The Mercedes-Benz W108 and W109 – or the first S-class Mercedes – were introduced to the world at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1965 as the successors to the W111 and W112 or “Fintail” models, and as always with the Stuttgart company, this was an evolutionary rather than revolutionary development. The numbers indicated whether they were short or long-wheelbase versions – W108’s were the standard short-wheelbase models, W109’s had slightly longer wheelbases and were more luxuriously appointed – in the event, the vast majority of versions built were W108’s.
From this………………………………………………………………to this.
Engines were in-line sixes of 2.5 and 3.0 litres, the former an upgrade from the 2.2-litre from the Fintail series, the larger engine from the “Adenauer”. They were reasonably powerful – the smaller six produced 129bhp, enough to propel this large car to a top speed of 113mph, and the 3-litre pumped out 168bhp, enabling the 300Seb and 300SEL to reach 124mph.
A couple of years after the range was launched, the first significant revisions were made, in the form of a larger and more powerful engine – the 2.5 became a 2.8, with power up to 138nhp in carburettor form, 158bhp with fuel injection. This also resulted in a change in nomenclature – the 250S and 250SE became the 280S and 280SE, logically enough, and a long-wheelbase version, the 280SEL was added to the range. Meanwhile, the 300SEL was given the injected 2.8 litre and a 197bhp 3.5-litre V8. This W109 model was known as the 300SEL 3.5. The same engine was then made available in the W108 as the 280SE 3.5 and 280SEL 3.5 – with me so far?
The ultimate W109 was of course the 300SEL 6.3, equipped with the mighty 247bhp unit from the 600. For many years, it’s top speed of 137mph made it the world’s fastest production saloon car.
For me, these are among the most elegant saloons of the time – designed by Paul Bracq, who was also responsible for the timelessly gorgeous Pagoda, they share the subtle integrated fins at the rear, and the vertical headlamps at the front. Interiors of the W108 were fairly typical of German car of the ‘60’s – comfortable and beautifully put together (as were the complete cars) but not particularly luxurious. The W109’s however, had added walnut veneers, power windows and standard automatic transmission. The W108/109 series was produced until 1972, when it was replaced by the W116, by which time 383, 361 had been built in total.
The most obvious rivals for the W108/109 came from Munich and Coventry, in the equally elegant shapes of the BMW E3 and Jaguar XJ6, two more classics that can also be fund within our budget ceiling. In all three cases, the coupé versions are considerably more expensive, but the driving experience will be pretty much the same except for the rear seat passengers.
Which of these fine executive expresses would you choose?
From an era when Mercedes built what are considered by some to among the best engineered cars money could buy, W108/109’s seem to me to be remarkable value for money as classics – excellent examples can be found for well within our theoretical Prime Find budget of £20,000, and that’s what I think we have sourced for our feature this week. As an aside, there are no fewer than three W108’s for auction this weekend with CCA, two 280SE’s and a 280SEL, all with the 3.5-litre V8, all with estimates of £12,000 to £15,000 – the W108 is surely one of the bargains of the classic car world.
The advert for our car is exceptionally informative, as you can see here, and it’s for a 1971 280S in what looks like maroon to my eyes, with a tan interior.
It’s the less powerful carburettor model, but this also makes it less complicated, if that matters to you. Originally a South African – and therefore RHD – car imported into the UK earlier this year, it has been the subject of restoration and careful maintenance over its lifetime, and if the pictures we have borrowed from the advert are any guide, it looks like it.
There’s a lengthy list of work detailed in the advert, so no need for me to go into it here, but pretty much every mechanical and cosmetic part of the car has received attention over the years, quite a bit of it since it was brought into the UK. As a “dry climate” car, it’s been spared from the ravages of the demon rust, and the paintwork looks to be pretty decent, though it’s not stated whether this is the car’s original colour or when it was repainted.
Among the harder to get and more expensive items on these cars are chrome trims and bumpers, but fortunately it seems that the brightwork on this one is in generally very good order, as are the rubber seals. The interior has been reupholstered and the leather seats are claimed to be “in great condition”, though personally I’d get rid of the covers. The car is not concours, with a few minor blemishes here and there, but appears to be eminently usable and would not require that much work to make it almost perfect.
The vendor claims that the car drives well and the manual gearbox changes smoothly. It sits on the same “Mexican Hat” alloys as many W107’s and C123’s – including mine, although for this car I think I’d swap to the wheels with body-coloured centres, but that’s purely a matter of taste.
The mileage quoted in the advert is clearly a typo, though whether the actual mileage is the more likely 155,000 is hard to know but a call to the vendor should straighten that out pretty quickly.
This smart and understated Mercedes is for sale with a dealer in Swindon, Wiltshire, though the advert, placed in carandclassic.co.uk, doesn’t name them, which is a pity, but the level of detail in the advert reassures me somewhat, and if I were interested, I could always call and at the same time arrange an inspection, as we would recommend to anyone with a potential interest in buying this classic Stuttgart saloon. I have to say though, it seems to represent a lot of style and class for the asking price of £18,995.
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us be inspired by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same.
Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk