The Mercedes-Benz product line of the late 1950s had a glaring void. The 300SL sports car was magnificent but expensive, and its 190SL sibling, developed from an entry-level sedan, lacked performance. To remedy this omission, development began on a six-cylinder evolution of the 190SL, internally coded W-127 and intended to be badged as 220SL. Along the way, however, the development was redirected toward the S-Class, W-112 platform. The result was the W-113, a fuel-injected 2.3-liter sports car introduced at the March 1963 Geneva Motor Show. Badged 230SL, it came as a roadster or “pagoda roof” coupe. Nearly 20,000 were built through 1967, of which more than half were exported, many of them to the United States.

Road & Track was impressed by its performance: “The 230SL really belongs to the fast car group. The manual-shift gearbox is first class with very fast, excellent synchromesh, and a shift lever position which is exactly right.” Successively larger engines kept the W-113 in production through 1971, as the 250SL and finally 280SL. When finally succeeded by the R107 and C107 cars, nearly 50,000 had been built.

This attractive 230SL is finished with blue paint, blue leather interior and a dark blue convertible top. Incredibly, its first owner kept the car until the mid-2000s and it has been a Los Angeles car from new. It still even still wears its original black and yellow license plates. Car Classic Interiors finished its cosmetic restoration earlier in 2015 and it runs and drives wonderfully today. Restoration work on the car included new paint, new interior, a new convertible top, and much more. This is the ideal 230SL for an owner looking for an attractive example that they can drive and enjoy.