1967 Mercedes-Benz 230SL Pagoda W113 5spd ZF manual

Your starter for ten: What links Sophia Loren, John Lennon, Priscilla Presely, Peter Ustinov, and Stirling Moss?

Answer: They all drove Pagodas.

Oft-heralded as the most stylish car ever made, the W113 SL ‘Pagoda’ was the brainchild of Mercedes-Benz royalty Friedrich Geiger, road safety pioneer Béla Barényi, and car stylist par excellence Paul Bracq. It was affectionately dubbed ‘Pagoda’ in reference to its uniquely concave removable hard-top, echoing the iconic form of the Buddhist temple. The end product was simply breathtaking; a masterclass in understated elegance that’s arguably yet to be bettered. And behind those glamorous looks lay rock-solid engineering; a BOSCH multi-point fuel-injected SOHC straight-six renowned for its smoothness and reliability.

Any Pagoda is a special thing, but here’s the rarest variant of all – one of fewer than twenty right-hand drive examples to be factory-fitted with a ZF five-speed manual gearbox. And of that elite few, only six cars are known to the W113’s technical registry. Worldwide, sources indicate that just 882 customers ticked the box marked ‘Fünfgang’ on the order form, and most of those five-speed SLs found their way to Italy. Today, they’re immensely desirable, so it’s exciting to see this wonderful specimen is up for auction with Car & Classic.

The venerable ZF S5-20 found its way into a multitude of high-end cars of the day, including the Lamborghini 350 GT and a brace of ‘60s and ’70s Maseratis. Five-speed gearboxes were a real rarity at the time and the German firm ZF were among the first to introduce a reliable unit. This gearbox utterly transforms the character of the SL, turning the docile Riviera cruiser into a true sports car. The higher echelons of the rev range are unchartered territory with the auto box; a real pity when you consider the 148 horsepower M127 engine hits peak power at fairly frenetic 5,500 rpm. Sure, the 230SL is still damped for comfort, the recirculating ball (often power-assisted) steering is not especially communicative and your’re unlikely to win any races. But, simply having that extra cog at your disposal, and an all-round better transmission, really does make all the difference.

Rarity aside, this 1967 230SL is still one of the finest Pagodas to hit the market in recent years. When collectors are lucky enough to get hold of cars like this, they usually hang on to them. Indeed the previous keeper of this Merc cherished it for thirty years. During current ownership, the car has received a major service, new stainless steel exhaust, fresh paintwork, a new chrome grille and a new rear bumper. A year’s advisory-free MOT confirms what a great example this is. Whether you’re seasoned Pagoda collector or have always wished for a five-speed version of Mercedes’s most celebrated convertible, this is the car you’ve been waiting for.