1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5

Mercedes-Benz W111 (Saloon/Coupe/Convertible), 1959-1971

The Mercedes-Benz W111 was in production from 1959 to 1971. Styled in house by Friedrich Geiger, it is a front-engine, rear wheel drive saloon car range seating up to five adults.

Launched in 1959 as the 220, the car soon earned the Heckflosse - or Fintail - nickname by dint of the fins atop either rear wing. The 220b replaced the old 219, the 220Sb replaced the 220S and the 220SEb replaced the 220SE, all from the Ponton series based around the W120 and W180 shells. To create the W111, Mercedes widened and squared off the cabin of the older car, improving the glasshouse and incorporating crumplezones. This was the first Mercedes saloon to incorporate the well-regarded stacked headlamps. In 1965 the 220Sb and 220SEb were replaced by a new 230S model - the basic 220b replacement was the 230, built into the shell of the lesser 190 model. Coupe and convertible models were also produced, sharing their bodyshells with the larger-engined W112 300SE models. The W111 saloon was replaced by the new W108 in 1965, but the coupe and convertible would continue to 1971, having passed from 220SE through the 250SE and finally to the 280SE model. Mercedes would also fit its new V8 engine to the coupe and convertible for 1969, to create the 280SE 3.5.

Body drains, door skins and lower extremities are most likely to corrode, along with front wings where they join the bulkhead and rear ones around the arches and tail lamps. With alloy heads, coolant changes should be regular and you should check for documentation. It's also worth checking for head gasket failure and timing chain wear, though otherwise these cars are mechanically hardy.

While a 220SE was 20% more new than a Jaguar MkX - and should be considered as a rival both to this and secondhand Bentleys when new - today values are rather more sensible. You might consider it as an alternative to a Jaguar S-type or perhaps a Rover P5 Three Litre today - while the earlier Ponton and subsequent W108 S-class saloon offer the same sense of solidity that all classic Mercedes-Benz saloons can offer.