Premiere of the legendary Mercedes-Benz V8 models at the 1969 IAA
International Motor Show in September 1969 in Frankfurt am Main: Mercedes-Benz presented not one, but three luxury vehicles with the new M 116 V8 engine with 3.5 liters of displacement rated to 147 kW (200 hp): the 300 SEL 3.5 (W 109), 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet and 280 SE 3.5 Coupé (W 111). In addition to the legendary C 111 experimental vehicle with a Wankel rotary engine, the “3.5” models were a real highlight of the show. Today, they are amongst the most sought-after variants of these predecessor models to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.