1965 Mercedes Benz 300SE Sunroof Coupe AirRide 280 SE 1 of 710 Restored SrvcRecs

1965 Mercedes Benz 300SE Coupe

 Over 125 photos below

Information & History of the W112 300SE

The Mercedes-Benz W112 (300SE) was the flagship model in Mercedes-Benz's line-up during the early 1960s. The car. produced in four modifications: coupé. cabriolet and sedans. was identical to the standard Mercedes-Benz W111 cars. but was fitted with the M189 big-block six-cylinder engine. as well as more luxurious features such as air suspension. power steering. automatic transmission. more expensive interior wooden veneer and leather trim. among other details.

To fully understand the significance of the W112. one has to remember. that prior previous generation of vehicles consisted of entry-level 4-cylinder 180/190 series. mid-range 220 series of sedan. coupe and cabriolet. a sports 190SL coupe and roadster. all built on a unified Pontoon unibody chassis. Topping them was the exquisite 300 series of sedan. coupe. cabrio and roadster. hand-built and based on pre-war models. but compensating this with luxurious features and priced such that these vehicles were made available only to elite of royal pedigree.

Mercedes-Benz took a large set of measures in terms of marketing to separate the W112 from the W111 including individual brochures. showrooms etc. Externally the cars were adorned with almost double the chrome details that were available to the W111s. bigger 14" rims and features such as power steering. pneumatic suspension and automatic gearbox as standard (though manual would return as an option). The car cost almost double the value of the top range 220SE! In 1963 Mercedes-Benz went on to create the long-wheelbase sedan. sometimes called 300SEL. Performance-wise the 300SEs topped the Mercedes-Benz range. with the M189 big-six engine producing 160 hp (170 after 1964) and giving a top speed of 180 km/h (190 after '64. both figures 175 and 185 for automatic transmission).

However the W112 turned out to be a very short-lived venture. In 1963 Mercedes-Benz showcased the true replacement for the Adenauer. in the new 600 limousine (W100). for the sedan. this meant that the production volume fell drastically if in 1962 2. 69 such cars. the next year this fell to 1. 82. and in 1965 with the coming of the W108/109 series the sedan W112 went into history.

The rarity of the car is further punctuated by the fact that the ratio with respect to the W111. in 1962 for every W112 sedan there was 24 W111s rolling off the production line. by 1964 this was almost 40:1. The Coupe and cabriolet fared better. possibly because the W111 was only offered as a single 220SE model. and the 300SE was the only stable mate. On the whole a 5:1 ratio was kept. and a total of 3. 127 2-door 300SEs were produced by 1967. Unlike the sedan. there was no next-generation replacement for the model. as the W111 was produced in par with the W108/109. but the replacement for the 300SE came in face of the 280SE in 1967. and the V8 powered 280SE 3. 5 in 1969.

Although it's very short production run. the W112. was the FIRST Mercedes-Benz to tie together its top range vehicles with its mid-range series. In doing so. it ended the previous nomenclature of 190/220/300. and allowed a common practice of exchanging engines between one chassis and another.

THIS VEHICLE:

Excellent Condition 

1 of 710 total production of coupes and convertibles in 1965

Very Rare 4 speed Manual Transmission

Matching Original Motor

Motor JUST Serviced and Very Strong

NO SMOKE NO LEAKS

Very Elegant DB-462 Tunis Beige over Chocolate Brown

Paint & Interior Completed Several years ago in Original Factory Colors

Factory Correct (Velour) & New carpets done within last month

Serviced and Maintained with 2 Binders of Receipts and Parts since 1985 ($9k spent since 2009)

See Photos of Partial Rec's and Binders at Bottom

Chrome in Very Good Shape No Pitting

All Original Glass New Rubber Seals ALL AROUND!

New Tires

New Exhaust

Brakes Rebuilt in 2011

A/C Works

All original Wood restored . Looks Great!

Vehicle has ownership history from 1975

NO RUST OR PREVIOUS REPAIRS ANYWHERE!! SEE THE UNDERBODY PHOTOS

74212 Miles

Air Ride Suspension (Bags. Lines & Valves) are Perfect & Maintained

VERY RARE VEHICLE. 710 TOTAL PRODUCED (BOTH COUPE & CONV) EVEN LESS COUPES WITH 4 SPEED

AN ORIGINAL US DELIVERY VEHICLE WITH EUROPEAN HEADLAMPS FACTORY ORDERED.

On Oct-14-13 at 14:16:17 PDT. seller added the following information:

Also published at eBay.com

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