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| Mercedes-Benz W113, 1967 280SL Coupé automatic sadly it’s not a gull-wing |
Bruce Mbingeleli
A person can think twice going to the Cape in a bus, hoping if you pull up in a luxurious car you would praised and adored by the masses of the Cape. Well, this time around I realized it not all about what type of vehicle you have or drive, all that matters is how you as an individual take care of your vehicle. As they as; “the beauty lies in the beholder”.
On my way to the beautiful city, while I was travelling with my colleagues we were so amazes by the view of the mother city and the epic atmosphere of the beautiful surroundings of beaches and vineyards can be, it's the rugged wilderness of Tabel Mountain, coated in a unique flora, which grabs everyone's attention. The view that stood out the most is the beautiful dealerships which were the Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz and the Lamborghini. These dealerships showcase and their showrooms offer dedicated and unique sales and services experiences, in line the leading global Aston Martin dealerships. All of the dealerships are manned by highly skilled and experienced staff with knowledge.
I’m more of a Vintage car fan and I must say though, that the mother city goes an extra mile to show off its exotic vintage cars. What I saw at the sea-point was really amazing, wonderful must have vintage cars, on my way to the SABC I came across on three beauty vintages the 1979 Jaguar XJ Series III, the 1987 E30 323i and the 1967 Mercedes-Benz 280SL. Out of all the cars I saw and only one that captured my heart was the Mercedes-Benz 280SL, it was a shame that it wasn’t a gull-wing though, but it had that SLS feeling which might not be on a person’s December shopping list any time soon, but it does represent the car that many one-per centers have been loving from Mercedes.
The 280 SL was welcomed in December 1967 and continued in production through 23 February 1971, when the W 113 was replaced by its successor, the new and substantially heavier R107 350 SL. Over the years, the W 113 evolved from a sports car into a comfortable grand tourer, and US models were by then usually equipped with the 4-speed automatic transmission and air conditioning. Manual transmission models came with the standard 4-speed or the optional ZF 5-speed, which was ordered for only 882 cars and thus today is a highly sought-after original option. In Europe, manual transmissions without air conditioning were still the predominant choice. Of the 23,885 280 SLs produced, more than half were sold in the US, and in Africa I’m really not sure but one thing for sure we have glorified vintage cars.
According to Mercedes Benz M130 Engine was the last and largest of the ‘mid-sized’ Single Over Head Camshaft (SOHC) straight-6 cylinder (inline) engines produced by Mercedes Benz. The ‘mid-sized six’ started life as the 2.2 liter M180 which was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor show in September 1951 alongside the new 3.0 liter M186 ‘big’ Straight-6. The SL main change was an upgrade to the 2.8litre engine that pushes a serious 130 kW of maximum power and 244 Nm maximum torque; this is mighty adequate power from the W 113.
People were so star struck by the car, especially the nice fresh paintwork that’s what surprised me. The interior it still looks good, fresh and elegant and well kept like it was just bought last night. Comparing the motoring life of the two cities, I would seriously go for the Cape it portrays an all new versatile frame when it comes to classic cars.
Images courtesy of Journomotortainment
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