Mercedes-Benz 280 SL R107

The story

The R107 SL ran from 1971 to 1989 without a fundamental redesign, and American buyers only ever saw its V8 versions, ending with the 227-hp 560 SL, which by then wore heavy federal bumpers and sealed-beam headlights. Europe had another choice. The 280 SL, built from 1974 to 1985, used the M110 twin-cam 2.8-liter straight-6, rated at a little over 180 hp, in a body with slim bumpers and glass headlamps that sat much closer to the original design. Americans who wanted one had to bring it in through the gray market.

It is not the faster car. In a drag race the 560 SL wins easily, and it is the better long-distance cruiser. But the 280 carries less weight and none of the regulatory hardware, and on a winding road the difference is plain: the nose turns in keenly, and the engine sounds happiest near the top of its rev range rather than at the bottom. It remains every inch an SL, solid and formal and built to last, only livelier. Among R107 devotees it is often named the most engaging of the lot.