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1973 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 4.5 with 69,000 Miles Offered for Sale in California
A 1973 sedan with a 4.5-liter V8, owned by a single owner for more than half a century, is offered at auction with full documentation and service history.
By Charlotte Redford · 4 min read
The 1973 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 4.5 sedan, chassis W108, is offered for sale after fifty-one years in the ownership of a single owner. The car was sold new through the California leasing company Varner-Ward Leasing in the city of Hayward and delivered to the Hutchinson Motors dealership in Walnut Creek. According to the manufacturer's sticker, the original manufacturer's suggested retail price was $11,037.
The current owner acquired the car two years after its first registration. The vehicle is now being offered for sale through a dealer on a consignment basis, and the listing shows it as sold. The odometer reads approximately 69 thousand miles, of which about 27 thousand were added during the current ownership. This means the car has covered relatively few miles over half a century, which is notable for a vehicle of this age.
The body is finished in Stone Pine Green metallic, and the interior is trimmed in green MB-Tex upholstery. In 1976 the car sustained stone damage: the windshield was replaced, and the hood and right front fender were repainted. The California title is clean. The package includes the manufacturer's sticker, data card, manuals and service documents, which allow the car's history to be traced through records.
Under the hood is a 4.5-liter M117 V8 with Bosch fuel injection. Factory output is 198 hp and torque is 264 lb-ft. The transmission is a three-speed automatic, and drive is rear-wheel. According to 2025 records, the oil, water pump, thermostat, belts and hoses were replaced. The differential oil was changed in 2024. The seller also reports replacement of the transmission cooler lines in 2026, although this fact has not been independently confirmed.
The car is equipped with power steering and disc brakes with booster on all four wheels. The brake fluid was replaced in 2024, and the shock absorbers and subframe mounts during a later repair. The car rides on silver 14-inch Bundt alloy wheels with 2017 Michelin tires and a matching spare wheel. Equipment includes a sunroof, power windows, central locking, air conditioning and a Becker Europa AM/FM radio. The air conditioning refrigerant was topped up in 2021, which concerns systems that lose effectiveness over time and require attention.
The W108 was produced by Mercedes-Benz in the early 1970s and belonged to the brand's executive class. The 280SE 4.5 version occupied a place in the lineup between the more affordable models and the company's most powerful sedans, combining an eight-cylinder engine with a comfortable interior. For buyers of the time, such a car was a choice for those who valued reliability and quality of finish, and that is why surviving examples with complete documentation are valued by collectors today.
The seller has not confirmed the full scope of the service history in detail beyond the listed records, so the buyer should verify the documents independently. The question of how thoroughly the work of recent years is documented remains open, and a definitive picture of the car's condition can only be obtained through an independent inspection.
Source: bringatrailer.com
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