Mercedes-Benz W113

By 1955, Mercedes-Benz Technical Director Prof. Fritz Nallinger and his team held no illusions regarding the 190 SL's lack of performance, while the high price tag of the legendary 300 SL supercar kept it elusive for all but the most affluent buyers. Thus, Mercedes-Benz started evolving the 190 SL on a new platform, model code W127, with a fuel-injected 2.2 liter M127 straight-six engine, internally denoted as 220 SL. Encouraged by positive test results, Nallinger proposed that the 220 SL be placed in the Mercedes-Benz program, with production commencing in July 1957. However, while technical difficulties kept postponing the production start of the W127, the emerging new S-Class W 112 platform introduced novel body manufacturing technology altogether. So in 1960, Nallinger eventually proposed to develop a completely new 220 SL design, based on the "fintail" W 111 sedan platform with its chassis shortened by , and technology from the W 112. This led to the W 113 platform, with an improved fuel-injected 2.3 liter M127 inline-six engine and the distinctive "pagoda" hardtop roof, designated as 230 SL. The 230 SL made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1963, where Nallinger introduced it as follows: "It was our aim to create a very safe and fast sports car with high performance, which despite its sports characteristics, provides a very high degree of traveling comfort". ==Safety legacy==

The W 113 was the first sports car with a "safety body", based on Barényi's extensive work on vehicle safety. It inherited a rigid passenger cell and designated crumple zones with impact-absorbing front and rear sections built into the vehicle structure from the W 111 it is based on. The W 113 was also the first Mercedes-Benz with radial tires. The interior was "rounded", with all hard corners and edges removed, just like in the W 111 sedan. The steering gear was pulled back from the crash sensitive front of the engine compartment towards the fire wall, and the steering column was angled with universal joints to protect the driver from impalement in a frontal impact. The mid-life model refresh in fall 1967 further improved driver protection with a collapsable telescopic steering column and padded steering wheel hub to better absorb kinetic energy during a crash, also safety innovations from Barényi. ==Models==

230 SL (1963–1967) Production of the 230 SL commenced in June 1963 and ended on 5 January 1967. Its chassis was based on the W 111 sedan platform, with a reduced wheelbase by , recirculating ball steering (with optional power steering), double wishbone front suspension and an independent single-joint, low-pivot swing rear-axle with transverse compensator spring. The dual-circuit brake system had front disc brakes and power-assisted rear drum brakes. The 230 SL was offered with a 4-speed manual transmission, or an optional, very responsive fluid coupled (no torque converter) 4-speed Mercedes-Benz automatic transmission, which was popular for US models. From May 1966, the ZF S5-20 5-speed manual transmission was available as an additional option, which was particularly popular in Italy. Of the 19,831 230 SLs produced, less than a quarter were sold in the US. The M127.II inline-six engine with and torque was based on Mercedes-Benz' venerable M180 inline-six with four main bearings and mechanical Bosch multi-port fuel injection. Mercedes-Benz made a number of modifications to boost its power, including increasing displacement from , and using a completely new cylinder head with a higher compression ratio (9.3 vs. 8.7), enlarged valves and a modified camshaft. A fuel injection pump with six plungers instead of two was fitted, which allowed placing the nozzles in the cylinder head and "shooting" the fuel through the intake manifold and open valves directly into the combustion chambers. An optional oil-water heat exchanger was also available. Mercedes-Benz Chief Engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut demonstrated the capabilities of the 230 SL on the tight three-quarter mile Annemasse Vétraz-Monthoux race track in 1963, where he put up a best lap time of 47.5 seconds vs. 47.3 seconds by Grand Prix driver Mike Parkes on his 3-liter V12 Ferrari 250 GT. A brief chronology of the most notable changes made to the 230 SL: • 10/1963: First 230 SL with automatic transmission. • 09/1964: Spare tire well removed, tire mounted horizontally. • 11/1964: Optional tinted/thermal glass and new soft-top with steel bows (distinguished by missing chrome trim on the outer trailing edge). • 04/1964: US models with radio Becker Europa TR instead of Europa TG. • 08/1965: Some harmonization with new W 108/W 109 sedans, incl. new floor panels, combined brake and clutch fluid reservoir, boot light and interior changes. US models with hazard lights. • 03/1966: Mounts for three-point seat belts added. • 05/1966: Optional ZF 5-speed manual transmission; rare and now very desirable. 250 SL (1966–1968) The 250 SL was introduced at the 1967 Geneva Motor Show. For the first time, an optional limited slip differential was also available. Of the 5,196 250 SLs produced, more than a third were sold in the US. The main change was the use of the M129.II engine with increased stroke, increased valve ports, and seven main bearings instead of four. The nominal maximum power remained unchanged at , but torque improved from to . • 02/1969: New tail lights with amber turn signals. • 05/1969: ZF 5-speed manual transmission discontinued as listed option and available only on special request. • 07/1969: US models with headlight assembly with full amber lower section, illuminated side markers, transistorized ignition, and improved emission control. • 08/1969: Heated rear window for hardtop, hazard lights for all models, single master key for all locks. • 04/1970: Bosch Lichteinheit headlights optionally with halogen main beam (distinguished by "flat" instead of "bubble" lens). • 08/1970: Fuchs alloy wheels available as a factory-fitted option. • 11/1970: Opaque beige plastic coolant expansion tank (instead of satin-black paint over brass). New door locks: cylinder can be depressed while door is locked. North American models and stepped-down hardtop inspired the "pagoda" nickname. North American models have a number of subtle differences, the most obvious one being the distinctive "sealed beam" bulb headlights required in the US versus the Bosch Lichteinheit headlights for the rest of the world. Inside, Tjaarda left the dashboard unchanged, but the interior as a whole exuded the stamp of elegant Italian hand craftsmanship known from contemporary Ferraris. W 113/12 Mercedes-Benz Chief Engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut liked pushing the power envelope of his cars. In 1965, he fitted a 250 SL with the massive M100 V8 engine from the Mercedes-Benz 600. This engine conversion gave the car, denoted as W 113/12, impressive power, but made it very front-heavy, so that this direction was abandoned. The car was eventually destroyed, the usual procedure for test vehicles at the time. R 113 W 33-29 In 1968, Mercedes-Benz fitted a 280 SL with a M50F Wankel engine, denoted as R 113 W 33-29. With a top-speed of , a 0-60 mph (97 km/h) acceleration time of 8.7 seconds, and almost inaudible compared to regular SLs, it provided quite a surprise encounter for their owners in southern Germany at the time. Production numbers ==Motorsports==

Spa-Sofia-Liège Rally In 1963, Eugen Böhringer won the 6,600-kilometre Spa-Sofia-Liège Rally (Belgium to Bulgaria) on a race-modified 1963 230 SL. This vehicle was thought to have been destroyed for a long time, but turned up at a collector's house a few years ago. A newly build Replica is now in the permanent collection of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart Untertürkheim, Germany. On 14 September 1963, Dutch Grand Prix racer Carel Godin de Beaufort took second place in class in the Vaals hill climb in a stock 230SL. In 1964, Mercedes-Benz entered a modified 230 SL for Eugen Böhringer/Klaus Kaiser into the Spa-Sofia-Liège Ralley. These cars had special 2.6-liter engines (probably with pairwise cylinder casts, a layout that was later adopted for M130 engine of the 280 SL). The 230 SL from the previous year was driven by Dieter Glemser and Martin Braungart, but did not finish. Due to considerable mechanical bad luck, Eugen Böhringer finished only third this time, after Rauno Aaltonen on Austin-Healey 3000 and Erik Carlsson on Saab. Acropolis Rally In 1965, Dieter Glemser entered the Acropolis Rally on a light-weight 230 SL similar to the Spa-Sofia-Liège cars. His tuned 2.3 liter engine produced , further evidence to the fact that 230 SL production engines rarely met their power specification. Unfortunately, Glemser was given wrong directions by the police, costing him his comfortable lead and relegating him to third place. ==In media==

Magazines • The Belgian webzine ''Gentlemen's Corner'' listed the W113 among its 20 "Most stylish cars of the past 50 years". • GQ listed the W113 among the "Ten cars that made Mercedes-Benz". • David Gandy of Vogue.com listed the W113 as one of his "15 favorite cars". • The Daily Telegraph put the W113 on its list of "The 100 most beautiful cars" of all time. Top Gear On the British automotive TV show Top Gear (Season 3, Episode 8) the 280 SL is thought of highly, notably being described by the host at the time, Jeremy Clarkson, as one of the cars from the 1960s that has stood the test of time, being "from a time when Mercedes was still building its cars properly." ==Technical data==

Prominent owners of the W113 (mainly 280 SL) included Joan Collins, David Coulthard (midnight blue 1971 280 SL), Tony Curtis, Juan Manuel Fangio (230SL), John Gutfreund, Charlton Heston,), Sophia Loren,), Stirling Moss, Stevie Nicks, Colin Powell, Priscilla Presley (white 1969 280SL, a gift from her then-husband Elvis Presley, now on permanent display at Graceland), Burt Reynolds, Nico Rosberg, Axel Springer (whose Pininfarina Coupe sold for $1.2M in 2022), stolen in September 2011) and Peter Ustinov. ==See also==