Those were the days

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The 112 coupe is underrated as one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Unlike E-types they are stunning a up close as well because the quality of all the interior parts and chrome-work is so good.
 
I see a car which is elegant, although I also see a car which was reasonably fashionable in it’s day, following the trends in styling in it’s time, but with the Mercedes house style applied. Like anything which follows a trend or fashion, the design fell from grace for all but the dedicated, and now many years later it’s considered to be elegant again, as is the case with many things which are from a bygone era. Give it it long enough and some current Mercedes models will go through the same cycle.
 
As a design it’s actually quite poor. Such a long car with relatively little of that space actually useable interior space. It will be as slow as anything. Won’t stop or go round corners. Old cars look different and are rare. Maybe that’s the attraction but I’ve never got why people fawn over them and spend silly amount on them. Each to their own though.
 
Power steering, automatic transmission, air suspension , an abundance of chrome and body proportions would perhaps suggest a car aimed at the styling preferences of the American market of the time?
 
As a design it’s actually quite poor. Such a long car with relatively little of that space actually useable interior space. It will be as slow as anything. Won’t stop or go round corners. Old cars look different and are rare. Maybe that’s the attraction but I’ve never got why people fawn over them and spend silly amount on them. Each to their own though.
Actually , having driven these , nearly bought one , and owned the saloon version , they are remarkably spacious inside . I had my 220S at the same time as my W126 500SEL , both cars had very similar external dimensions , There was much more space inside the Fintail , particularly elbow room and knee room . The Fintail boot was shallower than the W126 one but much longer and you could certainly get larger items in there that wouldn't fit in a W126 boot . Move on from the W126 to the W220 and the interior becomes more cramped and closed in - this is commonplace in subsequent models of cars as more and more cr@p is squeezed in to them .

Performance , the 220SE was capable of around 125 mph , pretty respectable for circa 1961 , even with twin carbs , the 220S was not that much slower , and both were much faster than the majority of other cars . Cornering , they had a very soft suspension , but actually could be thrown around with great alacrity , as long as you were used to swing axle rear suspension ; even my 1957 Ponton , with its narrower track could pick up its skirts and even in the 1990s easily kept up with other traffic , and had plenty of power for making progress on open roads .

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and , of course , the Coupe

Restored Mercedes-Benz 1966 250SE W111

This one shows them going through their paces on the test track , with Erich Waxenberger looking on

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Some race prepared ones on the Nurburgring

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The ultimate incarnation , of course was the 6.3 , in the 109 chassis which was a direct development of the 111/112

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For their times , these cars were all cutting edge , and can still hold their own today .
 
As a design it’s actually quite poor. Such a long car with relatively little of that space actually useable interior space. It will be as slow as anything. Won’t stop or go round corners. Old cars look different and are rare. Maybe that’s the attraction but I’ve never got why people fawn over them and spend silly amount on them. Each to their own though.
Problem solved :cool:

mercedesw111280se35mech.jpg


Mercedes-Benz W111 280 SE 3,5 Coupe AMG by Mechatronik | Used Daewoo Cars
 
Actually , having driven these , nearly bought one , and owned the saloon version , they are remarkably spacious inside . I had my 220S at the same time as my W126 500SEL , both cars had very similar external dimensions , There was much more space inside the Fintail , particularly elbow room and knee room . The Fintail boot was shallower than the W126 one but much longer and you could certainly get larger items in there that wouldn't fit in a W126 boot . Move on from the W126 to the W220 and the interior becomes more cramped and closed in - this is commonplace in subsequent models of cars as more and more cr@p is squeezed in to them .

Performance , the 220SE was capable of around 125 mph , pretty respectable for circa 1961 , even with twin carbs , the 220S was not that much slower , and both were much faster than the majority of other cars . Cornering , they had a very soft suspension , but actually could be thrown around with great alacrity , as long as you were used to swing axle rear suspension ; even my 1957 Ponton , with its narrower track could pick up its skirts and even in the 1990s easily kept up with other traffic , and had plenty of power for making progress on open roads .

This video shows the features of the range .

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

and , of course , the Coupe

Restored Mercedes-Benz 1966 250SE W111

This one shows them going through their paces on the test track , with Erich Waxenberger looking on

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Some race prepared ones on the Nurburgring

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The ultimate incarnation , of course was the 6.3 , in the 109 chassis which was a direct development of the 111/112

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For their times , these cars were all cutting edge , and can still hold their own today .

I’m sure they were cutting edge in the day and I have driven classic vehicles before. It’s chalk and cheese. You didn’t mention stopping? My experience this is the scariest part of diving a classic car, they don’t stop and yes they would’ve been quick for the day but won’t keep up with anything like a modern equivalent. Cornering is another massive difference and we haven’t touched on handling in the wet..... As I say I’m sure they were very good in the day but this is what I don’t get about all classics. Yes as an investment but no as a car to drive.
 
I’m sure they were cutting edge in the day and I have driven classic vehicles before. It’s chalk and cheese. You didn’t mention stopping? My experience this is the scariest part of diving a classic car, they don’t stop and yes they would’ve been quick for the day but won’t keep up with anything like a modern equivalent. Cornering is another massive difference and we haven’t touched on handling in the wet..... As I say I’m sure they were very good in the day but this is what I don’t get about all classics. Yes as an investment but no as a car to drive.
Stopping mainly comes down to tyres ; I , like most people now , ran my Ponton on Radials , 6.70 R13s , and with the optional ATE brake booster , the brakes were very powerful , to the point of being able to lock up on dry roads ( no ABS back then ) and it never wanted for stopping power .

I would certainly expect some changes over 60 years , but what they can do is to easily keep up with modern traffic , and I did drive mine , and enjoyed it , everyday , for over 15 years , before retiring it with the intention of restoring , which alas I never got round to . Cornering really is just a matter of getting used to the car , but then I learned to drive in these cars ( first drove my dad's W110 , then passed my test in a W115 ) and , again , subject to the right tyres , they were very capable , in the wet as well as in the dry .

And since you mention weather conditions , and 1950's or 1960's Merc will leave any modern one for dead in snowy or icy conditions ; progress isn't always forward .
 
Stopping mainly comes down to tyres ; I , like most people now , ran my Ponton on Radials , 6.70 R13s , and with the optional ATE brake booster , the brakes were very powerful , to the point of being able to lock up on dry roads ( no ABS back then ) and it never wanted for stopping power .

I would certainly expect some changes over 60 years , but what they can do is to easily keep up with modern traffic , and I did drive mine , and enjoyed it , everyday , for over 15 years , before retiring it with the intention of restoring , which alas I never got round to . Cornering really is just a matter of getting used to the car , but then I learned to drive in these cars ( first drove my dad's W110 , then passed my test in a W115 ) and , again , subject to the right tyres , they were very capable , in the wet as well as in the dry .

And since you mention weather conditions , and 1950's or 1960's Merc will leave any modern one for dead in snowy or icy conditions ; progress isn't always forward .

Do an AMG track day if you want to see how far the technology has come on. The sheer stopping power and acceleration and cornering is light years away from these cars. As I said I’m sure they were good in the day but there is a difference between keeping up and making progress.
 
I've driven modern cars as well . Sure there is a lot more performance , but it is performance that you won't use on the roads in normal driving ; even these older cars still have more than enough performance to lose your licence , are comfortable , and properly maintained ones , perfectly fine to use every day .
 

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