top of page

1972 MERCEDES 280S 

A beautiful example of this elegant saloon. This car came from the warm dry climate of South Africa, so has the benefit of being right hand drive and also rust free. All areas of the car are in outstanding condition. The car has had some paint as well as an interior retrim. The interior wood is in fine shape and the engine bay is amazing with polished components, new hoses, clips etc. The car drives extremely well and everything works as it should. This car come from the era when Mercedes made 'forever cars'. The reassuring shut of the doors tells you all you need to know about the build quality of the vehicle

1972 Mercedes 280s

THE CAR

Timelessness. It is, by definition, a somewhat ethereal concept. In the classic car world there are some designs that stand out for their lasting appeal, while others seems to transcend the era they came from. The latter is the timelessness exhibited by the Mercedes-Benz's large sedan from 1965 to 1973, also known as the W108 and W109, which not only looks good today but has a prescience that masks its age. "You don't look a day older than 40," if you will. And with a wide range of engines and specification, there's a version of this Benz for almost any budget.

​

First shown at the 1965 Frankfurt Auto Show, the new sedan ditched the tailfins of its predecessor and sported an upright profile with acres of glass. It was a pressed-and-creased design that influenced later models, like the follow-up W116 and subsequent W126.

 

There are a few ways to break down these sedans from an organizational standpoint. W108 models have a spring suspension, while W109s use an air suspension and are generally more fancy. Early models all featured inline sixes, denoted as the 250 and 300 with S, SE, and SEL suffixes. The new M130 engine was the sole six-cylinder alongside available V-8s starting in late 1967 and while the numbers originally signified engine size, in later models it differentiated between W108 (280) and W109 (300). Mercedes-Benz also made coupes and convertibles with the same 250 SE and 280 SE badges, but those cars were underpinned by the previous W111 chassis.

​

OUR CAR

 

Here we have a 1972 280S, meaning it is the carburettor version, which we think has a much better engine note. The car is a 4 speed manual, again so much more fun to drive. The car come from the dry climate of South Africa and has been very well looked after. You only need to check out the engine bay for evidence of that. Recent new leather interior, with great internal wood trim (so often a problem area), great paint and of course the signature Mercedes 'bank vault' door close. Something special from an era when Mercedes made 'forever cars'.

 

A VIDEO TO INSPIRE YOUR DRIVING SKILLS, FROM A GREAT MOVIE - THE DRIVER Click here

 

CARS IN ACTION IN PERIOD

​

Period image
Period image
bottom of page