thoroughly modern mercedes

m e c h a t r o n i k m e r c e d e s - b e n z 2 8 0 S L & 2 8 0 SE
thoroughly
modern mercedes
Whatever your feelings about ‘improved’ classics, you’d be hard-pushed
not to enjoy Mechatronik’s brilliantly modified 1960s machines
Words Robert Coucher // Photography Ian McLaren
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m ech at ron i k m ercede s -be nz 280SL & 280 se
T
he sky is that
high-intensity cobalt
blue only ever seen
in Africa. The fierce
afternoon sunshine is
cooled by a sharp
breeze coming in off
the Indian Ocean,
which lies a day’s canter to the east beyond the
mountains, valleys and gorges that make this
perfect vineyard country.
Modern cars slip imperceptibly past us as
we wait at the top of the famous Franschhoek
Pass, cameras at the ready. The view is
astonishing: from high on the escarpment we
look down the vertiginous mountain face over
the tourist enclave of Franschhoek village and
across the Cape Peninsula all the way to Table
Mountain in the distance. Having grown up in
this part of the world, I am always moved by
the magnificence of the Cape of Good Hope.
From under the shade of some hardy pine
trees we watch the sparse traffic ambling up
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the switchback road. Derivative machines
drone along and the occasional heavily loaded
truck groans up the steep incline. Then,
from way down at the bottom of the valley
we hear a very different sound. It is guttural
and deep. The sound rises and falls, it
syncopates and seems to punch at our
eardrums. It’s alive and exciting.
Then we see them: two flashes of speed in
the sun, like gamefish leaping at the end of a
long line. Then they are gone again under the
canopy of green. But that lovely sound
continues to build, that hard-edged thunder of
big engines exploring their upper reaches.
Photographer Ian McLaren switches his
long-lensed Nikon to autodrive. By now the
two ice-blue motor cars are about three corners
below us. The noise is a ferocious blend of
multiple cylinders, the amphitheatre of rock
faces amplifying the dramatic symphony.
The curious Baboons that had been watching
us scamper off into the fynbos in alarm as
the two Mercedes-Benzes charge around the
last around the last kopie [rocky outcrop] in
tight formation.
You don’t have much time to clock that they
are two classic Benzes of 1960s vintage as they
flash past the lens at modern sports car speed.
The exuberant sound is unfettered. It assaults
your ears and you feel the power through the
soles of your feet. Then they disappear, leaving
us alone with the chirruping crickets in the
shimmering heat haze. This roadside glimpse
of two fast Benzes in action is special, but the
view from behind the wheel is even better…
Mercedes-Benz has not always been the
most radical or daring of manufacturers, but
the marque has always aspired to the highest
standards of engineering and finish. From the
1950s until the early-1990s, the average Benz
really was a fantastic bit of machinery, but
quality began to suffer as the company was
forced to ‘build down’ to satisfy the bean
counters, and the C-class cars assembled
in South Africa were the most frequently
criticised. But Benz is back, and the two
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m ech at ron i k m ercede s -be nz 280SL & 280 se
examples you see here are representative of
the 1960s heyday it is beginning to recapture.
Or are they?
The two-door, W113 280SL ‘Pagoda’ is
ostensibly a 1969 model but it appears brand
new. The W111 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet is of a
similar age but it looks like it is just out of the
box. Immaculate looks aside, both cars sit
every so squarely and flat on their Mexican
Hat alloy wheels shod with purposeful,
more modern 205/65 tyres. Hmm. These are
properly set-up motors.
The Pagoda was initially launched in 1963 as
a 1295kg, 230SL (Sports Leicht) with a sweet
2306cc straight-six engine. It was pretty and
appealed to the well-heeled female audience it
was aimed at, mostly in America. Its reputation
as a tough sports car was earned when Eugen
Böhringer entered a (slightly overbored) 230SL
on the extremely tough 1963 Spa-Sophia-Liège
Rally and won outright. Not just a Rodeo
Drive boulevardier, then.
The 230SL became the 250SL and in 1967 the
larger 2778cc fuel-injected six was secreted
under the bonnet, the 280SL offering even
more grunt (along, it must be said, with softer
suspension and more weight at 1360kg).
The £3850 Pagoda would now do 120mph and
crack 60 miles per hour in nine seconds.
Good, original Pagodas are now very
desirable and collectable as they were so well
built, are practical, with great M-B spares backup, and are fun to drive. The drop-dead looks
also help. Interestingly, the larger four-seater
W111 Cabriolet eclipses the SL in value because
just 1232 were ever constructed in 3.5-litre
spec, against some 23,800 280SLs.
First seen in 1961 as the 220SEb, the W111’s
final and most desirable incarnation was
released in 1969, priced at a strong £5158. The
280SE 3.5 Cabriolet weighed a hefty 1570kg
but had the lovely 3499cc V8 to propel it along
to a claimed 127mph, with a 0-60mph time of
nine seconds. Not too shabby.
Both the Benzes before us today exude the
sort of quality that German engineers are
famous for. Walking around them you stroke
the steel flanks and they are unbelievably
solid. The paintwork looks like it is double
gloss and the chrome appears twice as thick as
on any other motor car. Shut lines are
millimetre-perfect and the heavily wrought
doors close with the most satisfying thunk.
Watch your digits – they’ll be sliced clean off
if misplaced!
The leather trim is clearly new but it looks
totally correct, as do the carpets and the
gleaming woodwork. And each has a clever
Becker radio that appears period but is in fact a
new, state-of-the-art sat-nav system. Ah, then
you notice the automatic gearshift gates are
slightly more modern. And on the rear of each
car is a neat little badge: an ‘M’ with stylised
Gullwing doors sitting above the word
‘Mechatronik’. Bingo.
These beauties are not what they seem.
Each one looks almost entirely original, with
only the tyres and purposeful stance indicating
otherwise. Open the bonnets and the source
Mechatronik Mercedes-Benz 280SL
ENGINE 4266cc V8, all-alloy SOHC, three valves per cylinder, fuel-injection
POWER 279bhp @ 5750 TORQUE 295lb/ft @ 3000rpm
TRANSMISSION NAG five-speed automatic STEERING Recirculating ball, power-assisted
SUSPENSION Front: independent double wishbones, coil springs anti-roll bar. Rear: single
joint swing axle, radius arms, compensating spring, coil springs, telescopic dampers
BRAKES Discs all round, ABS WEIGHT 1360kg (approx)
PERFORMANCE 0-60mph 6sec. Top speed 145mph
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m ech at ron i k m ercede s -be nz 280SL & 280 se
‘These beauties are not
what they seem. Open the
bonnets and the source of
the Flight of the Valkyries
soundtrack is revealed…’
The nimble 280SL was no slouch in period, but
with re-engineered suspension and a modern,
lightweight 4.3-litre V8 engine, it fairly screams
up the Franschhoek Pass. The 280SE retains a
degree of civility, but is also alarmingly quick.
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m ech at ron i k m ercede s -be nz 280SL & 280 se
Above and below
Specially designed ‘Stratos’ badge
cleverly emulates the Lancia shield;
mid-mounted Ferrari V8 sits on view
beneath the glazed engine cover.
of the Flight of the Valkyries soundtrack is
revealed. In place of the normally perfunctory
straight-six lumps, each engine bay houses a
modern Benz V8. In the case of the Pagoda,
it has a 4.3-litre M113 series V8 fitted,
whacking out 279bhp, while the bigger
Cabrio has a 5.0-litre M113 Series V8 stonking
out 300bhp.
Performance? The Mechatronik Pagoda
will storm to 60mph in 6.5 seconds and is
electronically limited to 145mph. The Cabrio
will do the sprint in about 7.5 seconds with
the same electronically limited top speed.
Impressive, considering both cars look like
concours-worthy originals.
Mechatronik is based in a high-tech
workshop in Pleidelsheim, just outside
Stuttgart. Set up in 1997, the company has
50 experts who offer full restoration services
on all Mercedes-Benz motor cars. But it is
the M-SL and M-Cabriolet here that are
extra special. These are classic Benzes that
are subtly re-engineered in line with
the demands of modern-day motoring.
Mechatronik strips the cars down to the last
nut and bolt and then completely rebuilds
them to its customers’ requirements, which
can include modern M-B engines, gearboxes,
brakes, uprated suspension and creature
comforts like air-conditioning, heated seats,
sound systems and so on. Each Mechatronik
M-car meets the tough German TUV
engineering standards.
At this point it is worth touching on the
philosophy of these sorts of ‘improved’
classic cars. Some might argue that a
perfectly original example is preferable,
and Mechatronik will certainly build you
a 100-point concours winner. But some
individuals, such as the owners of these
M-cars, want something different. Each of
the fellows in question has an enviable
collection of concours classics (including
concours Benzes), but they both enjoy driving
and wanted suitable classics to meet the
rigours of everyday use. When asked why
they didn’t just buy new Mercs, they both
agree that they prefer the look and feel of
hand-built classics and, although expensive,
these Mechatronik Benzes will hold their
values and not depreciate like stones. Savvy.
Both owners insist I have a go at the
Franschhoek Pass, so let’s start with the
Pagoda. The interior is jewel-like and the big
stuffed chair well sprung. The car starts with
a muted V8 rumble, the 4.3-litre lightweight
alloy engine is quiet and low-key at town
speeds. The NAG five-speed auto ’box snicks
into gear and the SL moves of with alacrity.
Driving through the village it is tight and
instantly responsive. The 65-series tyres, allied
to the proper seat, impart a very comfortable
and jitter-free ride, unlike modern sports cars.
Mechatronik 280SE Cabriolet 3.5
ENGINE 4966cc, V8, all-alloy SOHC, three valves per cylinder, fuel-injection
POWER 306bhp @ 5600rpm TORQUE 340lb/ft @ 2700rpm
TRANSMISSION NAG five-speed automatic STEERING Recirculating ball, powerassisted SUSPENSION Front: Independent double wishbone, telescopic dampers,
anti-roll bar Rear: single joint swing axle, compensator spring, radius arms, telescopic
dampers BRAKES discs all round, ABS WEIGHT 1570kg (approx) PERFORMANCE
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m ech at ron i k m ercede s -be nz 280SL & 280 se
I have driven a number of SLs and the
original straight-six is lusty and torquey and
responds like the quality ’60s engine that it is.
But on the first application of serious throttle
in this M-SL, I am taken aback by the engine’s
willingness to rev. It spins up so quickly I think
there is a gearbox-slipping problem. No, it’s
just that the modern V8 is so reactive it catches
me by surprise.
Up the steep pass, any gear will do thanks to
the seamless torque. The ride remains pliant
and the cleverly reworked suspension, with
its Eibach springs and KW dampers, is well up
to the job. The brakes are modern ABS so you
have the luxury of storming the straights at full
chat before standing on the anchors and letting
the car lean on the outside tyres before
powering through as the auto ’box sorts out
the best ratio in an instant.
It takes a few miles for your brain to calibrate
the sort of modern sports car speed being
spooled out by what feels like an über-sorted
’60s classic. But the car’s dynamics are more
than capable and soon you are exploring your
personal envelope of bravery.
The soundtrack is big and melodious but
not outright loud, as that would not suit a
Benz of this quality. But the road speed is
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‘The SE monsters
the mountain
in the most
aggressive manner’
incredibly impressive and this is a properly
fast car. And, as you’d expect, the SL features a
wind deflector behind the rear seats to keep
my hair in place. How civilised. All I now need
is a defibrillator.
The bigger Cabrio is next and I expect it to
feel a bit lumpen after the sharp SL. But it has
the bigger 5-litre V8, with a chunk more torque,
combined with shorter gearing, so it monsters
the mountain in the most aggressive manner.
If anything, it has more feelsome power
steering that the Pagoda, which in comparison
seems just a tad light and imprecise. Maybe
that’s because I was going much faster in the
lighter Pagoda, but I don’t think so. The Cabrio
is certainly heavier but it handles its weight
with aplomb. It is seriously incongruous that a
full-sized cabriolet should handle and react
like this. You can cruise quietly four-up, or nail
the throttle to summon 300bhp of grunt and
blast past most traffic… uphill!
What phenomenal motor cars. What
exquisite Mercedes-Benzes. What a way to
enliven daily driving. What a blast!
After an afternoon of exciting motoring on
one of the best roads in Africa we sit in quiet
repose and admire the cooling Benzes over a
glass of Sauvignon Blanc in the Huguenot
quarter. Both cars are absolutely the best
examples of the marque, restored to the highest
possible standard, and re-engineered by one
of the leading Benz specialists.
They are automotive works of art, but,
before any further poncification sets in, I
rewind to the sensation of raw power as I
seared up the mountain pass at indecent
speed and laugh out loud. These cars are equal
parts beauty and beast, but my lasting
impression will be of their fabulously
monstrous performance. End
Thanks to the Mercedes-Benz owners; Mechatronik,
(www.mechatronik.de); Johan Arndt, our riding mechanic;
and Franschhoek Council for the superb roads.