Renowned for its elegance and exclusivity, the Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet has long been celebrated as a modern classic. Combining timeless design with exceptional engineering, it delivers superb road manners and effortless performance, making it a perennial choice for those seeking a classic with style and substance.

The cabriolet offered here was originally delivered by the prominent and long-serving Chicago Mercedes-Benz dealer, Loeber Motors. Its window sticker, included in the history file, notes it was finished in Silver Gray Metallic over black leather interior, with a Becker Europa radio and automatic antenna, folding armrest, tinted power windows, and factory air conditioning. Its original owner was Dr. Howard L. Wilder, an ophthalmologist living in Northbrook, Illinois.

Obviously well-cared-for, the 280 SE 3.5 eventually relocated with Dr. Wilder to his retirement residence in Palm Springs, California. Around 2016, it passed through a dealer in Missouri and into the hands of The Jim Patterson Collection, its second private owner.

Showing excellent care over its life, the car was refinished, apparently late in Dr. Wilder’s ownership, but retains what is believed to be its original leather interior and convertible top, both appropriately well-preserved, and remains in excellent overall condition. At the time of cataloguing it had been driven fewer than 22,000 actual miles; while the title notes that mileage is exempt due to age, it is believed, given the car’s condition, that this is the actual mileage since new. In addition to the window sticker, the car is accompanied by other original documentation, including its service booklet, a copy of the factory build card, and tool set in roll, as one would expect from a well-loved and properly cared for example.

This is a most tempting example of the 280 SE 3.5, in its most sought-after configuration, especially well-optioned, and lovingly preserved and conserved—first for decades by its original owner, and subsequently in one of the United States’s finest collections. It is a worthy companion to any 540 K or 300 SL in a new owner’s stable.