BELLE OF THE BALL
Considered by many to be among the most beautiful Mercedes-Benz ever
Holden HQ Kingswood/Chrysler Valiant VG Coupe
Has elegance left modern car design? Are there no longer any cars being made which exude grace and class? Some may point to the brawling Jaguar F-Type or a sophisticated Aston Martin, but these designs are far too littered with scoops and spoilers to be considered the essence of elegance. Lyn Gardener, the owner of the pristine Mercedes - Benz 230 SL that we’re featuring certainly thinks so.
You wont find blacked out trim or imitation brake cooling ducts anywhere on its stately sheet metal. It's a purposeful, yet beautiful, design that looks formal and expensive without looking frumpy or overly pretentious. Compared to American offerings in the 1960’s on which chrome was apparently slathered on with a trowel, the SL uses delicate trimmings of chrome to highlight the edges of its shape in the same way that a chandelier can complement an interior.
Like many other creative individuals, Gardener was initially attracted to the Pagoda for its graceful and petite shape. Lyn, who features regularly in Melbourne design and lifestyle magazines, has a well-developed eye for most aspects of design. As the owner of several of Victoria’s most desirable holiday residences [The White Room, The White House Daylesford, The Estate Trentham, The Apartment St Kilda, Room + Board] Lyn is also a very well respected and in-demand interior designer so she understands clearly what defines and characterizes beauty.
The so called “pagoda roof” SL roadster of the 1960’s is considered by many to be among the most beautiful Mercedes-Benz ever. Lyn who effuses effortless glamour and style is definitely among its admirers.
“If you look at the predecessor SL of the 1950’s it was very voluptuous” she tells us. If you look at the beauty ideal, the women were more voluptuous, but in a good way, a sensual way. “And in the 1960’s you had Twiggy and thin, tiny skirts. So the Pagoda reflects the taste of the time, the beauty ideal of that decade.”
From a woman who could rival the celebrity set-models that defined the 1960’s, Lyn is an equally as convincing match to the beauty of the SL Mercedes. One of Lyn’s favorite views of the car, being an interior designer, is the elevation and the view of the side of the car. Because of the proportion of the body its elegantly streamlined compared to how much glass there is so you don’t have a really tall side door panel, which results in a very thin, crisp and clean design.
Good interior design needs to be straightforward with basic principles that you can appreciate in the future. Basic ideas that are timeless in their nature, yet continue to push the boundaries are the types of design that Lyn has built her reputation on. The 230 SL was equally forward thinking in its time yet remains a timeless and elegant design.
Lyn believes that classic car enthusiasts are enthusiastic about cars and all its other sorts of ancillary design features – the way in which design enthusiasts obsess over fashion, houses or any material object that has a well-designed component to it. A wonderfully designed interior has a perfectly considered proportion that in combination with its details and finishes provides an overall cohesiveness that brings it all together.
The SL’s signature design feature is its “pagoda” roof. Mercedes engineers designed the removable hardtop with a unique concave curve in it; most roofs are convex when viewed from the front or the rear. One of the reasons they did this was to add rigidity to the structure so that it could protect the occupants during a rollover crash; the other version was that the upturned roof edges allowed for taller windows and better visibility, giving the car a very light and almost delicate appearance. None of these design considerations have been lost on their current owner who has spent the best part of her life obsessing over design details.
In comparison to the exorbitantly expensive 300 SL “gullwing” the 230 SL was a more genteel car. It still, however, contained all the sport car ingredients including a multi-point fuel-injection system [which means that it starts and idles just like a new car!], two eats, four-wheel independent suspension and a removable top.
Lyn is especially attracted not only to its flattering design but to the German engineering which provides this classic with a worry-free motoring experience. According to Lyn for the 15 years she has owned the SL it has, “never broken down or required any major mechanical work and starts every single time without hesitation”.
This reputable engineering that comes with owning a Mercedes almost saved Lyn’s life on a recent confrontation. Whilst driving her second vintage Mercedes [her daily driven 380 SE 4 door sedan] a young and possibly inexperienced driver [in a modern vehicle] slammed, with incredible force into the rear of Lyn’s sedan! Lyn’s Mercedes, aside from the chrome bumper bar being slightly damaged, was intact and completely drivable! The other drivers’ car, which was brand new, was a write-off and needed to be towed away…
Lyn’s daily driver is a superbly engineered saloon car that was built for supreme safety and longevity. Regardless of Mercedes intent to emphasize these safety features, Lyn was relieved that it was her daily driven 380 SE that took the hit, than her pristine and exclusive Pagoda 230 SL!
This excellence in engineering translates into a motoring experience that closely represents that of a modern vehicle! It’s one of the few cars from the 1960’s that can be driven like a new car. Understandably, Lyn has driven the car on may occasions to her Daylesford properties and finds that the picturesque and winding roads that lead to Victoria’s goldfields are perfectly suited to the grand cruiser.
“You’re cruising along and quietly enjoying life, taking in the scenery, not needing to race anybody, just enjoying the overall journey”. The feeling of sitting in a big old couch and relaxing behind a large and comfortable steering wheel only heightens this sensory experience.
As much as Lyn has cherished these experiences, after 15 years of ownership and the ongoing rental costs for a garage, which stores the vehicle, she has considered the option of selling the vehicle. Values for the Pagoda have risen dramatically and it's a huge investment that lies dormant in an inner-city garage for much of the year.
Lyn, who effuses style and charisma remarks that “I was supposed to take a year away from my business and undertake a 1 year retreat staying at selective accommodation and generally living the type of lifestyle that any designer dreams of”.
The Pagoda being the automotive equivalent of this European dream vacation could provide this in plenty…
