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If a brand awareness survey would be held amongst owners of classic cars, the Mercedes-Pagoda would probably achieve a score of 100%. The nickname can be traced back to the curved shape of the roof, as seen in the architectural style of the Chinese and Thai. The car celebrated its 50th anniversary in August 2013. The cars official name is Mercedes-Benz SL with the internal code W113. Three engine varieties were built: 230 SL, 250 SL and 280 SL.

Although the W113 definitely belongs in the pantheon of German automobiles, the model also has French roots. The designer is the Frenchman Paul Bracq.

The curved shape of the roof is not the work of Bracq but Béla Barényi, also inventor of the crumple zone. Barényi also smoothed the sharp edges at the cars sides, which made it safer in collisions.

The Pagoda was built in three varieties: the 230 SL, 250 SL and 280 SL.

Every model can be recognised by the size of the engine, but there are also other unique features. The 230 SL only has disc brakes at the front, the 250 SL and 280 SL have them all around. The hubcaps show you if it’s a 250 SL or a 280 SL without having to open the bonnert. The 280 SL has one-piece hubcaps. These differences applied to both the European and U.S. market. The U.S. models differ from the European ones with different bumpers and lights.

Mercedes-Benz introduced the 280SL less than a year after the 250SL arrived on the scene, and closed out the “pagoda” SL line in 1971.The 280 was very similar, to its predecessor, using clean, elegant lines, intelligent placement of the wheels in proportion to the rest of the design, and a tall, "pagoda" removable hard top that allowed for ease of ingress and egress.

The engine was a 2.8-liter, overhead-cam, and inline-6. Bosch fuel injection was incorporated as well, and horsepower on the sport tourer was rated at 180 – a fair bit more than the 230 and 250 had access to.

Cabin refinement was high, with acres of leather, plush, supportive seats, big, readable gauges, and a quality of craftsmanship throughout, including the soft top, which disappeared easily and unobtrusively when not in use. New safety features included an energy-absorbing steering column and three-point seatbelts.

By the time the 280SL gave way to the next generation SL, designated the R107, it had firmly established itself as one of the finest cars to come from the Stuttgart firm. With timeless, graceful styling, spirited performance and handling, and build quality and reliability second to none, the SL series of cars built from 1963 to 1971 are solid collectibles with plenty to offer.

Famous Owners of these splendid timeless Vehicles.

Charlton Heston, David Coultard owns a midnight blue 1971 280 SL, Tony Curtis, John Lennon owned a dark blue (332G) 1965 230 SL, which was for sale for $495,000 in 2011,John Travolta owns a Havana brown (408G) 1970 280 SL, Kate Moss owns a metallic blue (387H) 280 SL,    Nico Rosberg, Peter Ustinov, Sophia Loren, Stirling Moss, Colin Powell have also owned these vehicles.