The answer – for now, and if your pockets are sufficiently deep – is the beautiful Mercedes you see before you. It began life in 1968 as an SL W113, a model better known as the Pagoda.

Mercedes-Benz has had an on-off relationship with its two-tiered sports car lineup. More recently there has been the SL/SLK, but the original was the 300SL/190SL dichotomy. The 300SL, whether in ...