1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL

Nearly a decade after it had stunned the world with the original 300 SL, Mercedes-Benz faced the daunting task of replacing the world’s first supercar. Instead of constructing another pure sports car, with performance as the ultimate goal, Mercedes decided to turn the SL quest in a different direction, designing and developing an entirely new car built upon a steel monocoque unibody that emphasized comfort and convenience over outright speed.

Emulating an authentic legend like the 300 SL was never really going to be possible in any case, so the car internally designated as the W113, that first appeared as the 230 SL, had to establish a persona of its own. This was helped by its distinctive design that relied on softened crisp edges and topped itself with a mildly concaved roof that earned it the nickname of the “Pagoda” SL.