By the end of the 1960’s, with BMW rising as a sports-luxury contender, Mercedes-Benz had answered the demand of the automotive press and the general public for a more muscular powerplant in its top-of-the-line saloons. The result was the brand’s first dynasty of V8 engines, ranging from an adequate 3.5L to a formidable 6.3L inherited from the prestigious 600 limousine.

While the W111 “Heckflosse” series, a child of the 1950’s with some undoubted American influence —tailfins, curved windshield—, was gradually being replaced by the more modern W108 and W109 saloons, the W111 coupes and cabriolets were left as standalone models until 1971. In addition to the many stylistic and technical refinements present in the Mercedes-Benz lineup of the time, these cars benefited from one of the new V8 powerplants, the M116 —a fuel-injected 3.5L V8. Performance figures were vastly improved: 0 to 100kph in less than ten seconds, and a top speed of over 200kph. By the time of their retirement in 1971, only 3,270 280SE 3.5 coupes and 1,232 cabriolets had left the assembly lines.

This 280SE 3.5 coupé is finished in its correct shade of Blue Metallic (387H) and it is a good running base to restore to show standard.