This Mercedes-Benz 280SL is believed to have lived in America until circa 2007, at which point it made its way to the United Kingdom via a pitstop in Bulgaria to be restored.

This work was followed by further improvement by Chelsea Cars before the seller bought it as a present for his wife to use at their home in the South of France, a role the combination of effortless elegance, folding roof, and left-hand drive layout enabled it to fulfil for the past 16 years.

However, despite this long-term ownership, they haven’t been able to use it as much as they would have liked because they weren’t happy taking their two dogs out in the fierce summer heat in a car that wasn’t air-conditioned.

We always say the best cars come from the nicest people, and reasons for not being able to use a car don’t come any better than this, do they? While it may not have seen frequent use, he’s taken good care of it nonetheless, maintaining it and running it up to temperature on a regular basis.

He’s been ...