Page 86 - Wayne Carini's Guide to Affordable Classics

The “Pagoda” roof, designed by Paul Bracq and Béla Barényi, was regarded as “shocking” at its launch.
length A-arms and coil springs, with Mercedes’ trademark swing axle at the rear. Barényi adapted his revolutionary crumple-zone concept to the W113, buttressing the rollover safety provided by the hardtop. Another innovation was the introduction of then- new radial tires, supplied by either Firestone or Continental. Power steering, then virtually nonexistent on most sports cars, was made optional. In keeping with the leicht half of the Sport Leicht heritage, the W113’s bodyshell utilized aluminum closures all around, though that didn’t apply to the steel hard top, which weighed approximately 150 pounds and more or less offset any weight benefits of the aluminum bits.
230 SL
At this point, the W113 was expected to carry the same “220 SL” badge as its defunct 190 SL-based predecessor, but the engineering team was concerned that power was still insufficient and increased displacement to 2.3 liters by the time development was complete. Final output was 170 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and torque was rated at 159 lb ft at 4,500 rpm. Atypically for the times, the 230 SL featured Bosch multi-port fuel injection that was derived from the 300 SL, driven by an injection pump that was itself an engineering marvel. On the downside, the crank was supported by only four main bearings, an engineering limitation that would be fixed in later iterations of the engine. The base four-speed manual gearbox would be offered with an optional four-speed automatic as well as, eventually, a very limited-production five-speed manual gearbox, sourced from ZF.
The launch of the SL was planned for the Geneva show in the
spring of 1963. Here was a highly distinctive coupe/roadster that
offered a previously contradictory combination – high standards
of comfort, even at high speeds, reasonably good handling and windshield provided for minimal buffeting, even at highway speeds.
84Wayne CariniAffordable Classics
The 230 SL interior was simple, comfortable and functional. The tall