Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present a beautiful example of
this 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet with reported to have
83K original miles and to be a long time California car recently
acquired from a southern California collector/owner and loaded with
factory options including very rare and desirable factory BEHR air
conditioning, single seats, power steering, power windows, power
disc brakes, outside rear view mirror amp; factory 'Becker Europa'
radio. The recipient of a beautiful original factory color repaint
with no expense spared some 4 years ago in it's original 'Tobacco
Brown' factory color paint and boasting a new factory correct
matching 'Dark Brown' soft top and leather tonneau cover with a
very striking 'Light Ivory' color ROSER leather interior and
obviously always stored in climate controlled garages since new
with a remarkably well preserved original undercarriage and
trunk.It should come as no surprise that both the 3.5 Coupe amp;
Cabriolet was in an exclusive territory of only those who could
afford the very best, and who were indeed fortunate if they could
even obtain one of these rare imports from their local Mercedes
Benz dealer, such was the exclusivity and demand of these amazing
motorcars. Hand built with generously applied chrome fittings,
combined with the finest natural materials available, provide an
unmatched ambiance of luxury and wealth in its lavishly appointed
interior, with fine ROSER leather, exquisite 'Rosewood' burl wood;
the standard of craftsmanship apparent everywhere on this car is
nothing short of astonishing in these hand-built Mercedes luxury
cars. This particular car still boasts it's mostly all original
interior including original 'Becker Europa' radio and striking
burlwood and also boasts original factory air conditioning and
power windows!The 280 SE 3.5 coupes and cabriolets were
Mercedes-Benz' first V-8 powered sports cars. The combination of
superb performance and elegant styling makes the 3.5 one of the
most collectible and desirable car's in the world amongst classic
car collectors and this is obviously especially true for
Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts. With the same basic body as the 280 SE
six cylinder, the eight cylinder offered a new interior which
featured more wood and leather upholstery as standard. This was a
low production car for its day with only 4,502 units produced
(3,270 coupes and 1,232 cabriolets) during its only two years of
production (11/1969-7/1971).The car had been built in 1971, the
final year of only a three year production run, and dispatched from
the factory in Stuttgart in 1971. The original factory 'Tobacco
Brown' factory color repaint is in exceptionally fine condition and
includes the rare and highly desirable factory options including
the original steering wheel, original reupholstered leather seats,
original center console, original 'Becker Europa' radio, low
grille, original tools, jack and owner's manuals and original
factory BEHR air conditioning. The 280SE 3.5 W111 model. was built
for a period of less than two years, from November 1969 to July
1971 with very few models being sold in the U.S and carrying a
whopping MSRP of $14,509.00 for a coupe, obviously even more for a
Cabriolet, some forty-five years ago! Squarely placed in Rolls
Royce Corniche territory, those who could afford the best were
fortunate if they could even obtain a 3.5 from their local Mercedes
Benz dealer, such was the exclusivity and demand of this amazing
motorcar. Generously applied chrome fittings, combined with the
finest natural materials available, provide an unmatched ambiance
of luxury and wealth in its lavishly appointed interior, where fine
ROSER leather, exquisite burl wood and chrome plated fittings
abound, the standard of craftsmanship apparent everywhere on this
car is nothing short of astonishing. The cost of restoration of one
of these hand-built Mercedes has become almost prohibitively
expensive.In 1969, the 3.5-liter power plant introduced the engine
of tomorrow for Mercedes. Highly advanced, Mercedes' first V-8
featured overhead camshafts, electronic fuel injection, and
transistorized ignition. Output was rated at 200 DIN horsepower,
good for a top speed of 127 mph and 0-60 times of 8.9 seconds!This
car must be seen and driven to be fully appreciated - the engine is
extremely strong and responsive and the transmission shifts
smoothly through all the gears and the engine temperature always
remains cool.In summary, this is one very fine example of the
internationally known and highly collectible and legendary
Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 V8 Cabriolets. A long time California car
and restored only as required over the years by obviously careful
and conscientious owners . Understood to have come 83K original
miles, 1 of only 1,232 ever built, you will look long and hard to
find a finer example anywhere else.