The 280SL Pagoda was first launched in 1968, the year of this car, and was one of the first sports cars with a design brief that stretched beyond that of her unquestionable style, grace & performance

The Pagoda was also designed with safety in mind featuring a completely rigid passenger cell, it's partly for this reason they are so popular as usable and drive-able classics today

We have ourselves had many Pagodas and used them for tours on the Continent without hiccup, the three pointed star on the front reassuring you of her reliability each morning as some comrades are left behind adjusting mixtures and chokes until noon - splutter splutter

A sophisticated multi-port fuel injection system and her unerring reliability ensure that you arrive at the next stop in plenty of time to enjoy the view at lunch with a small glass of your chosen tipple before setting off again

With a 0-60 time of 8ish seconds they were by no means slow for their period and today keep up with modern traffic without breaking a sweat, complete with power steering as well which at the time was reserved for only the very finest of cars

Over half a century on from her inception its natural that a car with such fine pedigree deserves an equally fine quality of restoration should one choose to undertake the task

In the case of the car we have here it is certainly true that no stone was left unturned in ensuring she was restored in a way the factory would be proud of, Roger Edwards and Vanleigh Coachworks using their combined experience and skill to make sure of this

The devil is always in the detail with a complete restoration and the 200 or so photographs document the restoration comprehensively, together with the rafts of invoices and descriptions of all the work done

Small touches like the black paint behind the grill, the unpolished head & the hung dry boot and bonnet, leaving the drip marks as would have been done in the factory, reflect the preferences of the man who commissioned the restoration - as new was the aim

In fact the hand painted black wheel hubs to match the black hardtop mean this cars colour specification match exactly that of our Father/Grandfathers car in period, so she certainly does meet the as new brief

There are one or two mod-cons we've all come to appreciate like the hidden iPhone charge points & Becker radio with bluetooth connectivity. One feature of this car which we are yet to have seen on a Pagoda is the ever so useful wind deflector which makes motorway driving at speed immeasurably less blustery and fits seamlessly into hood assembly

Having only covered a few hundred miles since the restoration she is sharp as a pin in every aspect and ready to be used & enjoyed