Chassis 111027 12 003386
Motor 116980 12 002969
Aufbau 00782

In the Wiesenthal Collection since 1979
One of only 1,232 3.5-Litre Cabriolets
Matching Numbers

Two years after launching the saloon, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the cabriolet and coupé models in its new Fintail series to mark the opening of its museum in Untertürkheim in February 1961. In these versions, the fin was reduced to a subtle miniature version and, unlike previously, the saloon’s wheelbase was used. For the first time, this created a vehicle that was fully able to seat four grown adults. However, production was time-consuming as four times as many components had to be made by hand. Luxury does not come cheap, and the elegant cabriolets and coupés cost about twice as much as the saloons.

Everything kicked off with the 220 SEb, which was followed by the flagship 300 SE costing almost 10,000 Mark more. This vehicle featured every kind of luxury imaginable, along with the large engine from its predecessor and its capricious air suspension. The 250 model, and ultimately, the 280 SE, got closer to the 300‘s 160 (and later 170) horsepower. Two years after this top-level model had been discontinued, Mercedes presented its final non plus ultra in 1969: the 280 SE 3.5.

The aluminium 8-cylinder engine with 3.5 litre capacity turned the Sunday driver’s vehicle into a race car. 200 horsepower allowed the magic number of 200 to appear on the tachometer, with it not even taking 10 seconds to reach half of this speed. The new top-level model also featured a reworked exterior. While the saloon had already been superseded, the cabriolets and coupés were refreshed with a broader grille and new bumpers. There had been a higher radiator previously, but this was now replaced by a flat version, even in the basic model of the 280.

In terms of price, the 3.5 sat where the 300 SE had ended, at around DM 35,000, or, in other words, unattainable. Only 1,232 cabriolets were produced over three years, of the coupé 2,000 more. They marked the end of the series and with it, the era of large, open-top Mercedes-Benz cruisers. There were no successors to them, and it took 10 years for another coupé to follow. Even in the present day, no vehicle has ever come close to these cars’ exceptional class!

This cabriolet left the factory in December 1970, headed overseas. There was nothing more exclusive or more sporty than the 280 SE 3.5, and no expense had been spared on the add-ons here, either: individual seats and folding arm-rests, automatic transmission with a selection lever in the centre console, a Becker radio including an automatic antenna, heat-insulating windows that could be fully wound down electrically, and, the pièce de résistance, air conditioning. These all gave the moss-green luxury sportscar, with its moss-green soft-top and parchment-coloured leather upholstery, an additional nudge towards the heights of luxury.

The cabriolet came to Vienna just eight years later, in June 1978. It joined the Wiesethal collection via its US daughter, Euro Motorcars, and eventually became one of Count Douglas’ favourites, hence its number plate, which it still wears: W-119. Two driver’s logs are testament to its position as the most special of the special cars, whether in its use as a rather speedy wedding carriage or as a comfortable rally car, having taken part in the Alpine Run multiple times. It has covered 12,000 miles in the last 20 years alone, leaving others in the collection far behind. As practicality cannot come too far behind sportiness, it had for while been fitted with a trailer hitch.

The cabriolets with “3.5” on their back are exceptional in every respect, representing the perfect pairing of elegance and sportiness. Nothing less is this particular car, that has been owned by the Wiesenthal company for 40 years. Quite the opposite: its story and its magnificently authentic appearance might even make it unique!