Leaf Green 1971 Mercedes-Benz Cabriolet is Absolutely Breathtaking
Beautifully restored 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet is ready to bask in the sun.
It seems like most Mercedes vehicles wear various shades of gray (and black. And white. And silver.) these days, but we at MBWorld know it doesn’t have to be like that.
We happened upon this amazing 1971 Mercedes 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet on ClassicCars.com the other day, and it’s the perfect antithesis to Stuttgart’s stormy, gloomy palette. The Dark Green paint complements the warm glow of the tan leather and handsome wood trim, as if blessed by the sun and earth themselves.
The handbuilt, numbers-matching beauty—restored by famed specialists Hatch & Sons—is among the many considered to be “the final evolution of the W111,” a design beautifully simple and timeless, as well as the pinnacle of German engineering, reliability and durability.
Under the long hood, of course, is the M116 “engine of tomorrow” SOHC V8—which also powered the 300SEL 3.5—featuring Bosch’s Jetronic electronic fuel injection and transistorized ignition. The V8 has enough power—200 horses and 211 lb-ft of torque—to push the 280SE down the road in a blaze of Teutonic glory when it’s not parked under the sun and palm trees of your favorite beach.
And you definitely will stand-out in the sea of gray in this 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet, as it’s one of only 1,232 ever made. After the last one left Stuttgart, there would never be another four-place convertible for two decades. The W111 cabriolet also helped close the era which saw Mercedes rise from the ashes of WWII to become the global luxury leader we know now, starting with the Ponton cars of the 1950s.
When it comes to “the best or nothing,” we’ll take this 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet over nothing any day, preferably down Pacific Coast Highway 101, with the top down and the sun glittering off the luxurious dark green paint.
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