This 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Coupe was sold new to a Dr. Alfred Kornbluth out of Beverly Hills, California who was a physician out of the San Fernando Valley and ran his practice for 40 years. This W111 comes finished in Tunis Beige (462) over Perforated Cognac Leather and is powered by a 3.5-liter V8 mated to a four-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. The car underwent a refurbishment in California prior to the dealer’s acquisition in early 2025. Maintenance under the seller's care includes a cooling system overhaul, D-Jetronic tune up, rebuilt transmission, new valve body, new ignition coil, power steering lines, new resistor, new battery, and thermostat. Equipment includes power windows, manually-adjustable front seats, an aftermarket period correct Behr climate control system, Becker Europa, front defrosters, two-speed windshield wipers, central clock, locking glovebox, an automatic antenna, and four-wheel disc brakes. Now showing just under 90k miles (TMU), this 280SE 3.5 Coupe is offered by the selling dealer with a full-size trunk mounted spare, jack, copy of the window sticker, tire iron, recent service records, 2 keys, and a clean California title.
The exterior is finished in Tunis Beige (462) and chrome trim lining the bumpers, side sills, grille, and window frames along with dual chrome exhaust tips. During the reconditioning process the car underwent a full repaint in the original color according to factory color code and window sticker. Vertically-stacked quad headlights are mounted up front framing the grille and park lamps. Exterior equipment includes an automatic antenna, a driver-side door mirror, a power operated sunroof, and two-speed wipers with a windshield washer system. The seller has included detailed photos of all the brightwork, body panel gaps, and rust prone areas.
14” wheels wear paint-matched caps with chrome lips fitted with Tornel Classic tires measuring 195/70 on all four corners. A full-size spare is mounted in the trunk. The 280SE 3.5 features dual-wishbone front suspension with swing axle rear suspension and power-assisted disc brakes on all four corners.
The cabin is upholstered in Perforated Cognac Leather with matching doors and carpets throughout. Polished burl walnut wood trim lines the dashboard and A-pillars. Both front seats offer manual adjustability with reclining seat backs. Interior appointments include a Becker Europa radio, a front defroster, electric power windows front and rear, original Kangol lap belts, a folding center armrest, lockable glove compartment, dash-mounted clock, and an aftermarket period correct Behr climate control system. The dashboard and instrument cluster binnacle is wrapped in matching Cognac Leather. One of the fresh air vent levers is broken.
The two-spoke bakelite steering wheel frames analog instrumentation consisting of a 160-mph speedometer, a 7k-rpm tachometer and gauges for fuel level, oil pressure and coolant temperature. The mechanical 5-digit odometer shows just under 90k miles with true mileage unknown (TMU).
This W111 cabriolet is powered by a 3.5-liter M116 V8 with D-Jetronic electric fuel injection which is rated for 200 horsepower and 211 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a floor-shifted four-speed automatic transmission. Maintenance items addressed since the owner's acquisition in 2025 include a cooling system refresh with a restored radiator, new thermostat, and flushed engine block with Zerex G-05 coolant. Additional services include a D-Jetronic tuneup, repaired cold start system, new ignition coil, rebuilt transmission with new valve body, power steering lines, and repaired ground wire. Recent service records are included with the sale. An underside video is included along with detailed underside pictures in the gallery below.
This 280SE 3.5 Coupe was purchased by the selling dealer early in 2025 after a refurbishment from the previous owner out of California. Now showing just under 90k miles (TMU), this 280SE 3.5 Coupe is offered by the seller with a full-size trunk mounted spare, jack, copy of the window sticker, tire iron, recent service records, 2 keys, and a clean California title.
The seller has included the following video.
The high compression 3.5-liter M116 engine is a favorite of ours. Mercedes-Benz was getting outpaced by domestic brands with their copious V8 powerplants and Jaguar was out running all of Mercedes’ inline six cars with their XK engines. So they rolled up their sleeves and made a sophisticated, small displacement engine that could maintain 120 MPH for hours on end and had a 9.5:1 compression ratio. This M116 engine that debuted in the late ‘60s spanned through four separate decades of use. A low grill W111 coupe with the V8 engine is an incredibly sought after vehicle with their cabriolet counterparts now comfortably reaching into the $300k range for nice examples. This 280SE 3.5 Coupe is offered by a reputable dealer and has undergone a huge refurbishment with further dialing in by a local classic Mercedes-Benz master technician with over 50 years of Mercedes-Benz experience. The interior is complete, the engine and transmission are tuned up, and a thorough gallery has been provided by the seller to make bidding as easy as possible on this car.
Open Transit:
Enclosed Transit:
The winning bidder will receive an email with the quote and option to proceed with shipping.
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12 Comments
@Chrisengartner Massive buy, we'll be in touch shortly- congrats.Just a couple minutes left! Looking forward to congratulating one of you!@ramzfeld it was prior to our ownership.Has the gear selector been changed?$80,000 bid placed by @Chrisengartner
$73,500 bid placed by @HogansHeroes
$72,500 bid placed by @GTBdrvr
$70,000 bid placed by @Chrisengartner
$64,500 bid placed by @GTBdrvr
What a gorgeous car, wish MB still made them like this.$62,500 bid placed by @Hank78
Good morning all and thanks for the confident bids thus far. For those lingering until the end hoping to get a deal- more power to you, just don't forget this auction ends at 3:50pm EST today! As it's no reserve, we're looking forward to ushering this car to a new home. Please let us know what questions remain. If you're just finding the listing, take some time to check out the 20+ minute video and the 300+ photos! It's a stunner.$60,500 bid placed by @Steelman23
$60,000 bid placed by @Chrisengartner
$55,500 bid placed by @JohnSimpson
$55,000 bid placed by @Chrisengartner
$50,000 bid placed by @Hank78
$45,500 bid placed by @Steelman23
$45,000 bid placed by @GTBdrvr
@lc2cassina Thanks for the bid, compliments, and questions! The clock and antenna do both work. The noise you're asking about is magnified in the video (I know, a dealer would say that) but it was exceptionally cold over the last couple weeks and the front right bushings just weren't happy. We'll double check the trunk for you along with other areas but I don't expect we'll find anything new.@cicada_shell Thank you- while we didn't choose the material, it consistently gets THAT level of compliment. Truly a warm cabin.$40,500 bid placed by @lc2cassina
It's a really beautiful car! Few questions please. Is this a numbers matching car? Have you been able to correct the noise coming from the right side heard on the video above? Is there any rust except for what's shown - for example under the trunk mat? Does everything work including the clock, antenna etc? Thank youHoly smokes, that upholstery is beautiful. I had a hard time finding a leather supplier with the 'right' cognac for my SL, ultimately settling on some 'old timer' (I believe vegetable-tanned) leather supplied through KHM and it has a similarly beautiful grain. Stunning car. GLWTA!$40,000 bid placed by @Steelman23
$30,000 bid placed by @TBarton
$28,000 bid placed by @Steelman23
$25,500 bid placed by @JGF000
$25,000 bid placed by @Steelman23
$20,000 bid placed by @VETinaPinch
Such a good looking machine!Happy New Year's Eve everyone! We genuinely believe adding a V8 W111 to the fleet is a worthy resolution goal for many. We've had this car in the private collection for the past year or so and have enjoyed driving and dialing in this example using our local skilled MB vendors and friends. Sadly, we're ready to move on to free up some money and space to buy the next thing to enjoy for the collection. This is a special car with Mercedes-Benz producing only 3,270 during the three year production run. We've had a lot of experience with the 3.5-liter M116 engine and are in love with the powerplant. Our auction specialist put together a thorough listing for everyone to flip through. Included are a lot of nitty gritty detail pictures and a detailed video by someone that speaks W111. We are a white glove dealer located out of Marietta, GA and are more than happy to show the car in person by appointment only. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions here and we can answer them as the car is only 20 feel away from us inside. Our website can be located here: https://www.gasmotorcars.com/ Thank you and good luck!$5,000 bid placed by @Steelman23