1966 Mercedes-Benz

1966 Mercedes-Benz 300-Series Additional Info:

1966 MERCEDES-BENZ 300SE CABRIOLET
ONLY 708 PRODUCED!!!!!!!

The W112 series, otherwise known as the 300SE series, was the ultimate full size luxury model built by Mercedes between 1962-67 in only 3 bodystyles, the sedan, coupe and convertible with the convertible being the obvious flagship model of the entire Mercedes series costing an almost surreal and unheard of $12,726 in 1964 compared to a still very expensive $9,684 for the lower 220SEB Cabriolet in 1964 or even $10,054 for the later 280SE Cabriolet in 1968. The W112 series cars were almost identical to the standard Mercedes-Benz W111 Fintail versions, except without the 'Fintail' rear fenders after 1961 and with some very sophisticated improvements; such as being fitted with the legendary 3 liter Bosch fuel injected M189 big-block six-cylinder engine, as well as truly luxurious features such as self levelling air suspension, power steering, column automatic transmission and more extensive and higher quality wood, chrome and leather trim details. Also, the previous generation of the mid-range 220 series of sedan, coupe, and convertibles and the sporty 190SL coupe and roadster were all built on a Ponton unibody chassis. This top range 300 series were all hand-built on the X-frame chassis based on pre-war models. In addition, there was the 300SL coupe/roadster, but this was built on a unique tubular platform.

Mercedes-Benz used completely new marketing techniques to separate the more luxurious and expensive W112 from the W111. These included separate brochures and with the car's even being presented in separate showrooms. Externally the cars were adorned with almost double the chrome details that were available to the W111s, bigger 14" rims and features such as power steering, pneumatic suspension and automatic transmission as standard (although manual would return as an option). The car cost almost double the value of the top range 220SE W111. In 1963, Mercedes-Benz went on to create the long-wheelbase sedan, commonly referred to as the 300SEL (Mercedes-Benz would introduce the L suffix in the next generation). Performance-wise the 300SEs topped the range, with the M189 six-cylinder engine producing 160 hp (185 after 1964) and giving a top speed of 180 km/h.

After having finally filled its top niche, the W112 nevertheless turned out to be a very short-lived venture as demand for the prohibitively expensive W112 plummeted and production volume accordingly fell drastically: in 1962 a total of only 2,769 models were built, but the next year this fell to 1,382, and by 1965, with the coming of the W108/109 series, the sedan W112 was dropped completely. In 1962, for every W112 sedan built there was 24 W111s rolling off the production line, while by 1964, this ratio was almost 1:40. The 300SE sedan was meanwhile entered in both international and European Touring Car Challenges and won several rallies. The Coupe and Cabriolet 2-door W112s fared better than the sedans, arriving in 1962, only a year later after the première of the 2-door W111s. The latter was offered as a single 220SE model and thus the 300SE served as the only stable mate. Hence, a 5:1 production ratio was kept. The two-door W111/W112 was production continued after 1965 with the coming of the new generation W108/W109 sedans. However, in 1967, Mercedes-Benz chose to finish producing the M189 engine. The replacement was the 280SE.

300SE Production Figures:

1961–1965 300 SE Sedan (5,202 built)
1962–1967 300 SE Coupé (2,419 built)
1962–1967 300 SE Cabriolet (Convertible) (708 built)
1963–1965 300 SE long long-wheelbase Sedan (1,546 built, often wrongly called 300 SEL)

The combination of superb performance and elegant and luxurious styling and low production numbers makes the 300 SE Cabriolet a very highly collectible and desirable car amongst classic car collectors and this is obviously especially true for Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts. This was an extraordinarily low production car for its day with only 708 units produced during its only five years of production (1962-67).