europa radio, Becker tape deck, radio delete plate and original Hepco suitcases. It is a well documented car from new that is fully matching numbers, importantly still retaining both its original engine and factory installed ZF 5-speed transmission. With its desirable sport driving options and still original factory customization for show, ‘Standwagen’ chassis 20350 280SL is a second-to-none German Pagoda, a rare opportunity to own a spectacularly unique piece of post-war Mercedes-Benz history.