Description
Offered for sale is an exceedingly rare 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE “Low Grill” Coupe with a factory 4-Speed transmission and finished in desirable factory correct Silver Grey (DB180) over black. Only 613 Inline 6 Cylinder W111 “Heckflosse” (fintail) coupes were produced in 1970 – the first year to introduce the desirable low grill design – and only a very small fraction of these cars had factory manual 4 speed transmissions. This is only the second time in the last decade that we’ve come across a car with these factory specifications and we’re unaware of any others available on the market. It’s as rare and unique as W111 coupes come.
A European spec car, this example was imported to California by a San Francisco attorney who wanted a manual transmission, something that was difficult to get from a US dealer. It remained in his care until the mid 1980s, at which point he sold it to an associate. The second owner had the car cosmetically freshened a decade later, reupholstering the front seats in the correct Mercedes leather, re-chroming much of the trim and having the car completely stripped and repainted in its factory original Silver Grey (one professional high quality repaint from new). He subsequently sold the car to another San Francisco area resident a few years later. Like its prior owners, the third owner always garaged and maintained the car, using it as a weekend driver until recently, when health issues forced him to hang up his keys.
The care that the car has received over the years is evidenced by its current condition. The finish is in excellent condition, retaining consistency, depth and luster and marred only by the most minimal of imperfections, none of which register in any of the pictures. The body is straight with excellent panel fits and gaps throughout and no evidence of any accidents. All of the chrome, glass and rubber is in excellent shape and original wheels with color-matched hubs are wrapped in tires with plenty of remaining tread. The car’s interior is equally as clean, the front seats virtually new and the original rear seats, interior panels and carpets showing only minimal wear. The headliner is flawless, the dash is in great shape and the original wood trim is entirely presentable. Also worth noting is the car’s exceptionally rare Becker Mexico AM/FM/Cassette Player, it’s Kuhlmeister Air Conditioning unit and its un-cracked original steering wheel. Reflecting the car’s dry, California history, the undercarriage is in excellent, solid and correct condition, as is the car’s trunk (which does have its rubber mat, even though it was removed for the photograph).
Mechanically the car is superb, starting easily, idling consistently and pulling strongly and smoothly through each of the gears. The car drives and brakes straight and is entirely comfortable, whether tooling through town or cruising down the highway. I can personally speak to its mechanical quality after recently driving it down Highway 1 from Northern to Southern California (some 300 miles). One of the reasons the late W111 “Heckflosse” cars have become significant collector cars (in addition to their timelessly elegant lines and superior build quality) is that they have the best of both worlds mechanically – reliability and a modern drive quality, yet still retaining a vintage feel. They can easily be daily driver cars, which is a stretch for the earlier, smaller engined models.
Considering their rarity and the astronomical prices that their cabriolet siblings are fetching, W111 Coupes have long been undervalued in most classic car enthusiasts’ minds. That’s not always going to be the case, so it’s our opinion that they currently represent excellent investment upside. Finding “Low Grill” W111s is hard enough as it is, but finding a gorgeous, honest, factory manual transmission example finished in desirable colors is perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity.
