While I was there, I was able to snap a few photos with my own camera.   Of course I had to be very careful not to get in the way of the official photographer, who was trying to set up each shot with the right angles.

The cars of this era are among the very best ever made by Mercedes-Benz.   It was great to see such a line up in one place.   There were 11 cars in total including:

• A 600 (W100.012).   The 600 is an original Australian delivered car, in a lovely bronze colour.   It was previously owned by a Sydney radio identity.   At some point a previous owner fitted the USA style side marker lights and bumper overriders.   These are amazing machines, but not for the feint hearted.   I would love to drive one, but not sure I want to own one.
• My 250SE cabriolet (W111.023).   It was a lovely day to get the car out, and my car being a 10/65 build was the oldest by a decent margin.
• Two 280SE 3.5 coupes (W111.026).   These cars were in contrasting white and midnight blue, so were a good combination.   The midnight blue car is one of two known manual cars in Australia.
• Two 280SE 3.5 saloons (W108.057).   Again contrasting maroon and horizon blue.   Both lovely examples of a very popular model.
• Two 280S W108 Saloons (W108.016).   Both lovely original cars.   The cream car was recently purchased by a club member from the original owner, who is now 95.   The light green car has a great contrasting red interior with a manual transmission and was made in Malaysia.
• Two 280SL Pagodas (W113.044).   The medium blue car has been with the same owner for 19 years and he has taken it all around the world including Hong Kong, USA, Singapore etc.   The midnight blue car is a multi-show winner.
• A C114 280CE (W114.072).  The most immaculate W114 I have ever seen.  The engine bay is cleaner that most restaurant kitchens.

The photo shoot took place around the Wharoonga area, a leafy suburb of Sydney with large houses on generous block sizes.   The club had received permission from a few owners to use their driveways for the 60’s models photoshoot.    I expect the professional photos will come out looking like they are from an original brochure.

The weather was perfect for the day – sunny and warm, but a bit cloudy at first.   To sunny and its hard to capture the cars without so much reflection from the chrome.    Understandably, the line up got a lot of interested from locals, and there were a surprising number of people in the area with car collations that offered us the opportunity to have a look.

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An important feature was the pillarless design of the cars.   This meant, with the windows down, there was a really airy feeling in the car.   With the optional sunroof, it was almost like a convertible.   This feature was kept in nearly all the subsequent generations, save one.   Being based on the saloon, they were practical cars with plenty of room and a big boot.   The cars can be generally thought of a a 2+2 rather than a full four seater coupe, but the rear seats are useful for children and short trips for adults.

In 1968, the new coupe was only available as a W114 model with six cylinder petrol engines.  It was based on the Saloon wheelbase, which gave it a very long boot lid and somewhat controversial proportions.    This is something that would change for the W123 and subsequent models.   The advent of the W123 models extended the range with four cylinder options for the first time.    The W114 models had offered two six cylinder choices, but instead of the smaller six, a four was offered.   This drove an increase in sales, especially on the release of the 230CE which as as much power as the old mid size six, with much better economy.

Throughout production of the W114 and W123 coupe, almost 170,000 examples were made.   This is impressive given how exclusive these cars were.   In most years, a 280CE was a similar price to a 280SE.

In looking at the numbers, one of the first things that can be seen is how important the US market was to Mercedes-Benz.     Not only were the models offered in that country popular, but there were models that were made specifically for the US market.    The first was the 250C 2.8.    In other markets, the regular 250C was offered.    The M130 engine was a better solution for the USA emissions regulations, and allowed reasonable performance to be maintained in that model.    After April 1972, the model was standardized, and the USA moved to the 280C.   This is easy to see in the production figures.

When the W123 was introduced, the USA was offered the 280CE and 300CD.    At the time, the USA had regulations that levied taxes based on the average of all the models sold by the manufacturer (CAFE).  This caused Mercedes to push mid-size buyers into their deisel model and keep the gas guzzlers for the big S-Class buyers.   The 300CD was a USA/Japan only model for this reason.    Once the Turbo version was introduced, the 280CE was discontinued for the USA market and again this can be seen in the figures.

The 250CE was an important model that signaled the direction of the range.   It was the first mid-size model to be offered with fuel injection, and the first Mercedes-Benz with electronic fuel injection.   The next year, the 300SEL 3.5 and 280SE 3.5 Coupe/Cabriolet would follow.    Surprisingly, a 250E model was never offered.   A fuel injection mid-size saloon would have to wait until 1972.

The W114 and W123  coupe models have become increasingly desirable classics in recent years.    The W114 models are worth more, driven largely by rarity.   Not only were there less produced, but the W114 suffered badly from rust and many cars were scrapped due to terminal firewall rust.   In the W114 range, the 280CE is seen as the most desirable model.   In the W123 range, that is the 280CE, 230CE and 300CD Turbo.

I’ve owned a W123 280CE before, pictured above.   It was later sold to my brother who used it as his daily car, and it is now with another MBCNSW member.    Before that car, he owned another 1978 280CE.  280CE’s make great daily driver classics.   There is also the story of another MBCNSW member’s 280CE available here.

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Unlike in later years, nearly the whole range was offered in 1969.   It was only have the ADR regime became stricter in the mid 60s that Mercedes-Benz started to limit the vehicles they offered in Australia.   This was probably due to the cost of compliance.

The only models missing off the list were the 200 and 200D W115 models, and the 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet, which would be sold in later years.   The entry level W115 cars were probably considered too slow and really for the taxi market.  Mercedes were not a supplier of Taxis in Australia.   Locally built cars dominated the Taxi market.

One thing that jumps out to me is how much more expensive the 280SEL is over the standard 280SE.  No wonder they didn’t sell many of them.   While cars like the W109 were much more expensive than the W108, you at least got major differences to show for it.   The 280SEL was a simple stretch of the 280SE.   From what I gather, the body shells were modified manually, which might explain the higher price.

It is also interesting how much of the range was offered with the choice of an automatic or manual transmission.   It is extremely rare to find a manual transmission car from this era, outside the SLs.   Even the SLs are mostly automatic.   It was only the M100 cars that were not offered with a manual.

For other Australian price lists, please see November 1966 and July 1991.

YORKSTAR MOTORS PTY. LTD.

PRICE LIST

EFFECTIVE 1st DECEMBER, 1969

MERCEDES-BENZ PASSENGER CARS

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These Mercedes steering wheels were basically the same for all W108, W109, W110, W111, W112, W113, and early W114 and W115.    Early cars had a round horn ring, which was changed in the early 60s to a flatter top.   The cars of the 50s had a different design that was similar in concept, but with no padded center and a circular horn ring.   The W100 (600) has a wheel that is a similar design, but not identical.

The standard steering wheel was black (ebony) and had a black center pad with the Mercedes logo and a chrome horn ring.   Up until the mid 60’s it was also possible to order an Ivory coloured steering wheel with a colour matched center pad.   When ordered, the gear stick knob was also Ivory coloured.    This was option code 551.   This option was discontinued  for the updated 1968 models (i.e. the 280s and later 300s).    This was also around the time the steering wheel was revised with a large steering column behind it.   The most obvious difference is the removal of the chrome ring around the horn pad.

The picture below shows an early Finnie with the ivory steering wheel and the round horn ring.  Note the end of the gear stick is also ivory.

The Ivory steering wheel is much more susceptible to age and heat related cracking than the black one.  Both are still available from Mercedes, although at significant cost.   The Ivory wheel is very popular in more recent years and is often added to cars during restoration, especially to vehicles such as the 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet that were never available with this option.   In most cases the gear knob is not changed at the same time, so the difference is quite apparent.     These wheels were only ever available with the center pad in the same colour as the wheel, although I’ve seen many ‘restored’ cars have dyed it the same colour of the seats which I find rather garish.  The photo below shows a 280SE 3.5 Coupe with the correct steering wheel and gear knob.   The flattened top of the horn ring is contrasted with the round one above.  This is also the final version without the chrome ring and the thicker steering column.

Another popular owner change over is to add a Nardi wheel.  Personally I prefer the original wheel, but the Nardi wheel can look good on the W113 roadsters.  Apparently in the USA, some very late W108’s were delivered with the W116 style steering wheel in 1973.

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Mercedes Benz have always provided a range of handsome coupes in their range, which are still even years later a practical classic car, and can easily be used a daily drivers.

This article is going to focus on the Mercedes-Benz classic coupes from the 60s, 70s and 80s, which are the most available for the collector and most practical.   The Mercedes range normally contained both a mid-size and full-size coupe, offering a lot of options for today’s buyers.  I am not including the range from the 50s which are rare and now very expensive, or the 90’s that are more modern used cars.

All prices mentioned in this article are for nice driver quality cars, not for show cars.  i.e. 7/10 examples.

Mid Size

W114 Coupe – 1968-1976

The cheapest way of getting the classic Mercedes look with the upright headlights and large radiator grille.   Some find the styling around the C pillar and large boot a bit ungainly.   Can be hard to find in good, rust-free condition.      A nice example can be purchased from between $5,000 to $12,000 in Australia depending on model and condition.  The pick of the bunch was the 280CE, the DOHC six, other models included the 250C, 250CE and 280C.    Some early cars may be manual, but most will be Automatic.    Few have air conditioning.  The pre-facelift cars are more desirable.

Update for May 2019:   Prices are probably between $8-$20,000 for a nice car.   

W123 Coupe – 1978–1985

Arguably the most handsome of the mid size range.   A practical everyday car, with good examples still available.  A nice example can be purchased from between $5,000 and $10,000 in Australia depending on model and condition.    The car above is a 280CE my brother used to own.    These cars have air conditioning, many have sunroofs and some have power windows.   Australian models have the ADR27A emissions controls, which makes them less powerful than the W114 even with the same engine.   In Australia, they are nearly all automatic.  The 280CE is most common, other models included the 230C, 230CE, 280C and the USA only 300CD and 300CD Turbo.

Update for May 2019:   Prices are probably between $8-$18,000 for a nice car.   

Full Size

W111 Coupe – 1961–1971

Summary:  The W111 provides everything you want in a classic Mercedes.   Elegant good looks, exceptional build quality, great engineering and technology and that classic Mercedes feel.

The W111 coupe was introduced in 1961 as the 220SE based on the successful ‘fintail’ sedan.  The styling however, was more elegant with the prominent fins of the sedan scaled back and rounded off to fit in much better with the lines of the car, the unpopular thermometer instrument cluster replaced with a similar setup to the 300SL, but with the gauges enclosed in a suburb wooden binnacle, at least up to 1967.     The W111 interior came fully equipped with leather and it was only available with fuel injected engines.

220SE – 1961 – 1965

The original model, many more found with manual transmissions as they can be a bit slow with the automatic.   Most models will not have air conditioning, and some have rare options like manual sunroofs and sports seats.   220SE’s start from around $10,000 and go up to around $35,000 for a excellent drivers car.

Update for May 2019:   Prices are probably between $20-50,000 for a nice car.   

250SE – 1965-1967

Very similar to the 220, but with the more powerful 250 engine and other useful upgrades from the W108 such as a larger fuel tank, better brakes.   More likely to have automatic transmissions and air conditioning, although power windows are still very rare, but available.    Prices from $15,000-$40,000.

Update for May 2019:   Prices are probably between $20-60,000 for a nice car.   

280SE – 1968-1971

The 2.8 liter M130 was the pick of the six cylinder engines, with more usable power, and a reputation for being more robust.  Cars from late 1969 have the lower and wider grille from the v8 model, and some of the charm of the original interiors is missing (e.g. the wooden instrument binnacle).   Prices from $20,000-$50,000.

Update for May 2019:   Prices are probably between $30-75,000 for a nice car. 

280SE 3.5 1969-1971

The all new 3.5 liter engine destined for the new SL and S class was tested in the older models for a couple of years.   The 3.5 is regarded as the pick of the bunch, although the power of the engine can show up the suspension setup.    Prices from $45,000-$75,000.   On the introduction of the V8, the front grille was lowered and made wider.  Personally I think it looks good in the Coupe, but not as much in the cabriolet.    Most have air conditioning, and some have power sunroofs and windows.

Update for May 2019:   Prices are probably between $50-100,000 for a nice car.

300SE – 1962-1967

The 300SE is actually a W112, which means it has Air suspension and the all alloy M189 engine.  This puts it at the top of the range, but also significantly increases running cost.   The engine and suspension are trouble free if maintained properly, but many were not and it can be cripplingly expensive to sort out today.  A well setup air suspended car provides an incredible ride.     Prices from $20,000-$40,000.   There are many cheap cars out there that have had their air suspension removed and engine replaced by a 250 or a 280.

Update for May 2019:   Prices are probably between $30-90,000 for a nice car.   

107 Coupe – 1971–1981

450SLC

The 107 coupe, unlike the other two in the ‘large’ class was based on the SL, not the S class.   This gives it a sportier look, but less interior room, and it is more of a 2+2 than a full four seater.    Some people find the long wheelbase of this car ungainly and dislike the louvers, but I think it looks sleek and has an elegance that the SL does not.   Handling is improved on the SL with the longer wheelbase and increased rigidity.   The SLC could be purchased with a 2.8 Six, or 3.5, 3.8, 4.5 or 5.0 V8s.    The 5.0 was a limited production car to allow Mercedes to quality for rallying, which was rather successful.   Outside the LHD only 5.0, the SLC can be bought for between $10,000-$20,000.    Condition is more important than engine.    Only the 2.8 and 3.5 were available with manual, and few were sold.

Update for May 2019:   Prices are probably between $15-30,000 for a nice car. 

The biggest Achilles heel of this car is rust, with many rusty cars available cheaply.   The engines are all reliable if looked after.   I have owned a 450SLC for over 10 years and used it as my everyday car for about half of that time.   The 107 responds well to a small increase in wheel size, to either 15″ or 16″.   Many go bigger, but in my view this spoils the look and compromises the feel of the car.

126 Coupe – 1982–1991

Many regard the W126 as either the first modern Mercedes, or the last classic Mercedes.  Either way, it offers a nice blend of both, with the classic styling, but more modern features like ABS brakes, airbags, power etc.

I have owned three 560SEC‘s and they make great daily drivers.    The 560 gives great power even in the emissions compliant version made available to Australia and the USA.  (the picture above is the USA model with its large bumpers).

SECs are split into two generations:

Generation 1 (380SEC and 500SEC – 1982-1985)

The Gen 1 cars were available until 1985.   In Australia at least, only the 380 was sold officially, so an 500 is an import.   These cars are generally cheaper than the updated gen 2 cars with prices from $10,000-$15,000.

Update for May 2019:   Prices are probably between $10-20,000 for a nice car. 

Generation 2 (420SEC, 500SEC & 560SEC – 1986-1991)

In Australia, 1986 was the first year for unleaded petrol, so Australian delivered cars have catalytic converters (560 was the only model officially imported).   These cars have some useful upgrades including styling improvements to the lower door panels, upgraded interior after 1988, standard airbags and ABS and the 560 engine was a very good improvement over the 380.   Many people covet the unofficial cars without a catalyst as they have significantly more power (e.g. 300hp vs 240 in the 560).   As well as the 560, the 420 and 500 were also available.   Prices from $15,000-$25,000.

Update for May 2019:   Prices are probably between $15-$30,000 for a nice car.   

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