Mercedes-Benz 280
(1967 - 1972)
Brand:
Country:
Germany
All 10 Mercedes-Benz 280 models
Car articles about Mercedes-Benz 280 by year
The Mercedes-Benz 280 SL of the W 113 model series and its direct predecessors, the 230 SL and 250 SL, are among the most popular automobile classics of all. Accordingly, much has already been written about them. That is why, in addition to a brief biography, this article focuses on special variants and versions that are less well known, but also offers driving impressions with a 280 SL with automatic transmission. Many of the historical photographs showing pre-series versions and special bodies are probably unique, as are the early press documents, which means that this vehicle report is also aimed at intimate connoisseurs of the "Pagoda".
Since the early days of the more comfort-oriented variants from the W 113 onwards, the typical Mercedes SL driver has enjoyed shifting gears automatically. However, there was always the manual alternative, which usually had four forward gears in the 1960s. What remained rare, however, was an actually very sensible variant from ZF with five gears, which allowed the engine, which was sensitive to engine speed, to be spared while at the same time being able to directly determine which gear ratio the car was currently running with. Just over one percent of all 280 SLs were equipped with the five-speed transmission, and this report is dedicated to one of these rare models.
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