Mercedes 230SL 'Pagoda' (1963)
Sorry if this list seems rather 'heavy' on SLs (meaning 'Sehr Leicht' or 'Sport Light') they can almost all be justifiably regarded as classics. The 1963 model was the first to sell in really significant numbers, shifting nearly 20,000 units between 1963 and 1971, many of them in the American market. With a 2.3-litre straight-six engine producing 170bhp the 230SL was good for 125mph and by using aluminium panels for the boot, bonnet and doors lived up to the 'light' bit of its name, at least in part. The car was available with a distinctively styled hardtop which gave rise to its nickname of 'Pagoda' SL. The engine was enlarged in 1967 to 2.5-litres to create the 250SL, which also gained rear disc brakes, and then again a year later for the 280SL, the biggest selling of all three variants.
