{"id":8491,"date":"2020-12-30T09:41:54","date_gmt":"2020-12-30T09:41:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/?p=8491"},"modified":"2020-12-31T09:32:28","modified_gmt":"2020-12-31T09:32:28","slug":"mercedes-benz-280se-the-rarest-of-the-rare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/mercedes-benz-280se-the-rarest-of-the-rare\/","title":{"rendered":"Mercedes-Benz 280SE – The Rarest of the Rare"},"content":{"rendered":"

Germany doesn\u2019t have a warm and balmy Riviera. There are no sun-drenched Mediterranean beaches, no bays or cays lined with palm trees and speedboat-studded jetties. It\u2019s one of automotive history\u2019s most entertaining quirks that German manufacturers, and Mercedes-Benz<\/a> in particular, should have such a deeply ingrained and intuitive knowledge of what type of car should work on the Riviera, and perhaps no car has performed these high-roller boulevardier duties with quite as much panache as the W111-generation cabriolet.<\/p>\n

\"Mercedes,<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Mercedes,<\/a><\/p>\n

This model code was bestowed upon a broad range of cars built between 1959-71, including cabriolets and coupes as well as four-door saloons, and it\u2019s a range which has kept enthusiasts scurrying to double-check their notes for generations. The saloons were referred to internally as Heckflosse<\/em>, or \u2018fintail\u2019, thanks to their overtly American-influenced styling and, as the name suggests, prominent tail fins. But the coupe and cabriolet were of a markedly different design \u2013 they have smoother and more clean-cut rears. The work of legendary designer Paul Bracq, the silhouette is one that was so adored by Mercedes top brass that its essence was carried through into future models for many years.<\/p>\n

\"Mercedes,<\/a><\/p>\n

Designed in tandem, the coupe and cabriolet took the sensible four-door platform and reimagined it into something stylish and aspirational; luxury grand tourers for connoisseurs. The coupe launched first, with production beginning in 1960, but it was at the Frankfurt Auto Show the following year when the covers came off the 280 SE cabriolet that the world immediately changed for the better. The simple act of removing the roof entirely altered the car\u2019s character; it was a beautifully engineered arrangement, with the soft-top folding neatly away behind the rear bench and concealing itself within a cover trimmed to match the seats, and the ability to enjoy the 280 SE\u2019s family of straight-six engine choices with the wind in one\u2019s hair opened up a whole new world of possibilities. The drop-top immediately became an icon, a classic, one for the ages.<\/p>\n

\"Mercedes,<\/a><\/p>\n

But the engineers still had more to give. Indeed, they saved the best for last, debuting the rakish 280 SE 3.5 in August 1969. There was no straight-six here, but a full-fat 3.5-litre V8 \u2013 the first engine with a displacement above three-litres that Mercedes had seen fit to use in a post-war production car. Oh, and what a motor it was! The M116 V8 was an all-new design, producing an effervescent 200bhp and giving the cabriolet thoroughly modern 130mph potential. The top-tier spec level was distinguishable not just by the 3.5 boot badge, but by a larger and deeper front grille, and the facelift model came with all of the luxuries that a contemporary clubman boulevardier could expect \u2013 electric windows, power steering and automatic transmission as options, and a truly beautifully trimmed interior.<\/p>\n

Just 1,232 examples of the 280 SE 3.5 were built, and what was impressive rarity in period translates to spectacular desirability today.  <\/p>\n

If rarity is what flicks your switch, then you\u2019ll be pleased to note that the example we\u2019re looking at here \u2013 XMD 339M \u2013 is rarer than most. Being a factory right-hand-drive example is what makes it particularly special, as only sixty-eight of these were built. And what\u2019s most endearing of all is that the ingrained Riviera spirit has been lived out with gusto throughout the car\u2019s life. This 280 SE 3.5<\/a> is a genuine globetrotter, an adventurer, a machine with more than a few tales to tell.<\/p>\n

\"Mercedes,<\/a><\/p>\n

The car was built in April 1970, less than a year before the W111\u2019s production run came to an end, and as soon as it rolled out of the assembly plant in Stuttgart it was packaged up and wrapped in the figurative bow, ready to be shipped to the sunny island nation of Malta. Here is where its first owner resided, the car being registered at Admiralty House, and we can now only imagine how perfectly suited the ineffably stylish cabriolet was to its virgin environs. The balmy climate, the fresh Mediterranean air, the sweeping stretches of coastline\u2026 and it\u2019s also worth remembering that Malta is, of course, quite small. There\u2019s only so much driving you can do on an island that\u2019s only slightly larger than Stuttgart. So it was enjoyed as the designers intended, but only in moderation. No stratospheric mileage here, it was presumably just a case of gentle runs along the seafront between cocktail parties.<\/p>\n

\"Mercedes,<\/a><\/p>\n

After four years, the Mercedes then made its way to the United Kingdom. This is why you see it wearing an M-suffix registration number, as the official date of UK registration was in January 1974. Here the car passed into a cherished and pampered lifestyle, used casually for high days and holidays before \u2013 in a shock twist \u2013 being shipped over to Hong Kong. This was another eminently appropriate move in the field of dream realisation; not only is Hong Kong a humid subtropical region, it\u2019s got miles of fabulous coastline to enjoy with the top down and the endorphins up. Furthermore, it\u2019s one of the comparatively few countries which, like the UK and Malta, drives on the left, so a right-hand-drive car fitted right into the lifestyle.<\/p>\n

\"Mercedes,<\/a><\/p>\n

With the sovereignty of Hong Kong handed back to China in 1997, the 280 SE<\/a> then took to the seas to wend its merry way to the UK once more. And again, the venerable cruiser found itself warmly embraced into a life of casual splendour; used sporadically for special trips and holidays, and yet always kept in fine mechanical fettle, always ready to be fired up and hit the open road. Its natural character has been retained throughout, the car remains a matching-numbers example and has been treated to only the most sympathetic work when the passage of time dictated \u2013 most recently of which being a full retrim of the interior, with the wood trim re-veneered and everything brought back to its 1970 verve. This isn\u2019t just a car, it\u2019s a time machine. And what\u2019s more, it\u2019s a timeless Riviera cruiser: it doesn\u2019t matter whether it\u2019s physically on the Riviera or not, this car oozes the very essence of Monaco or Valletta from every pore even if it\u2019s just cruising down the high street to Waitrose. Such is its effortless style and panache, its poise and glamour, there\u2019s no need for sun-drenched vistas and steamy bays \u2013 this Mercedes-Benz<\/a> creates its own atmosphere.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Germany doesn\u2019t have a warm and balmy Riviera. There are no sun-drenched Mediterranean beaches, no bays or cays lined with palm trees and speedboat-studded jetties. It\u2019s one of automotive history\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":8494,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[2105,2],"tags":[2084,15,2561,53,963,2117,54,11,263,208,105,2085,2560,14,16,2354],"yoast_head":"\nMercedes-Benz 280SE - The Rarest of the Rare - Car & Classic Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"They don't come much rarer than this magnificent Mercedes. The 280SE is the most sought after of its kind. 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