1974 MERCEDES-BENZ 280 SE

ENGINE 2746cc/6-cyl/DOHC POWER 175bhp@6000rpm TORQUE 172lb ft@4500rpm MAXIMUM SPEED 124mph 0-60MPH 10.5sec FUEL CONSUMPTION 13-19mpg TRANSMISSION RWD, four-speed auto MoT 12 months from sale ODOMETER 48,000 miles

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?

As is the Mercedes-Benz way, this 280 SE fires up instantly and without any fuss before settling to a light and refined background burble. This is a heavy car with which to stretch 175bhp, but this big bruiser is still quick enough to keep up with modern traffic. The kickdown engages quickly and the steering, though customarily fingertip-light, exhibits no dead zone or obvious slop. Inevitably, there’s a lot of body roll during exuberant cornering, but nothing is broken – there’s nothing untoward in either the drivetrain or the suspension. It’s a great place to be for armon-the-window-ledge wafting. The brakes are reassuringly sharp and predictable, and ride comfort is excellent.

BODYWORK CHECK

The exterior is, quite simply, exquisite. The gold paint is consistent all around the car and the shutlines are perfect. We found no ripples in the paint, nor any corrosion to speak of. The brightwork has minor pitting here and there but nothing serious enough to spoil the overall appearance. The window rubbers are all in good condition, as are the correctly colour-coded hubcaps, while the tyres all look to have a good level of tread remaining.

HOW’S THE INTERIOR?

The interior appears to have been barely used – we spent a long time trying to find any faults to speak of and couldn’t find a single one. Naturally, being an S-Class, there’s plenty of room in here – front and rear – and the MB-Tex and cloth seats are super-comfy. The wood panelling is unmarked and all the control surfaces look as if they’ve just been formed in the factory. The dials all work correctly, as do the fans.

UNDER THE BONNET

The vast bonnet opens to reveal a well-kept and honest-looking straight-six engine, with no signs of corrosion anywhere. All the fluids are up to the maximum mark and none shows any sign of leaking. All of the underbonnet sound deadening is still in place too. This car comes with a vast amount of history. It’s a one-family-owner car, having passed to the original owner’s son in the early 1990s, and has rarely been used since. It comes with all of its service history and original data card.

THE CCW VIEW

It’s hard to think of a better W116 on the market for this sort of money. True, this is the smallest engine in the lineup but it’s more than quick enough; after all, it’s not exactly a track-day warrior, is it? This is one of the finest W116s we’ve encountered and it wouldn’t take much effort to make this 43-year-old stunner a concourswinner. But merely using it as a show pony would be a real shame – this is a car that deserves to be driven.