Every decade has its style icons. The 1960s brought us go-go boots, bouffant hairdos, and kipper ties, but none of which have aged nearly as well as the Mercedes-Benz W113 series of two-seat roadsters. The W113 was the original “car as accessory.” It was expensive and impractical enough to demonstrate one’s wealth, but it was also small and zippy enough for easy motoring through city traffic. It was sporty enough to be fast and fun to drive, but it was also comfortable enough to be luxurious. The W113 was always appropriate for any occasion, and anyone looked good in it.

The original W113 design was the 230 SL; it was introduced in 1963 with the crisp, angular Paul Bracq styling and Pagoda removable hard top, which would become the model’s signatures. The original 150-horsepower six cylinder grew in size over the decade, with the ultimate model being the 280 SL, which had the 180-horsepower, 2.8-liter engine and was introduced in 1968 and built through 1971. The 280 SL was the most popular W113, as it accounted for 23,885 cars.

Offered here is what can only be described as one of the finest 280 SLs in existence, as was confirmed for the present owner by preeminent West Coast Pagoda guru Tom Colitt. It is all the more impressive for having survived this way by loving care and preservation, rather than restoration.

Only the body has been refinished, with a high-quality professional repaint in the Dark Red-Brown that is original to this car, and it is backed up by over $40,000 in receipts for the paintwork and the detailing of the engine and chassis to exact factory specifications. The paint on the Pagoda hard top is original, as is the entire interior, including the Beige MB-Tex upholstery, carpeting, walnut, and door panels; all of these are in incredible time-warp condition. As a testament to the preservation of this car, the trunk floor is original and has never been repainted, the factory-installed firewall pad is still intact, and the car still wears all the correct markings and stampings that a Daimler-Benz employee would have recognized in 1970.

The car is supplied with its original tool kit, which has never been opened and is still in the heat-sealed bag, and its original books in their factory pouch, and it shows less than 25,000 actual miles.

Without exaggeration, this is the finest original 280 SL to be offered in recent memory. It is a truly world-class, irreplaceable specimen of one of Mercedes-Benz’s all-time most popular and versatile machines.