• Includes optional alloy wheels, power sunroof, power windows and the original radio
The Appeal
Mercedes rebuilt its reputation following the Second World War with glamorous and expensive luxury sports and grand-tourer models like the 300S and 300SL but, for most of the 1950s, their glamour didn’t really rub off on the everyday four- and six-cylinder saloons which were its bread and butter.
That changed when the W111 platform débuted in 1959. Sold at first with only a 2.2-litre straight-six, the W111 range of models stood out for its strikingly sharp design, which began with unusual stacked headlights and culminated in pert little tailfins.
Until 1968, the 220, 220S, 220SE and 230S sold in large numbers, mainly to businessmen and well-off families, but expensive coupé and cabriolet variants appealed to celebrities and other high-profile individuals.
Introduced in 1967, the Paul Bracq-designed 280SE Coupé and Cabriolet turned the already stylish W111 into something beautifully exotic, but the best was still to come; in 1969, as a swansong for the W111, Mercedes introduced the 280SE 3.5, with Stuttgart’s all-new 197bhp, 3½-litre V8.
With the automatic gearbox, this gave it a top speed of 127 mph and helped it from 0 to 62mph in 11.5 seconds.
Only 3,270 280SE 3.5 Coupés were built between 1969 and 1971, making it one of the rarest Mercedes of its generation, in addition to being one of the fastest, most elegant and most luxurious.
The car offered for sale is made rarer still by its colour (see if you can find another green 280SE Coupé), which is believed to be original. The interior certainly is original and is awash with luxury features.
It displays a beautiful patina when so many similar cars have lost their originality and character through restoration.
• Owned in the early 1990s by a lady from Krefeld, near the Dutch and Belgian borders
• Later part of the private collection of a German car enthusiast, on whose death it was sold through Auto-Salon Singen of Baden-Wittemburg to the present owner in March 2008
• Professionally stored and maintained by Storacar from 2008 to 2013 while the owner was living in Hong Kong
• Since 2013, it has lived in an underground car park with annual servicing by Roger Edwards Motors in Amersham
• Driven from London to Somerset annually between 2014 and 2020 to participate in the Old Millfieldian Classic Car Rally
• Successfully driven to Switzerland and back in 2018
• Since October 2021, it has been used as a daily-driver due to the London ULEZ forcing the vendor’s modern car out of service
• Most recently serviced by Roger Edwards in March 2022
• Paperwork includes the current V5 and various German documents
• Assorted MoT certificates from 2010 to 2019
• Numerous invoices from Storacar and Roger Edwards Motors
• Original owner’s manual, service book and European Mercedes service directory
• Luxuriously specified with radio, power windows, power sunroof and more
• Everything in good condition with a delightful patina
Anyone who appreciates an original, untouched car is sure to admire the interior of this 280SE.
Not many cars over 50 years old still have an interior exactly as it left the factory, but this one is totally unchanged, apart from the attractive patina which time has gently bestowed upon it.
This is, in part, a testament to the high-quality materials Mercedes used, and the thick cream hide with which the seats are upholstered exudes luxury.
We find the dash especially nice. A handsome wood grain veneer is de rigueur for any high-end luxury car, but Mercedes eschewed the old-fashioned walnut beloved of British car-makers for something far more contemporary.
It looks wonderful and is in very good condition, although the veneer on the top of the dash is just starting to crack.
The carpets and headlining are in excellent order, even if the rubber mat by the driver’s feet has seen better days. The boot is also very well-presented, not to mention phenomenally capacious, with a good, solid floor.
Apart from its uncommon state of preservation, what really stands out about the 280SE’s interior is the sheer luxury.
Everything from the sumptuous rear-seat armrest to the original Becker Avus radio and stylishly-designed clock (currently non-functional), not to mention the fully-functional power windows and power sunroof, is tailor-made for the sophisticated motorist.
The shiny forest green paint on this Mercedes looks so appropriate and suits it so well that its rarity seems a little senseless, but you can take our word for it that it is a very scarce colour.
Of the small number of 3.5 Coupés that were built in the first place, you’ll find plenty in blues and greys, perhaps the odd one in burgundy or white, but you’re very unlikely to see another in dark green. To the best of our knowledge, it is the car’s original colour.
Also unusual are the Bundt Cake alloy wheels, which Mercedes launched as an option in mid-1969. Although very few 280SE Coupés sport them – most are fitted with the standard steel wheels – we feel ‘Mexican hat’ wheels, as they are known, suit it wonderfully.
They lend it an even more modern appearance and, since the appeal of the 280SE when new lay in its modernity, it was only natural that the trendier buyer should choose Bundts.
Overall, the car presents extremely well, although there are some areas which could be improved if you’re after absolute perfection.
The paint has some cosmetic blemishes which generally amount to nothing worse than small chips and light scratches, although there are a few bubbles appearing on the nearside front wing near the headlight, and around the ‘Automatic’ badge on the boot lid.
The car received some welding in 2017 and there is some corrosion appearing at the bottom of the rear wings, which one may wish to address as a priority.
All the brightwork looks fantastic. There is some light patination in places but, for the most part, it looks excellent and has a very bright shine.
There is one isolated instance of the chrome blistering on one corner of the rear bumper, but that hardly detracts from chrome which is otherwise excellent all-round.
The Bundt wheels are also in very good condition, with only some light marks in the centre and around the rims.
• One of the very first cars to be fitted with the M116 3½-litre V8
• Optional automatic gearbox and power steering
• Serviced annually from 2014 to 2022 by a classic Mercedes specialist
• Last MoTed in 2019
The 280SE is a reasonably big, heavy car, although its svelte styling does quite a good job of concealing the fact.
More to the point, though, is that it doesn’t feel at all big or heavy when you’re behind the wheel.
We know, of course, that the fuel-injected sohc V8 is so powerful that it barely notices the load it has to pull along, but the large disc brakes mean it stops sharply and, with power steering, it will turn on the proverbial sixpence – it really is remarkable. Plus, of course, with an automatic transmission the car really wants to do all the hard work for you.
The vendor has kept the Mercedes in excellent mechanical health by seeing that it always receives its annual service from Roger Edwards Motors, a classic Mercedes specialist.
He describes it as a reliable car which starts obediently and, as he has found out since his modern car fell foul of London’s ULEZ, it is more than up to the job of being used in an everyday capacity.
When it was last submitted for an MoT test in 2019, it passed with no mention of any faults besides a minor oil leak and the car has only covered a shade over 5,000km (3,100 miles) since then.
The 280SE 3.5 Coupé represents one of the rarest, most exotic and most desirable Mercedes of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
It was always an exclusive car, and with so much luxury inside and the powerful V8 under the bonnet, there are few cars to rival it. Its nearest competitor would probably be the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow by Mulliner Park Ward, but the Mercedes is so much more modern and striking in its character.
This example is especially good on account of its rare colour scheme and numerous options, like the alloy wheels and sunroof, and we can’t emphasise enough how good it is to see a completely original interior preserved so well.
While it might require some cosmetic work if it is going to be judged, it looks wonderful as it is and is more than capable of being used on a regular basis or for long journeys.
The 280SE 3.5 Coupé does not appear on the market often and it’s only going to appreciate, so place a bid on this one while you can.
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