320bhp M116 '350' V8 engined 1964 Mercedes-Benz 230SL Automatic W113 Pagoda

Surrounded by V8s in his youth, Aussie Peter Ross never let go of the dream of ownership and a clapped-out 230SL Pagoda W113 presented the perfect opportunity to fulfill an ambition in his retirement.

Red Blooded PAGODA & 230S V8 CONVERSIONS

WORDS & IMAGES MURRAY WAITE

Conversion – W113 230SL Pagoda with V8 - What was once a basket case Pagoda is now a stunning V8 tribute to the W113 SL that never was

The challenge of successfully building a W113 with a V8 became an obsession for Peter

Australia is a huge country with thousands of kilometres of roads and huge distances between towns and cities. Little wonder then that it has long been the bastion of large V8-powered muscle cars and cruisers, its own car production industry dominated by two big players: General Motors’ Aussie Holden and Ford Australia’s Falcon, each with a range of performance V8 powerplants.

The challenge of successfully building a W113 with a V8 became an obsession for Peter

For a young medical student in Melbourne in the late 1960s, the aspiration of a GT Falcon rated high on the wish list, but pursuing a career in radiology for Peter Ross was the priority and this meant both overseas study and a somewhat nomadic existence for some years. The Falcon GT dream faded.

Now in his retirement years and with the fruits of a successful business career in medicine, the time arrived for Peter to indulge his passion for fine cars and naturally, Mercedes-Benz had figured large for some time. With a 560SEC as a club car and a W211 E55 as a daily driver, the V8 dream was already realised, but a new project beckoned.

The car was to be a complete rotisserie new build

Mercedes-Benz didn’t figure large in the V8 world until the mighty 600 dictated the need for a larger motor, but even that didn’t tempt Stuttgart to produce a lighter V8 until the late 1960s and the manufacturer never found its way into the iconic sports car of the day, the SL Pagoda, although over the years there have been a number of less than successful attempts at re-powering the W113s. Mercedes-Benz even experimented with the 6.3 M100, but that project was abandoned when it was evident that the engine was too heavy for the little roadster.

As the project neared completion, engine output increased to almost 320bhp

The challenge of successfully building a W113 with a V8 became an obsession for Peter and the hunt for a suitable chassis resulted in a less than pretty 1964 230SL being the skeleton for a complete build of what was to become a W113 Pagoda V8. The purists would say such a creation is sacrilege, but in reality this was a seriously neglected 230SL that was never a viable proposition to restore. Its only value was as the starting point for this dream project.

The project was entrusted to Gold Coast M-B parts, as well as engineering specialist Gullwings including owner Stefan Kubler and master mechanic Danny Pereria, Gullwings’ automotive certifier. Peter’s brief for Gullwings dictated that there were to be no half measures with the restoration, though even his ambitions were trimmed a little along the journey out of necessity.

Group effort

The body reconstruction and final paintwork was contracted to Doug Blakeway’s Final Touch, a boutique Gold Coast specialist body restoration shop. The car was to be a complete rotisserie new build beginning with a full, back-to-bare- metal strip and undersealing. But as with many such projects, the more that was uncovered as the car was stripped, the greater the challenge became for the body shop. The original budget (if there was one) was discarded as more and more unusable parts were confined to the rubbish bins. Such was the poor condition of much of the body, some 30 new panels were made or purchased to ensure the ultimate end result.

Every nut and bolt was systematically removed, inspected and replaced with concours body panel securing kits where necessary. The interior was completely renewed and headrests added, a new replacement soft top was acquired and the Pagoda hardtop restored, the floor, doors and hardtop were all covered with noise suppressing matting and the boot interior carpeted. Double stitched custom leather trimming for the doors, handles and dashboard added a hint of contemporary styling to the austere interior of the 1964 SL. Matching carpet covers were made for the battery, spare tyre and toolkit.

The complete underbody and interior floor panels were coated with tray liner protector and the coachwork finished in Signal Red by Glasurit with five coats of clear colour sanded to produce a stunning body finish. The suspension, meanwhile, was upgraded with sports style components to cope with the increased motor weight (some 20kg heavier than the 280 block) and the original wheels were replaced with Fuchs M-B alloys and wider profile (215) tyres.

Completely new wiring looms and modern electronics replaced the original fittings and even the classic speedometer is now electric and driven by a GPS module. The sound system was replaced with a classic retro look Bluetooth system which includes a USB port. LED lights are fitted under the bonnet, in the cab interior and in the boot, and the indicators and parking lights also fitted with LEDs. The headlights were upgraded and a GPS tracker installed allowing the car to be immobilised remotely. Instead of a standard dashcam, a GoPro camera was installed facing to the front, and at the back a reversing camera with infrared technology allows for clear night vision.

Air conditioning, power steering and power brakes were fitted along with larger discs front and rear. In keeping with the principle of this being a new-build Pagoda, the Mercedes-Benz emblem is projected onto the ground when the doors are opened at night. A 90A alternator and new AGM glass mat battery completed the electrical fit out.

AMG influence

Initially, the 350 motor was fitted with the standard three-speed transmission and it performed well, but in keeping with the upgrading to a near new build, the M116 350 motor was subsequently custom matched to an electronic five-speed 722.6 transmission from a C43 AMG. While a 450 engine had been considered, the decision to instead fit the M116 350 and five-speed autobox proved the perfect combination, resulting in effortless road handling at all speeds.

Tested in the workshop, the M116 engine had already been developing 250bhp at 2,500rpm but as the project neared completion, that increased to almost 320bhp after the cylinder-heads were flowed an Autronics fuel injection control system was fitted and the engine dyno tuned.

Parts and special order items were obtained from the USA, Germany and England by the Gullwings team, and regardless of the owner’s anticipation and obvious desire to get the project finished, no end date was ever set, with Gullwings simply standing by its maxim that it “will be completed once we and the client are satisfied with the final result”.

Some two years after the unloved bones of the 1964 W113 230SL had been delivered to Gullwings, the car finally made it onto the open roads of Queensland’s Gold Coast, allowing Peter Ross to enjoy the fruits of his investment and the joys of living in the sub-tropical ‘Sunshine State’ where the marketing line of ‘Beautiful one day, perfect the next’ complements the joys of owning and driving a one-off V8 Pagoda amongst the sugarcane fields and endless open roads.

Interior gifted custom leather trim.

1964 230SL base car had done just 32,000 miles. M116 '350' V8 combined with C43 automatic.

The talented Danny Pereria of Gullwings shop.

Underside prior to fitment of the new 5-speed 'box.

Restoration transformed the SL's bodyshell.

Stripping back the body to bare metal revealed old repairs and holes from corrosion.

Peter also has a 560SEC and E55 AMG in his stable.