Model hierarchy 'totem pole' and the 250SL's extra main bearing

The community half-jokingly ranks the range as a 'totem pole' with the 230SL at the bottom and 280SL at top, but that hierarchy is being challenged as the 230SL earns 'the respect of the 280SL.' The one-year 250SL is prized for its seven-main-bearing engine (an 'extra crank shaft bearing'), while some collectors still dismiss the early 230SL for its five-bearing engine and rear drum brakes.