While the highlight of this feature is a ’69 Mercedes 280SL, its history runs deep in an extended family. The clan’s patriarch, Reza Mashhour, has owned 40 or so Mercedes over the years. He long ago lost count of just how many exactly. His lineage of Mercedes started out when he was a teenager, with his first car being a 1923 150 powered by an 80 hp engine. The following one, a 1947 170 diesel, had even less output at 50 horsepower.
Tiring of their meager performance, he never looked back, and eventually came to own a 617 hp McLaren SLR, among many other high-performance Mercedes. We’ll later get to how he got to that level, including colorful encounters with Iron Curtain border guards and a Nevada policeman, after providing a bit of family history.
Reza’s sons, Steve and David, followed in his footsteps, both favoring European exotics. After owning and racing Porsches and Mustangs. Steve returned to his father’s roots with the ’69 280SL seen here. In generally excellent condition, this model boasts mile-deep Dark Red (paint code DB-542). But it was in need of some minor restoration, handled by David Baertschiger, a technician at the local dealership, Mercedes-Benz of Reno. He’s the ideal man for the job, having grown up with the brand. His family has owned Mercedes-Benz automobiles since 1959. He addressed a few items on Steve’s 280SL which had succumbed to age, such as the rubber trim, the heater core and the window regulator. Nothing major, though.
What drew Steve to the car? He was drawn to the same appealing traits of this model that have found favor with so many enthusiasts, along with a number of celebrities such as Charlton Heston, Tony Curtis, John Lennon, Sophia Loren and Priscilla Presley, to name just a few.
SIDEBAR: Putting the 280SL in context
The two-seat W113 line was first revealed by Mercedes-Benz as the 230SL in 1963 at the Geneva Motor show. The new model replaced both the expensive W198 300SL and the somewhat sluggish W121 190SL. The styling of this new model echoed the wide grille of the 300SL, but also brought in some unique elements. Produced until 1971, the engine increased in size from 2.3 to 2.8 liters during its production life. There was also a 250SL offered in 1967 and 1968.
END SIDEBAR
Why choose the 280SL?
What Steve (and others) find so compelling about the 280SL is its road manners and classic lines, plus the Mercedes aura of prestige. It certainly wasn't the off-the-line acceleration, at least in comparison to the higher-powered cars he’s experienced. The fuel-injected, 2.8-liter M130 inline six-cylinder engine was designed to deliver about 170 horsepower, but that was reduced to 158 horsepower on U.S.-spec cars. Even so, the 0-60mph time of eight-plus seconds was more than adequate for the 280SL's era and intended market.
Road manners are often a point of personal preference. The comparatively shorter and wider chassis of the 280SL features a superb suspension with a low-pivot swing axle and a compensation spring mounted transversely above the differential. The Mercedes came with standard radial tires and powerful disc brakes at all four corners, which was unusual back then. With all those features, the 280SL delivers delightful handling, especially when you compare it with the boat-like sway and slippery cornering endemic in most American cars of the late 1960s.
Besting the field
In addition, other two-seaters of the 280SL era suffered by comparison. For instance, while the Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche 911, MGB and Jaguar XKE were all capable sports cars, they lacked significant storage space, and in many instances, offered poor dependability. In contrast, SL was the only option that offered a big trunk and still was fun to drive every day, or even across-country. In other words, the 280SL is a swift sports car without the pain. As found on Steve's car, most U.S. models were usually fitted with an automatic 4-speed transmission and air conditioning, something most European versions lacked. The optional climate control is highly prized by some collectors today.
The appeal didn’t end there. The sophisticated styling of the SL is certainly distinctive, most notably the contrarian concave roofline that spawned the “Pagoda” nickname. Designed by Paul Bracq and Bela Barenyi, the 280SL offered an optional hardtop with an open, airy greenhouse and low belt-line for less obstructed visibility. But it also provided a sturdy structure in keeping with his focus on providing a safer and more rigid passenger cell with crumple zones integrated into the vehicle’s structure. Other safety enhancements implemented previously on the 250SL consisted of a collapsible and padded steering wheel, and a smoother, softer dash and hardware. The camel-colored interior of Steve’s car looks almost as fresh as factory new.
The Sports Lightweight heavyweight
Ironically, the “SL” in the Mercedes moniker translates from “Sport Leicht” to “Sports Lightweight,” yet these terms aren’t entirely accurate, even with the use of aluminum in the hood, trunk lid and door skins. The snappy persona of the 280SL belies its substantial character as a grand-touring machine. Even so, in comparison with the beefier, big-shouldered Mercedes sedans, this model is positively svelte.
While the SL received many accolades for its lithe lines, its solid construction is what has drawn both Steve and his father Reza in particular to Mercedes-Benz ownership. As a mechanical engineer by profession, the elder Mashhour appreciates, “A fine, built-up car,” he says, noting specifically the robust thunk of the doors. He also particularly values the car's smooth ride and the way the chassis settles down at speed.
The latter aspect is particularly apt in his case, as he admits to having a heavy foot on the open highways of Nevada in his modern SL55 AMG. A Nevada trooper once pulled him over in the remote regions of central Nevada, near Area 51. He did get a ticket, but Reza managed to talk the officer into a reduced fine after offering to let him drive the car. The two men remain good friends to this day.
But Reza didn’t encounter this sort of affability years before, when he was attempting to import a couple of 230E Mercedes-Benz sedans to Iran. He had actually requested 150 units from the factory, but was turned down due to allocation limits. On his drive from Germany to the Middle East, he ran into some armed border guards in Yugoslavia who wanted to detain him, most likely to get a bribe. He managed to slip away while they were distracted during a shift change.
“I drove away as fast as I could!” Reza relates. He was amazed that they didn’t open fire on his cars with their submachine guns.
A lifetime passion for Mercedes-Benz
Reza’s fondness for speed was also evident when he left his job as an engineer and marketing maven for Chevron and opened up an auto repair and racing shop in the San Francisco area. His partner Rick Ruiz was a well-known funny-car drag racer, and Reza took the wheel sometimes as well.
His experience running a repair shop came in handy with a couple of problematic Benzes. While most of the models he’s owned over the years have been basically trouble-free, a ’67 250SEL had a suspension issue. Leaky vacuum lines caused it to sink into the ground. He managed a temporary fix to hold it together, but had no choice but to sell off the car.
A speedy ’79 6.9 sedan he owned suffered from seeping hydraulic lines which would have required an expensive repair. Fortunately, this popular model was stolen from him—twice. So that basically solved the problem for him.
Reza's current collection includes a 2008 CL550, which was a birthday gift to his wife Farideh. She hasn’t driven it all that much, only about 1,000 miles per year, as she has a preference for her smaller CLK430.
There's also a 2015 S550C, which is a Special Edition first-year model powered by a twin-turbo V8. Commenting on the car’s effortless cruising qualities, he says it feels “like nothing” to drive it at speed. Commenting on this high-powered Mercedes, Reza says, “Since it’s a performance car, I want to drive it fast.” Indeed, he claims that he once drove from Southern California to Las Vegas in only two hours. That’s normally a four-hour trip—and he wasn’t even being chased by frustrated border guards that time.
Reza also tells the tale of hammering the throttle on his SLR McLaren on a lonely drive from Reno to Winnemucca. Details are sketchy, but the top speed of that model is listed at 208 MPH. The SLR McLaren was in such demand, he acquired another one for about half-price, and made a few hundred thousand dollars when he resold it, never even having seen the car!
There are a few dozen other Mercedes that Reza has owned over the years, including a 2005 SL65 Silver Anniversary and a 2004 E 55 with a RENNtech performance package. He sorely regrets selling that one. How does he explain his enduring fascination with the Mercedes-Benz brand?
“Mercedes is in my blood,” he notes. “Every year I’ve had one, continuously in my entire adult life.”
Now that’s a fine legacy.
