Mercedes W113

In 1963 the Mercedes W113 replaced two cars: the 300 SL racing legend and the successful 190 SL. In the process, the 230/250/280 SL two-seat coupe/roadster became an icon not only by carving out the perfect niche between its two predecessors, but also by being like no other car on the road. Mercedes W113 - The Complete Story explores both the technical and social side of how this legend was born. The book covers: the W113's predecessors - the 300 SL and the 190 SL; design and development of the 230, 250 and 280 SL models, including the distinctive concave 'Pagoda' roof and the 'Californian Coupe' rear seat option; Bela Barenyi's innovations that made the 230 SL the first 'safety sports car'; rallying successes for the W113; the R107 successor, with specialist advice on 'Pagoda' restorations, and the W113 in popular culture. Superbly illustrated with 249 colour photographs.

The W113 isn't just a visual treat; its combination of superb original design, peerless engineering and build quality has ensured that many of these cars can still be seen in regular use today, with reliability and practicality adding to the desirability of the series. Covering the SL’s ever-changing specification, its competition record, and its presence in many of the world’s major markets is a huge task, but it’s all presented here in definitive detail, along with stunning contemporary photography, in a volume that will readily grace any reference library shelf or connoisseur’s coffee table.

This book gives an up-close look at Mercedes-Benz roadsters, convertibles, and two-and four-seat coupes from the mid-1950s to present. With roadsters, starting with the 300SL's from the mid-1950 and continuing through the current SLK's - up to the 2003 model year. Coupes and Cabrios, this book details the 220SEb/300SE cars of 1960 and continues on up to the current CLK's to the 2003 model year. This approach better serves those who are in the market for "personal cars" by not spreading the book too thin to cover the entire Mercedes-Benz lineup. Explore all the traditional elements of the Buyer's Guide series, such as the basic histories of each model or model type, Garage Watch photos with inset photo callouts, tables of common replacement parts, quotes from contemporary magazine reviews, owner testimonials, rating charts, and specification tables.

Mercedes-Benz Pagoda SLs are cars that have the style and dynamic qualities that can be instantly recognized and appreciated 35 years after they went out of production. They are more practical than their predecessors, the 300SL Gullwing and roadsters, and more memorable than their successors, the W107 Panzer-wagen SLs. This book gives you a "warts and all" introduction to what these SLs are like to own, drive and maintain, plus a step-by-step guide to how to evaluate any example you might be considering. It includes 100 photos of what to look for - and what to avoid - plus a realistic assessment of running and restoration costs, and market values. This includes servicing and spare parts prices, and the relative values of the various models, specifications and vehicle conditions you are likely to encounter. Written by the Editor of the Mercedes-Benz Club Gazette, it draws on the experiences of the late Roger Edwards, a former Mercedes-Benz apprentice who spent his life working on and enjoying these cars. Including input from Roger's colleagues, who continue to run his company, a leading source of expertise on Pagoda SLs. The book also benefits from the author's 30 years of owning, restoring and enjoying old cars, and his contacts in the world of Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts. One of a comprehensive series of buyer‘s guides published by Veloce, it uses a well-established evaluation system, developed to enable potential buyers to assess any car they view. It is written in an easy to follow, jargon-free style and will equip you with all you need to know when buying a Pagoda, whether you want to get your own hands dirty or just need to know what is necessary to supervise others working on your behalf.

The W201 was a compact saloon designed to address both concerns about fuel economy generated by the first oil crisis in the 1970s and competition for sales from the BMW 3 Series. Many doubted that Mercedes could deliver a compact car whilst retaining their traditional qualities. But the W201 soon won them over. For here was a car that was a real Mercedes in the tradition of the time - it was just smaller. With around 200 photographs, the book features the reasons behind the need to build a new compact saloon in the 1980s. It covers the styling, engineering and specification changes introduced over the lifetime of the model; gives full technical specifications, including paint and interior trim choices and production tables and vehicle number sequences. The story of Mercedes' long and exciting struggle to win the German Touring Car Championship with the 190 is covered. There is a chapter on the special US variants and, finally, a chapter on buying and owing a 201-series Mercedes.

The Pontons may have been Mercedes-Benz's bread-and-butter models of the 1950s, but they were vitally important in establishing the marque as a significant player around the globe. Alongside the saloons that made Mercedes famous world-wide for long-lasting and economical taxis, there were exotic two-door cabriolet and coupé derivatives, and the cars' basic structure was made available too for conversion into ambulances, pick-ups, estate cars and hearses. Not always appreciated is that the 190SL sports model was also derived from the engineering of the Ponton range. The Ponton Mercedes and the 190SL have long enjoyed a strong enthusiast following around the world. Here is their story, from their creation at a time when Mercedes was emerging from the devastation of war, though their success during the German Economic Miracle of the 1950s, to their final days in the early 1960s alongside the first of the 'Fintail' models that would eventually replace them. No enthusiast of these widely respected cars will want to be without this book.