1963 - 1971 Mercedes Benz SLs

By 1963, the SL series showed clear signs of a new direction towards sports touring. Even with alloy hoods and trunk lids, the "Pagodas" (nicknamed for their pagoda-like removable hard tops) were notably heavier than their competition, but the straight-six provided adequate power with vastly improved reliability. As the engines grew—from 2.3- liters for the 230SL (1963-1967), to 2.5-liters for the 250SL (1966-1968), to almost 2.8-liters for the 280SL (1967-1971)—so did collectability.