1972 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 3.5 V8 (W109)

Description

Just two owners since 1988, the current for 21 years; lots of history; recently recommissioned following 17 years in storage; a rare and imposing long-wheelbase air suspension Merc from the era of ‘peak Benz’

Introduced in 1965, the W108 and 109 Series Mercedes S-Class was hailed by contemporary motoring journalists as the finest luxury saloon in the world.

Allied to bank vault build quality was an aura of restrained Teutonic opulence that made it an instant hit with the diplomatic corps from Moscow to Mombasa. The mix of chrome, wood and leather still oozes a cigars and champagne class that makes you feel like a Cold War dictator every time you slip behind the wheel.

The two chassis designations referred to the vehicle's suspension system: 109s had self-leveling air suspension while the 108 had coil springs on all four wheels. The smallest engine available was the 2.5-litre straight-six in the 250S and 250SE models, and the largest was the 6.3 V8 in the vastly expensive 300SEL 6.3, the L suffix denoting long-wheelbase.

Barring the 6.3 which was produced in very small numbers and was strictly for tycoons and film stars only, the top of the range model was the long-wheelbase 300SEL 3.5 V8, introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1969. Its natural habitat was the fast lane of the autobahn where it could cruise all day at over 120mph, its imperious front grille and stacked headlamps daring lesser cars to get in its way. Always an expensive car, only 9,483 were made between 1969 and 1972, the vast majority in LHD.

First registered in Surrey in March 1972, this rare RHD 300SEL 3.5 has had eight owners to date, the 7^th being a Mrs Irene Khajevand of Chiswick who kept it for 16 years (1988 – 2004). It has covered 115,784 miles and comes with a good file of history including the original service book which has nine stamps up to September 1978 at 62,602 miles, the first six at Mercedes-Benz Woking and the next three at Henlys of Epsom (see photos).

Eight old MOTs show the mileage rising from 77,755 in 1980 to111,544 in 1987. It then covered another 3,500 miles before it was seemingly put into storage for 16 years or so.  

When the current keeper acquired the car in July 2004, it was in need of recommissioning so it was sent to Mercedes specialist Tony Cridland of Chippenham for a major going-over which cost £3,440 and included a full service plus much work to the brakes, suspension and fuel system. It also had some unspecified bodywork repairs which cost £1,800, plus new door seals, boot seals and rubber bumper mouldings which cost another £416 and a new fuel pump which cost £312.  

It then passed an MOT in March 2005, the service book also getting a 10^th stamp by Tony Cridland in July 2005 at 115,273 miles. It was then used very lightly, passing three more MOTs in 2006/07/08 by which time it was showing 115,670 miles.

There are various invoices for new parts fitted during this period, including a new windscreen in December 2006 plus a new distributor cap and numerous other minor parts, light lenses etc. More importantly, in October 2007 it got a refurbished gearbox supplied by Geartech of Hartlebury which cost £793 and was fitted by Robin Lamb of Gloucester for an additional £523.  

Kept in storage for the last 17 years or so, it was recently got running again to prepare it for sale and the brakes were also overhauled.  

As you can see in the photos, it is in good condition for its age/mileage with nice straight bodywork which looks reassuringly rust-free, a shiny paint finish, good brightwork and a pleasingly mellowed interior.

The air suspension still works and the car stays nice and level with the engine running, although the vendor advises that it does go down again within a couple of days (rather than the several weeks that it should take when the engine is off) so there is clearly a leak somewhere. We are also advised that the electric sunroof is not currently working.

Starting promptly and running well as we have driven it around on site, this rare and majestic Mercedes is on offer here at a modest guide price that should leave ample scope to sort any niggles.

We are big fans of the W108/W109 here at Brightwells – the styling has aged incredibly well and they are built like tanks with more than enough grunt to keep up with modern traffic.  

Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com