Sir Stirling Moss’s old Mercedes 230 SL is for sale

Celebrity-owned cars often come up for auction and, if we’re honest, most pass by without too much interest. But this, well, this is a Mercedes 230 SL once owned from new by Sir Stirling Moss. In fact it’s even better than that, because this particular Pagoda was built to Moss’s exact standards.

It’s a 1966 230, but at the time Moss (obviously) was keen on the more powerful, brand-new and as-yet unavailable 250 SL. Thanks to his past relationship with the brand, Mercedes gave Moss the UK-spec 230 that had been displayed at the 1966 Earl's Court Motor Show, but it plugged in the more torquey 2.5-litre engine from the 250. Apparently the data-card for the build also included the note – ‘Code 992 - engine must be specially selected on the Dynotech for best maximum performance’. Only the best for Sir Stirling. 

There was another unique feature too. Moss wanted a hardtop with an opening roof vent, and rumour has it that this was the only W113 ever fitted with such a modification. 

Moss collected the car from the factory and assigned his numberplate ‘M7’ to it for a couple of years, covering more than 11,000 miles in it before he sold it in 1968. In November 1970 it was repainted in the Jaguar Pearl Grey paint you see today, although apparently that’s the only change that has been made since Sir Stirling owned it. 

It’ll be sold at Silverstone Auctions’ The Classic Sale in late August and despite it needing a fair bit of restoration (it starts but hasn’t moved properly for a few years) the estimate is set at between £100,000 and £120,000.

Images: Silverstone Auctions