SHOWROOM

Authentic, investment quality Pagoda with provenance.

Price just lowered from $99,500 for this investment quality Pagoda!

In the World War II era, women in the military were much more rare than today. When one considers a Japanese-American woman who had previously spent time in an internment camp then later joined The U.S. Army Nurse Corps and achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, the word “rare” does not seem strong enough.

Our subject car was a showroom display car sold by Mercedes dealer European Motors LTD in San Francisco on Jan, 5, 1967 to Major Ruth Tanaka who served at that time at Letterman Hospital. The car stayed in the Tanaka family until 2004 when the second owner purchased it from their agent. A running restoration was started in 2006 with new paint, carpets, and leather. The second owner went to great lengths to obtain the most correct and authentic materials for this car. The carpet is the finer square-weave “Boucle” like the original which is not available through the usual channels here in the U.S. any longer. It was sourced and purchased in Germany together with leather.

Likewise, the original soft top fabric color, code #727 Verdeckstoff 132 weissgrau or light gray is rare and no longer supplied through normal channels. The special fabric on the car today was sourced from the original “Sonnenland” manufacturer, Rode & Schwalenberg in Mannheim, Germany and shipped here to be tailor-made into a proper and authentic soft top. The top was installed by one of San Diego’s finest trim shops, Ocean Beach Upholstery in the spring of 2011.

The original books, manuals, records and restoration portfolio are included with the car which has been driven just over 100k miles since new. The fuel injection pump was rebuilt at Pacific Fuel Injection in May of 2014.

Major Tanaka received the National Defense Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Army Occupation Medal – Germany, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. She devoted her life to her Army nursing career and also expressed her love of art, classical music and opera.

Possibly this love of art and the experience of order and precision in classical music drew her to the Mercedes Pagoda as well.

Chassis: 11304212017524