1965 Mercedes-Benz 300SE Coupé – Auction Car of the Week

Every now and then a certain car will come along that catches the eye just right. We’re not talking about super rare, one-off specials, nor are we waxing lyrical about high performance, record breaking sports cars. It could be anything. A run of the mill Mk2 Golf for instance, or perhaps a particular Ford Capri that for whatever reason simply stands that little bit taller in the line-up of usual suspects. Maybe it’s a set of wheels that are the perfect match or a stance that’s spot on, but whatever the je ne sais quoi is, you know it when you see it, and this 300SE has it in spades.

Back in the ’60s, if you wanted the best of the best and had the moolah to back it up then chances are the W112 Coupé would have been very much on your radar. Released in 1962 to accompany Mercedez-Benz’s flagship saloon, the coupé, alongside a convertible version, caused quite the stir. The pinnacle of opulence and sophistication not only did it top the range but it also topped the car buying public’s list of must haves, too. Unfortunately it was far too exclusive and expensive for most.

With it’s superb Paul Bracq design, the W112 Coupé was an updated and improved version of the W111 220SE. The now dated fintails of the W111 were gone in favour of a more modern and elegant silhouette and as a result the W112 has aged somewhat more gracefully. Both cars are both certainly lookers but the W112 takes first prize in any beauty contest in our humble opinion.

It wasn’t just the bodywork that was revised either, with air suspension being utilised for unmatched levels of floaty comfort. Combine that with an automatic waft box and a unique interior complete with swathes of wood, leather and plush carpet and you have yourselves a winner ladies and gentlemen. This was luxury on the grandest of scales at the time. Hell, it still is.

Performance was top of the range, too and all incarnations of the 300SE were fitted with the M189 in-line six-cylinder. That’s essentially the same engine as the 300 SL. Developing around 170bhp in the W112 it had plenty of power, not to mention globs of usable torque, further adding to the car’s effortless driving characteristics.

With less than 2,500 coupés ever built it’s a rare beast indeed and that’s special enough on its own, but you combine that with an eight-year specialist restoration and you have something truly sublime, as is the case with this particular matching numbers, right-hand drive 1965 300SE coupé. Just look at it! Make no mistake, this is one of the best we’ve seen, or are likely to see for that matter. When you see as many vehicles as we do here at Car & Classic it’s not uncommon to hear of two-year-long restorations, or certain recommissioning works that may take double that amount of time, but this here Merc, well, it’s been an eight year process. Eight! And the results are simply staggering.

With no bolt unturned and every nut scrutinized the work put in here by classic Mercedez-Benz restorer Kevin O’Keeffe is incredible. Everywhere you look, it has been refinished and presented to a superlative standard with tens of thousands of pounds having been spent, all with accompanying invoices. Such attention to detail and devotion to the quality of restoration work is seldom seen. The bodywork and paint were entrusted to FH Ellis Coachworks resulting in one of the sharpest examples of a W112 300SE Coupé you’re ever likely to see. Not only that but it has just been fully and professionally detailed by Wow Factors. We can’t stop looking at it.

It’s not just the exterior that’s had the magic touch either. All of the mechanicals have been rebuilt, including the engine, automatic gearbox and rear axle. Seldom do two-door W112s come to market, and to find one as good as this is truly a remarkable opportunity so head on over to the auction listing for a more detailed run down of the car and restoration process and then get bidding. This one’s a no-brainer people.