I won't deny, I drive it harder than most, but lets look at the history here!
The W113 was born in an age that is not likely to be seen again in our life times. Racing was bigger, teens weren't as concerned with their phones and their social media, it simply didn't exist. And most adults didn't have the same thig to worry about, interestingly enough, most adults tend to worry most about their teenagers! But gas was cheaper and roads were better. People drove more, and they drove not simply to get from point A to point B. For them, the driving was the point. The inline engine we have pushing our pagodas down the road, when you get down to the basics, the same found in the famous 300sl, and continued to be found in Mercedes well into the 80s. Clearly the engine was built right, as was the rest of the car! I know a man, he's a judge in my town, who drives a 1966 dark green beauty of a 280, with 653 k on the clock. If I open the good of my dads C36 AMG, the engine is so similar, you couldn't deny the origins. To think this car is a small car, that needs to be babies everywhere, is simply ludicrous, and is unfair to the car. The most unfair thing you can do to a car, is let it sit in a box, or only use it in stop and go traffic. Engines have to breathe, and open up well. Our SLs sound best at 3000 rpm, because that's when those long tubes start filling with air, and the car really gets to do what it was intended for. To be a golden arrow, beaming through the woods at dusk, or to be a red dot, rolling along the beautiful scenic highways so often avoided by other drivers, to be the strongest, loveliest, all around best looking, and feeling car on the road. Whether you're counting miles at 500k or 9000. If you don't ever take it out and just cruise like it was intended to, you should. I think you'll see what the rest of us have been saying for years. If not, that's alright, no one will disapprove or judge simply because you like to take your time and really see the views. I do too, a lot. But I can't find a ride out there that beats a w113 when it comes to having fun at an speed, on any road.
