Description
This car is Lot 141 to be auctioned by Bonhams|Cars at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale on 11 July, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Public Viewing:
Available Thursday 10 July from 09:00 until 17:00 and Friday 11 July from 09:00 until 17:00, at The Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Lot 141
1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3. 5 Convertible
Registration no. DPH 595J
Chassis no. the details below
Single family ownership from new
Automatic transmission
Serviced and maintained by a marque specialist throughout its life
One of only 68 280 SE 3. 5 Convertibles built with right-hand drive
A well-maintained example benefiting from long-term specialist care and with interesting provenance, this Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3. 5 has been cherished by one family and maintained by the same marque specialist for nearly its entire life. The car has always been serviced by Tony Montalbano, a former technician at Woking Motors Mercedes-Benz in Walton-on-Thames. In 1977, Tony established TM Motors Mercedes-Benz Specialist in West Molesey, where he has continued to care for the car right up to the present day.
This Mercedes-Benz has benefited from regular maintenance and timely updates throughout its life, with any required work carried out to a high standard to preserve it in good condition. Around 1999, the car received a complete 'glass out' respray in its original colour together with re-chroming, chassis welding/ repairs, and the addition of a custom-made leather hood bag. In 2007, a reconditioned steering box and new stainless steel exhaust system were fitted. Most recently, in 2023, the front subframe mountings were addressed.
The Mercedes was originally owned by Gordon Mills - singer, songwriter, record producer and musical Svengali - a sharp-suited impresario with an ear for hits, an eye for reinvention and a taste for the extraordinary. He discovered and masterminded the rise to fame of three of the biggest male solo acts of their era: Tom Jones, whose breakthrough hit It's Not Unusual Mills co-wrote; Engelbert Humperdinck, whom he famously rebranded from the forgettable Arnold Dorsey to a velvet-voiced global heartthrob; and Gilbert O'Sullivan, whose quirky charm and melodic songwriting Mills helped steer to international acclaim. Stylish, driven, and instinctively theatrical, Mills was as much showman as manager, crafting identities, plotting trajectories and brokering the kind of showbiz deals that defined the music business in the 1960s and '70s. At the height of his career he lived in a mansion on St George's Hill in Weybridge, complete with a private zoo where he indulged his passion for wildlife and kept the world's largest private collection of gorillas, orangutans and tigers. In 1984 Mills gifted the car to one of his daughters, before his passing in 1986.
This is one of only 68 280 SE 3. 5 Convertibles built with right-hand drive. Carefully maintained and thoughtfully updated where needed, this much-loved Mercedes-Benz convertible is offered with an old-style logbook and a current UK V5C Registration Certificate, the latter listing Gordon Mills as previous keeper.
All lots are sold 'as is/ where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams|Cars website for all pertinent auction information.
