Mercedes-Benz 280SE Coupe

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Launched in 1965, the W108 Series S-Class saloon was the-top-of-the-range Mercedes of the late 1960s and early ‘70s.

Hailed by contemporary motoring journalists as the finest luxury car in the world, it was built to a standard that other manufacturers could only gawp at, setting a benchmark of engineering excellence that has not been surpassed to this day. Allied to this bank vault solidity was an air of sober Teutonic opulence that made it an instant hit with tycoons and diplomats the world over.

Most glamorous of all was the two-door W111 coupe version, a fantastically elegant pillarless design by Paul Bracq that was tailor-made for the artistic elite of the Swinging Sixties. The mix of chrome, wood and leather still oozes a cigars and champagne class that makes you feel like a film star every time you slip behind the wheel.

Initially available with a straight-six 2.2-litre engine, this was soon upgraded to a 2.5-litre unit and from 1967 by a 2.8-litre which produced 160bhp and could propel the car to 60mph in under 11 seconds on its way to a top speed of 120mph. Costing some £5,300 at launch in 1967 (over twice the price of a Jaguar E-Type), the 280SE Coupe was always an exclusive machine and ownership was restricted to a privileged few.

Manufactured in 1969, this particular Coupe was supplied new by Charles Sidney Ltd of Bradford to the managing director of a local business, Woolcombers (Worsted Spinners) Ltd, in May 1970. Unfortunately the MD died of a heart attack in Tel-Aviv not long afterwards and in March 1972 the car was acquired by an East Yorkshire garage proprietor, Gordon Fussey, who replaced the original registration number, OKY 298H, with his own personal number plate, AT 20, and was to keep the car for the next seven years.

Ownership then transferred to a Mike Rozenbroek of Cottingham, East Yorks, who maintained the car scrupulously, winning several prizes at classic car events in the North of England during the early 1980s. According to a news clipping in the history file, the car also ferried various celebrities during this period including soap queen Vera Duckworth of Coronation Street fame and American TV star Telly 'Kojak' Savalas. At this time the car had covered around 50,000 miles from new.

It then had a couple of further long-term owners before being acquired in 2004 by film producer David Laub, business partner of Adam Yauch (of Beastie Boys fame) at Oscilloscope Films. In 2006 Laub passed the car on to the noted musician, Geoffrey Burgon, composer of many film and TV scores including 'Brideshead Revisited', 'Life of Brian', 'Doctor Who' and 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'.

Burgon gave the car to his wife in 2009, yet another musician (Jacqueline Kroft), who kept the car for five years, using it on a regular basis including many trips from the Cotswolds to London and back and numerous school runs (hence the inertia-reel seat belts fitted front and rear). The vendor acquired the car through Brightwells in May 2014 and got his local garage to give it a quick once over which resulted in a new clutch slave cylinder being fitted, but has otherwise barely used the car, hence its appearance in this catalogue.

Always kept in good running order, the car comes with many bills to show regular maintenance, while an LPG system was also professionally and discreetly fitted several years ago for improved economy on long runs. Now with some 144,000 miles on the clock, the car still appears to be in good and largely original condition throughout with attractive white coachwork, a nicely mellowed red leather interior and excellent chrome. It also retains all its original handbooks and comes with a good history file including many old MOTs back to 1983 (at 52,500 miles).

With an MOT until June 2016, this beautiful Coupe now needs another caring owner to add their own chapter to its fascinating life to date.