Mercedes-Benz W113

The Mercedes-Benz W113 is a two-seat luxury roadster and coupe introduced at the 1963 Geneva Motor Show and produced from 1963 through 1971. It replaced both the 300 SL and the 190 SL and was sold as the 230 SL, 250 SL and 280 SL. Of the 48,912 built, 19,440 were sold in the US. It was developed under technical director Fritz Nallinger, chief engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut and head of styling Friedrich Geiger, with Paul Bracq and Béla Barényi as lead designers, and it takes the nickname Pagoda from its slightly concave hardtop. All models had a fuel injected inline-six engine, and the bonnet, boot lid, door skins and tonneau cover were made of aluminium to save weight. Cars were typically a coupe or roadster with a soft top and an optional removable hardtop, and the 250 SL California Coupe added a 2+2 layout with a fold-down rear bench seat.