Cars

A masterpiece of styling by Paul Bracq, the Mercedes-Benz W113 SL Pagoda Roof was built to exceptional standards, from the cast aluminum door shells to the individually numbered hood, trunk lid, hood and alloy door skins.

Far ahead of its time in the combination of sporting performance and travel comfort it offers, it looks tricky but is a masterful endurance rally car – as proven by its victory in the grueling Spa-Sofia-Liège event in 1964.

All three engines have nearly identical top speeds, although the 250 and 280 have significantly more torque than the 230SL.

The 280 also has softer seats and suspension, and 90 percent were sold with an excellent four-speed automatic transmission, while 75 percent of the 230 were manual.

The W113 was always glamorous and expensive (twice as expensive as a 4.2 E-type), with Charlton Heston and John Lennon among the star owners of the time.

This example, imported from the USA in 2007, has been totally restored over several years. It is equipped with a 4 speed mechanical gearbox, mohair soft top and a hardtop.