1971 MERCEDES-BENZ 280SE 3.5 FLOOR-SHIFT SUNROOF COUPE

The 111 chassis cars were the top of the Mercedes-Benz range and were available as four door sedans and two door coupes and cabriolets. Designs were begun in 1957 with the first cars being produced in 1959. The 111 chassis coupe was introduced in 1961 and was an immediate success, ffering very attractive styling and comfortable seating for four. Initially powered by a six-cylinder engine, hey remained basically unchanged with various small revisions to trim and displacement until 1969 with the launch of the 280 SE 3.5. This featured an all-new 3.5 litre V8 engine, hich dramatically improved the car's performance. Additionally, he front grille was lowered and widened to accommodate the larger V8 engine, hich also served to give the car a more modern appearance. Consequently, hese are the most sought-after versions of the legendary 111 series. Only 3,270 coupe versions were built, aking them pretty rare, ut the challenge in finding one is further compounded by the number of these already lost to corrosion. Even though the factory first dipped the entire body of each car in a giant 52-ton bath of primer, hich was then baked on (prior to the application of a further 25 pounds of undercoating), hey were sadly, till very susceptible to rust, f driven in even vaguely inhospitable climes.

Though this particular car was delivered new in Europe, t was brought to California shortly thereafter (as one can tell by its original blue California license plates). The car was put into storage in 1983, here it remained for the next thirty-two years. Therefore it was only driven on the road for twelve years and is consequently in very good original condition throughout, ith just 79,000 kilometres (49,000 miles) from new and, mportantly, hanks to its short on-road life and the perfect climate of its adopted home, nlike most of its siblings, t is wonderfully rust-free.

Though originally DB50 White, t was repainted DB350 Medium Blue at some point in its early life. The paintwork however, s still in very good shape and the body is very straight. The navy interior is original and shows very little wear. The wood and chrome are also in good condition. The electrics are all in working order, ncluding the power windows and extremely desirable factory sunroof and, o round out the plus column, t was ordered with the highly sought after, loor-shift automatic transmission option.

Upon purchasing it, e replaced the fuel tank and pump and flushed the entire fuel system as well as flushing the hydraulic lines and replacing the brake flex hoses, o counteract its many years of slumber.

Long acknowledged to be one of the most drivable classic cars, heir values are quickly increasing with no sign of slipping and well optioned, ood examples of these cars are increasingly hard to find, aking this an excellent opportunity to enjoy one of the best looking and driving cars to leave Stuttgart.