Mercedes 560SL, Yellow, for sale in Charlotte, North Carolina, for $16,995.

There are many who feel that the W107 SLs were the last of the engineered Mercedes-Benz automobiles. After that, the cars were more mainstream, and the engineers were joined by the marketing department, and the slogan Engineered like no other car fell by the wayside. This 1989 560SL represents the last of the best, a low-mileage survivor that proves why these cars are still wonderful machines that truly deserve their honored reputations.

If you could afford one of these, it meant you had well and truly arrived, and that you cared about smart investing as much as making a good first impression. Light Ivory is the perfect color on a grand tourer such as this, and it is remarkably well preserved. It has clearly led an easy life in a warm climate, and at 22 years old, it is just getting broken-in. Panel gaps are exemplary and the trim fits with a precision that was typical of Mercedes-Benz quality of the era. The heavy chrome and rubber bumpers were an unfortunate by-product of federal regulations, but they, too, add to the car's appeal with their purposeful look, as if Mercedes didn't care about appearance as much as function-which was 100% true. 1989 was the last year of the W107 model, and it received a slender third brake light at the trailing edge of the deck lid, a big improvement over the clunky CHMSL on earlier models.

The luscious chocolate brown interior is incredibly inviting and looks upscale even in today's world. The leather used in these cars is not only lovely to look at, but wears like iron, and the bucket seats have a comfortable look while still being supportive and firm. Matching dark brown carpets look unaffected by the sun's rays or dirty shoes, and the curious olive green inset in the package shelf appears to be original as well. Burled walnut on the console and dash warms up the interior without detracting from the all-business controls. The bold gauges are visible through the massive steering wheel that makes you feel like you're at the helm of something substantial, and in true Mercedes fashion, everything works as it should. This car also offers two tops, a brown folding roof and a color-matched hardtop.

The final evolution of the 5.6 liter SOHC V8 was designed to run for hundreds of thousands of miles with only routine maintenance, and with only 70,535 original miles, this one is still fresh. With a bubbly, bouncy idle and seemingly limitless reserves of torque, it moves the two-seat roadster effortlessly without the high-strung theatrics of lesser machines. A 4-speed automatic transmission swaps gears unobtrusively, and the supple, all-independent suspension is willing to dance, but is equally comfortable on long stretches of highway. Traditional MB alloy wheels wearing Michelin radials adroitly straddle the ride/performance equation.

Renowned for their engineering, cars like this SL are a reminder of when the gap between the ordinary and the extraordinary was wide indeed. Call today!