The other day, Carter wrote up a gray-market, Signal Red 280SE. The Euro options and unusual color made for an attractive proposition, but that particular car had some mechanical needs making it a light project. This car, on the other hand, appears to be in need of no such work. Available in Europe but not sold in the US, the 280SE paired the 2.8 liter, six cylinder M110 gasoline engine with the short wheelbase version of the W126 chassis. While that might seem a small motor for such a large car, it made about 185 hp in Euro guise, a perfectly adequate, though certainly not blistering, amount of power. Like the US-spec 300SE/SEL, it might need a bit of shove at the low end, but once up to highway speeds it should cruise around capably.
Tag: 280SE
Winter Project: 1982 Mercedes-Benz 280SE
While Andrew and Craig have been the typical purveyors of all-things Mercedes-Benz over the past few months, I’m always drawn to the clean, simple and classic look of the 70s and 80s MB products offered in the rest of the world. Today’s 1982 280SE is a perfect example of this. A W126.026, this European specification S-Class is powered by the M110 double-overhead cam inline-6 which was never offered to U.S. customers. Admittedly, the engine looks a bit lost in the bay you’re used to seeing V8s in, but it’s a proven unit with adequate power – 185 raging ponies, to be exact. However, the 280SE is the short wheelbase model and with European bumpers and missing some of the heavy luxuries, performance should be on par with some of the U.S. spec early V8s, if not better. Even if buying the short wheel base, six-cylinder model may sound a bit ego-deflating, these Euro-spec cars always get my attention:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1982 Mercedes-Benz 280SE on eBay
1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE Cabriolet
In the last few years, the Mercedes-Benz lineup has grown substantially. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any bigger, along comes the S-class Cabriolet. While the myriad of SUVs that Mercedes sells are responses to growing trends in the marketplace, the S-class Cabriolet is a revival of an old theme, the car you see here: the 280SE Cabriolet. The 280SE Coupe and Cabriolet were the swan song of the W111 chassis, with production of the 3.5 V8 variant lasting through the summer of 1971. This restored 1970 280SE Cabriolet for sale in Chicago is fitted with a 4-speed manual gearbox, an option not often seen on these grand tourers.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE Cabriolet on eBay
1973 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 4.5
As my family moves on to its ninth Mercedes-Benz, I was reminded the other day of my grandfather’s 1972 280SE. This was a rather unusual car for the day in Philadelphia, but reflected a bit of his taste as a diplomat for the Portuguese government. These were stately cars that compromised little. I’ve always preferred the look of the W108/W109 as opposed to the befinned W111 that preceded it and this late model 280SE 4.5 is no different. The W108 would only be sold in the US market for 1973, as the rest of the world had already moved on to the W116 S-class. For sale in New York, this isn’t the most perfect W108, but it certainly holds a lot of promise.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1973 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 4.5 on eBay
1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Coupe
The W111 coupe is a hell of a design. But it’s one thing just to be a good design. Lots of cars over the years have looked great but when it comes to putting the rubber to the road, well, it’s better off sitting quietly in the Denny’s parking lot on Friday night ‘Cruise Nights’ in small town, USA. Not true of the W111 coupe, and especially not the 3.5. Launched in 1970 to wrap up production of the W111 and make way for the R107/C107, the 280SE 3.5 coupe was the 230 horsepower V8 version to the regular 280SE with the straight-6 M130. Strikingly handsome in almost any color combo, 3.5 coupe values have more than doubled in the last few years. This 1970 located in New York City checks all the boxes if you are looking for the almost perfect classic Mercedes coupe.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Coupe on Hemmings
1982 Mercedes-Benz 280SE – REVISIT
At the risk of appearing like we’re recycling a bit too much material lately, I’d really like to take a look at this superb and interestingly equipped W126 from last fall again. A relatively low spec European model never offered here, this 280SE features the M110 inline-6 instead of the normal V8s the American market experienced, but the smart Euro look, low miles and great color combination really caught my eye. It’s not the fastest S-Class you can buy, but it’ll still leave you feeling pretty rich. Last time around this car hammered at a seemingly unfathomably cheap $2,950, but for whatever reason it’s back up for sale from the same owner having covered only a few more miles since the fall. The reserve is still on the auction, but this should still remain a very affordable bit of classy classic Mercedes to pick up!
The below post originally appeared on our site September 7, 2015:
As with the W140 model I covered the other day, the W126 eagerly accepted by the automotive world as the new benchmark in design in the late 1970s. Mercedes-Benz pioneered new safety, aerodynamics and luxury through typical Mercedes-Benz over engineering. Replacing the outgoing W116, the W126 was thoroughly modern inside and out but at least initially carried the same motivation. Under the hood of the short wheel base 280SE was the inline-6 M110 motor, but there were small and large displacement V8 models too. Paul looked at a excellent condition W116 280SE recently, but a high asking price called into question the value of that particular example. Will this grey market import 280SE sing the same song?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1982 Mercedes-Benz 280SE on eBay
1982 Mercedes-Benz 280SE
As with the W140 model I covered the other day, the W126 eagerly accepted by the automotive world as the new benchmark in design in the late 1970s. Mercedes-Benz pioneered new safety, aerodynamics and luxury through typical Mercedes-Benz over engineering. Replacing the outgoing W116, the W126 was thoroughly modern inside and out but at least initially carried the same motivation. Under the hood of the short wheel base 280SE was the inline-6 M110 motor, but there were small and large displacement V8 models too. Paul looked at a excellent condition W116 280SE recently, but a high asking price called into question the value of that particular example. Will this grey market import 280SE sing the same song?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1982 Mercedes-Benz 280SE on eBay
1980 Mercedes-Benz 280SE
The W116 S-class is one of those Mercedes-Benzes that seems to have been a bit forgotten, sandwiched between two great generations of luxury sedans. This is the case with many cars from the 1970s, but consider just how advanced this car was for its time. This would be the first Mercedes to feature four-wheel anti-lock brakes, in addition to the usual safety accouterments that consumers had become used to from this manufacturer. The W126 S-class that debuted at the dawn of the 1980s would carry the executive car torch even further than before, but that isn’t to say the W116 isn’t without its merits. We’ll take a look at this late production 280SE for sale in Portugal, in very nice original condition fitted with the injected 2.8 liter M110 inline-6.
Click for details: 1980 Mercedes-Benz 280SE on eBay
1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE Coupe
Walking down the street this week I came across a rather uncanny site, a 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Coupe. Sitting nonchalantly on a city street amongst dreary modern day machinery, it brought a smile to my face to know someone is intrepid enough to use such a majestic automobile in an urban environment. The car scene is pretty dead around the Washington, DC area, which is part of the reason I’m looking to get out of here as soon as I can. Everyone here is so fixated on politics and their job that it can be hard finding fellow petrolheads to connect with. Nevertheless, you do see some classics wandering about on the roads from time to time. Sadly I didn’t get a chance to chat the owner up in this case.
This 1970 280SE we see here for sale in California isn’t of the V8 variety, but shares the low grille look of the aforementioned 3.5 with a striking two tone blue and white color combination over a sumptuous blue leather interior. These W111 coupes were some of the last hand-built Mercedes-Benzes to leave the factory and considering what you spend for similar vintage W113 SLs these days, these six-cylinder coupes represent a bit of a relative bargain for the collector.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE on eBay
1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 4-speed manual – REVISIT
The 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Coupe with the 4-speed manual gearbox we featured early this year is back up on offer, having been previously listed at $84,500. These cars were classics with a modern heart. With the manual gearbox, it’s quite the rare W111.
