V.I.S.I.T. – Mercedes-Benz 280SE 4.5 W108

Jay Ramey

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When is it too cold and slushy to take your classic out? For some owners it’s never, apparently. I spotted this W108 280SE 4.5 not too long ago on Connecticut’s salty roads after a major snowstorm, looking rather smug sitting on Nokian Hakkapeliitta 2 winter tires. Clearly, some classics are better able to handle such conditions than others. For instance, you would never see a classic Alfa Romeo, even some unloved Alfetta sedan, being driven on the interstate behind a salting truck.  But this Benz seems to be made of stronger stuff.

This example appeared to be in much better than driver condition, and if I had the time to examine it closer, it would have probably appeared closer to club concours condition than anything else. Some of you will recall that the W108 and W109 didn’t stay in production for very long, only being made from 1965 till 1972.  And the W108 seen here only gained the 4.5 liter engine in 1971, which was available for less than twenty four months until the model was replaced by the W116 in November of 1972.

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Unlike the W116 the W108 arguably has a claim to being considered a true classic, as the W116s stateside were not especially babied. In fact, most of the W116s that I see at shows have relatively high mileage, and had invariably been restored following a hard life. The W108, on the other hand, comes from a time when Mercedes-Ben cars were still bought and kept as heirlooms, and I’m starting to see more and more of these restored examples at shows. The only place where I am not starting to see show-quality W108s are trains station parking lots in Connecticut in the middle of the friggin’ winter, which made this sighting quite surprising.

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What’s the last classic car you saw being driven “out of season”?

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Jay Ramey

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16 responses to “V.I.S.I.T. – Mercedes-Benz 280SE 4.5 W108”

  1. Dean Bigglesworth Avatar
    Dean Bigglesworth

    I saw a mint looking Delta Integrale the other day, passed me coming the other way. It was something around -15°C so no fresh salt, just ice and snow.

    Reply
  2. mcflipper Avatar
    mcflipper

    I'll bet that's the same car I see parked at Metro North's Fleetwood station. Every time I see it, I wonder who owns it—they have to be at least kind of cool.

    Reply
    1. Jay_Ramey Avatar
      Jay_Ramey

      You're not too far off, I saw this car in New Canaan.

      Reply
  3. Vavon Avatar
    Vavon

    <img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TBgXIxcSVfM/T_NQGpjO2dI/AAAAAAAAE9Y/k15zPAjl9sc/s1600/jojo1.jpg&quot; width="650/">
    One of these. It wasn't the last I saw, but definitely the oldest and most memorable.
    The best bit was that the elderly gentleman was driving it pretty swiftly!
    Not as fast as these guys, but he was definitely no slouch!
    Now here's a little game:
    1. Name the car.
    2. Name the similar looking Russian car.
    3. Name the similar looking Swedish car.
    4. Name the American car that probably inspired all of these.
    Full disclosure: I have no idea what the answer to question number 4 is!

    Reply
    1. Jay_Ramey Avatar
      Jay_Ramey

      1. Pug 203
      2. GAZ M20 Pobeda
      3. Uhh, Volvo PV444. Had to think about this one, I'm bad with old volvos.
      4. like 20 diff things I'd imagine : ) They all look alike to me.
      The Pobeda predates the Poozhoe though I think, riiiight? The GAZ came out in 46(?) and the Pug in 48 perhaps?

      Reply
      1. Vavon Avatar
        Vavon

        Absolutely right! You almost won the internet… But question No. 4 is the most important one!
        The PV444 (1944) predates the Pobeda (1946) which predates the Peugeot (1948).

        Reply
        1. mdharrell Avatar
          mdharrell

          The standard answer, at least for the Volvo, is the 1942 Ford.
          <img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2327/1993991692_2b793f81d2.jpg&quot; width="450">

          Reply
          1. Vavon Avatar
            Vavon

            That does seem to look like the Volvo PV444 a lot.
            Wikipedia just learned me that the inspiration for the Peugeot 203…
            <img src="http://les-peugeot-mythique.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/PEUGEOT-203.jpg&quot; width="400/"><img src="http://www.automotivehistoryonline.com/images/1946 Chevrolet Fleetline.jpg" width="400/">…was probably the 1941 Chevrolet Fleetline.

  4. LTDScott Avatar
    LTDScott

    I saw a 280SE similar to this last weekend, but on some ugly ghetto 17" chrome wheels. I had a sad.

    Reply
  5. Van_Sarockin Avatar
    Van_Sarockin

    4.5? You have my full and complete attention.

    Reply
  6. Sam Avatar
    Sam

    I use to drive my 1987 Saab 900 Turbo year round, technically it was an antique, that is until I totaled it.

    Reply
    1. FuzzyPlushroom Avatar
      FuzzyPlushroom

      Well, fellow Sam, I managed to sell my oldest car a year before she became an antique, and my current driver has a few years to go. I'll grant you that terminology, though.

      Reply
  7. mr. Smee Avatar
    mr. Smee

    In a couple hours I'll get in my mint-condition '90 Cressida and venture out into -20C and 3-inches of fresh snow. Is it a classic? Some say yes, some say no, all I know is I love to drive it so I'm going to drive it.

    Reply
    1. FuzzyPlushroom Avatar
      FuzzyPlushroom

      This is what I say about my Volvo 244. Classic design, but she's a '93, so she's no antique. Yet.
      <img src="http://i.imgur.com/IDdoNAP.jpg&quot; width=600>

      Reply
      1. Jay_Ramey Avatar
        Jay_Ramey

        But it is "Classic" since its a '93, though : )

        Reply
  8. Jeff Glucker Avatar
    Jeff Glucker

    Good god I want a W108 so bad…

    Reply