Page 87 - Wayne Carini's Guide to Affordable Classics

Mercedes-Benz 230/250/280 SL
The 2.3-liter straight six in the 230 SL was far in advance of its peers in 1963 and featured Bosch port fuel injection.
sophisticated, robust engineering. Road & Track, in one of its earliest tests, seemed to sum it up perfectly, remarking on its “glorious road manners” that were “not quite like anything else on the road.” That was pretty high praise, and it was repeated by other publications. But such finesse and refinement was hardly a bargain. Launch pricing in the US was around $6,700, but quickly passed $7,000 once the popular (in the US, at least) automatic transmission was added, along with power steering. That put it well above a number of newly launched competitors, such as the Corvette Sting Ray, Jaguar E-type and Porsche 911. That might have limited the 230 SL’s volume to some extent, as only about 20,000 were sold from 1963 to 1967, but it also spurred Mercedes to tackle the one shortcoming the 230 SL had versus its challengers – power and torque.
250 SL
Built only in calendar year 1967, the 250 SL is a unicorn in the W113 portfolio. Its major change was a slightly larger engine borrowed from the contemporary 250 sedan (along with a larger fuel tank (22 gallons vs 17.2 for the 230 SL)) and rear disc brakes to complement the original front discs. The horsepower and torque changes weren’t major, but the change from four main bearings to seven sure made it feel more refined. Car and Driver, despite the relatively minor technical update, called it a “revelation.”
The 250 SL also marked the introduction of the so-called “California Coupe,” informally named for the one climate that could always justify a car with no soft top. Though Mercedes offered a somewhat impractical side-facing kindersitz in the luggage area of the 230 SL, the California Coupe replaced the space used for the folding top with a forward-facing folding bench seat that might have had broader appeal, but seemed little more practical.
TOP: The W113 range was developed with long-range touring in mind, including a set of optional fitted luggage designed for the space behind the seats (as well as the trunk).
ABOVE: Mercedes quickly demonstrated the robustness of the
230 SL by winning the 1963 Spa-Sofia-Liège rally. Of the 129 cars that started the 3,400-mile event, only 20 finished, with the 230 SL coming out on top against all odds.
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