Mercedes-Benz W108 250 SE Saloon (1965)
When I was younger, I quite fancied the idea of having a W108/109. Not just any, but the rather nice, 280 SE 3.5 with a 200 hp V8.
At the time, they were worth about $6,000. Which was, unfortunately, about $6,000 more than I had. I had also been cautioned, that running a 25 year old Mercedes-Benz, low-volume V8 was probably pretty expensive as well. Having just looked them up, they are now worth about $35,000, though they are now an additional 30 years old and have probably cost a lot of money to keep them running that long.
Still, lovely. The range launched in 1965, initially with a 2.5 L inline-six, producing 130 PS in the carburettor 250S, of 150 PS in the injected 250 SE. A larger engined 3.0L was fitted to the W109 300SE/SEL, which used air suspension. In this application, the engine produced 170 PS.
In 1967 the 2.8L replaced the 2.5L lifting power to 140 PS and 160 PS for the 280 S and 280 SE respectively, while the 3.5L v8 also joined the range at this time.
Those crazy people who wanted a lot more go, could, from 1966, buy the limited volume 300 SEL 6.3, with the 250 PS / 500 Nm V8 from the flagship W100 600 model. These are probably worth most of $100 K these days.
Key appeal to this kind of car isn't the speed, but the style. 5.0m long, wide, glassy cabins, leather and wood, plenty of space, and plenty of class. There was one down the road from my house even, a pale blue 250 S, which gracefully glided down the street.
Mercedes-Benz W108 250 SE Saloon (1965)
When I was younger, I quite fancied the idea of having a W108/109. Not just any, but the rather nice, 280 SE 3.5 with a 200 hp V8.
At the time, they were worth about $6,000. Which was, unfortunately, about $6,000 more than I had. I had also been cautioned, that running a 25 year old Mercedes-Benz, low-volume V8 was probably pretty expensive as well. Having just looked them up, they are now worth about $35,000, though they are now an additional 30 years old and have probably cost a lot of money to keep them running that long.
Still, lovely. The range launched in 1965, initially with a 2.5 L inline-six, producing 130 PS in the carburettor 250S, of 150 PS in the injected 250 SE. A larger engined 3.0L was fitted to the W109 300SE/SEL, which used air suspension. In this application, the engine produced 170 PS.
In 1967 the 2.8L replaced the 2.5L lifting power to 140 PS and 160 PS for the 280 S and 280 SE respectively, while the 3.5L v8 also joined the range at this time.
Those crazy people who wanted a lot more go, could, from 1966, buy the limited volume 300 SEL 6.3, with the 250 PS / 500 Nm V8 from the flagship W100 600 model. These are probably worth most of $100 K these days.
Key appeal to this kind of car isn't the speed, but the style. 5.0m long, wide, glassy cabins, leather and wood, plenty of space, and plenty of class. There was one down the road from my house even, a pale blue 250 S, which gracefully glided down the street.