Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet
Design for the successor of the two-door Pontons began in 1957. It was decided the exterior styling would be unique to the coupe, whilst the chassis and drivetrain would be unified with the sedan. The front end design was closely based off of what would later be used in the Pagoda roadster. Engineer Paul Bracq's work was ultimately favoured. The rear bodywork, however, kept the 'fintail' look, though it had no chrome fins.
Production of the coupe began in late 1960, and it was officially presented for the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. The convertible model followed, about a few months after, at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Both cars had the identical M127 engine of 2195 cc. Options offered for the coupe included a sliding sunroof, power steering and automatic transmission. Prices for these models in 1962 were 32,500 for the coupe and 36,000 NLG for the cabriolet.
In March 1962, Mercedes-Benz released the nearly identical 300SE two-door car. Though it had nearly the same features, it was kept from the 220SE and was part of the W187 300S series. The 300SE had its own chassis number - W112 - and was fitted with a chrome strip, air suspension and a M189 2996 cm3 engine. Prices for this luxury vehicle were 45,000 and 48,500 for the hard and soft roof models respectively.
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