Steve McQueen’s 1972 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL

Not all of the King of Cool’s cars were sporty. This lofty and lush Merc 300 SEL 6.3 is one of his more relaxed steeds, and now it’s up for auction. Under the hood is an M100 V8 engine pulled from the 600 SEL, and Mr. McQueen, himself, helmed it from 1972 until his premature death in 1980. It has been exhaustively restored by Merc-specialists Kienle Automobiltechnik in Germany to the tune of six figures and true to the original spec. There are 81,000 miles on the odo, which means it’s been loved as a driver. Its provenance is more than enough reason to go after it, and the design is, thankfully, timeless.