Both 380SL and 560SL speedos "go to" 160, but the latter also has a few tick marks past the 160 and the highest kph is 260, where the 380SL's highest kph is 240. Neither car will go anywhere near there, so those differences are purely cosmetic.

If you still have time, though, take a good long drive in the 380SL (and in a couple of early '70s 450SL's and a 560SL or two for comparison) before you buy - city, freeway, hills, stop'n'go, . . . the whole shebang. Assuming the one you're lusting after is a 380SL, it is the slowest of all years with that body style. Some drivers won't care, they mosey anyway, but a lot of new 380SL owners post on this Forum and others with the same frustrated question: "How can I significantly improve the performance of this car for a few hundred dollars?" Sadly, the answer is "No way." Significant improvement starts at a couple thousand, so make sure it has enough passing reserve, pep up hills, etc., for the way you like to drive.

I drove a half dozen 107 SLs before buying one. Those in the $6-8k range (as high as I could go without taking on monthly payments) smoked, or had rust, so I kept looking. The '72 I eventually bought a year ago cost me a little over $4k, and I'll be putting another couple $2-3k and several hundred hours of my labor (mostly sanding off a bad paint job before repainting) to get it where I want it. That works for me because I just retired in August, and I want a play car, not an original - YMMV.