Mercedes-Benz 280SL

This 280SL is a late Pagoda, built in December 1970 only weeks before W113 production ended. It is finished in its original Silver Grey Metallic (180G) over red leather, and has a manual gearbox. The glovebox is signed by Paul Bracq, the designer of the W113.

It was supplied new in the United States and had three American owners before reaching the UK in 2006. The history file is unusually full. It records a mechanical programme under the second and third owners, including a top-end rebuild, a new clutch and brake and suspension work. It also holds the paperwork for a cosmetic restoration carried out in Pennsylvania in 1993. The third owner, in dry Arizona, entered the car in the 2004 Copper State 1000 rally.

The current owner bought it in 2008 through a Pagoda specialist, which carried out roughly £10,000 of work. That covered a full interior re-trim, an air-conditioning overhaul, oil leak rectification and a service. Since then it has covered around 6,000 miles, split between the UK and Portugal's Algarve. The odometer reads 51,594 miles, and both hardtop and soft top are included.