1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet
Chassis #: 11102712001273
Engine #: 116980-12-001099
The pinnacle of personal luxury at Mercedes-Benz during the late 1960s and early 1970s was the 3.5 Cabriolet, often lavishly equipped with many options and offered in fantastic colors chemes. As evidenced by the accompanying data Card, this car was ordered new in elegant Papyrus White (717) with a Blue folding fabric soft top (744) and a Blue leather (245) interior and powered by the original numbers matching 3.5 V8. The car was further factory equipped with a Behr air conditioning system, both front and rear, electric windows, and a freshly rebuilt floor-shifted automatic transmission.
Sold new to its first owner, Mr. Joseph Frates and Mrs. Johanna Frates through Brumos Pompano Beach Mercedes. Delivered new to the couple on August 3rd, 1970. The Frates would take the car back to Tulsa, OK to their main residence and then was used very sparingly until there sale of the 3.5 to a New York based collector in 1998. He would be the owner to drive and enjoy it while also restore the car until his sale of it in 2022.
The accompanying service and restoration history file covers the period from October 1998 to December 2022 and documents well over $100,000 of service history by Hatch and Son's Mercedes Benz Restoration. During this time, the entire interior was removed from the car for deep cleaning and repairing any worn leather. Notably, both the front and rear seats were recovered entirely and also received new padding. The dashboard was reassembled, and the fine burl wood trim was refinished, while any damaged veneers were replaced. A significant amount of time was devoted to replacing the convertible top and headliner, stripping it down to a bare frame. For use when the top is lowered, a new boot was crafted from the same matching blue leather. When completed, the convertible top alone took over 70 hours and $6,700 to replace. The car received a bare metal repaint in the correct original color of Papyrus White and received 300SE Style side chrome trim and arch trim
An equal amount of effort was spent to bring the engine and mechanical components of the car to an equivalent level. The engine cylinder heads were removed for reconditioning, and a new timing chain was installed Most recently, in 2021, the 3.5-liter V8 engine and automatic transmission were removed from the car when a thorough cosmetic restoration was completed. Placed on an engine stand, auxiliary components were removed from the engine and cosmetically restored with fresh paint and numerous related fasteners. Final work included recharging the converted air conditioning with R134a refrigerant and a new
hood pad. In December of 2022 the transmission was rebuilt. New tires installed April of 2024. Absolutely beautiful example that can be driven with the utmost confidence. The restoration documents and photos are many and can be requested for your review. Please reach out to Car Cave SRQ with any questions or requests. Offers and trades encouraged.
One of just 1,232 3.5 Cabriolets built over a 2-year production run. This exquisite example with excellent history, documentation, condition and usability is ready to be enjoyed! Comes with original owner's manuals, data card confirming all matching numbers and colors, tool kit, jack, history and restoration file, and new leather boot cover.
