MERCEDES-BENZ 280 SE 3.5 CABRIOLET, RHD, 1971

54,100 MILES

SILVER GREY METALLIC WITH DARK BLUE HIDE, BLUE HOOD

1 OF ONLY 68 RIGHT HAND DRIVE CARS, CORRECT MATCHING NUMBERS

Hexagon Classics are delighted to offer this superb handmade 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet right hand drive. These cars were built to extremely high standards and competed head on with Rolls-Royce & Bentley Convertibles as the world’s ultimate soft top 4-seater motor car.

Introduced in late 1969 as a prestige model to supplant the somewhat underpowered six-cylinder 280SE, the V8-powered, W111-Series 280SE 3.5 in both coupe and convertible form was of immediate appeal to wealthy customers who were accustomed to having the best quality and workmanship available in an automobile but did not need or desire the next step up, the over-the-top 600. The hand-built body of the new model was slightly restyled, with a cleaner and flatter nose and radiator shell, but was still quite conservative. Beneath the wide hood there now rested a Bosch fuel-injected, 200bhp overhead-cam V8 with 211 foot-pounds of torque designed to deliver excellent performance. One reviewer referred to it as having a “hot-rod”- like persona with a lovely exhaust snarl – while meeting ever-more strict emissions laws in the US, the company’s most vital market.

The compact but sturdy engine could move this big 4/5-seater to 100 kilometres per hour in under 10 seconds and offered a top speed more than 200km/h, a substantial improvement on the six-cylinder version’s figures. Large vacuum-assisted disc brakes at each corner allowed the driver to slow with ease, and handling was described as very comfortable, thanks to its coil-sprung independent suspension. The craftsmen at Sindelfingen produced both the open and closed versions of the 3.5 which were available with just about every luxury amenity a buyer could ask for. The few choices remaining pertained to paint and interior trim colours and which model of Becker stereo system was desired. It all added up to an impressively costly automobile. Significantly, the 280SE 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.

An enthusiast looking for a full 4-seater classic cabriolet would have a hard time finding a nicer collectible Mercedes Benz cabriolet than this car; so thoroughly modern and easy to use with its snug-fitting six-layer convertible top, excellent sound-deadening and quiet V8 engine and power steering. The 280SE 3.5 can cruise at today’s elevated speeds, delivering four people in better comfort than many new cars.

Our ultra-rare right hand drive cabriolet benefits from the highly desirable option of floor mounted 4-speed automatic gearbox, air conditioning, Becker Europa radio, electric aerial, and over mats. The car benefitted from extensive recommissioning works carried out by Hexagon Classics 2018.  The car will also be supplied fully serviced and with a new MOT certificate. Accompanying the car is its original handbook, dating letter from Mercedes-Benz and history file.  

This magnificent 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet is available to view now at our London showrooms.

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