For Sale: 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SE in Aiken, South Carolina

This vehicle is located in one of our European showrooms and is eligible for importation to the United States. Please contact us for more information. Price includes delivery to our Aiken, SC facility and all applicable title fees, insurance, bonds, duties, import taxes, and transportation charges. Vehicle will be sold with clean and clear South Carolina title.As wartime austerity receded and fiscal restraints were relaxed, encouraging customers to buy cars with larger engines, Mercedes-Benz responded by offering models with bigger, more potent power units. Thus the ultra-luxurious 280 SE Coupe/Cabriolet and 300 SEL saloon were the models chosen by Mercedes-Benz to launch its magnificent new 3.5-litre V8 engine in 1969.An over-square design featuring a cast-iron block and aluminum-alloy cylinder heads, each equipped with a single overhead camshaft, this all-new, state-of-the-art power unit produced 200bhp courtesy of Bosch electronic fuel injection and transistorized ignition. Thus equipped, the Coupe/Cabriolet was good for 125mph with 60mph reachable in 9.5 seconds, a substantial improvement on the six-cylinder version's figures.Although the equivalent SEL saloon used the 'New Generation' bodyshell, the Coupe and Cabriolet kept the elegant coachwork that had debuted back in 1959 on the 220SE and, as befitted top-of-the-range luxury models, came equipped with automatic transmission, air conditioning, power windows and stereo radio as standard. Significantly, the 280 SE 3.5 was to be the final model to feature this long-established and much admired body style, and today these last-of-the-line classics are highly sought after by discerning Mercedes-Benz collectors.Our Mercedes 280 SE is one of the best examples that you will come across, with a nice history. Her first known owner bought her back in 1984 in Tennessee where she remained until 2015. Our current owner acquired her through Palm Beach Classics in Florida, also in 2015. Once she arrived in Belgium, she was immediately shipped to Poland where she underwent a 5 year long, nut and bolt restoration. Proven by more than 3000 pictures. We believe that she is newer and in better shape than when she left the factory back in 1971. Everything was overhauled and brought back to the original condition.During her restoration she received a high quality paint job which is in immaculate condition. Also the interior is in amazing condition with new seats, new carpets, etc. Under the bonnet you will find a completely revised, matching numbers, engine which runs and drives great. The gearbox is a smooth shifting example, which completes the driving experience.It will be hard to find a desirable mode, like the 280 3.5 SE, in this immaculate condition. Especially in the configuration of the dark green paint, with the brown leather interior.