Jay Leno used to work at a Mercedes-Benz dealership, so it’s easy to understand his attachment to his silver W 108.
This one-owner 3.5 liter coupé came to California from Las Vegas, with 82,000 original miles and a straight body in dire need of new rubber seals, a windshield replacement, new paint and some woodwork in the cabin. While solid 280SE sedans are rumored to have been found for as low as $7000, Leno’s 1971 two-door is the rarer and more expensive variant, featuring the “tiny” 3.5 V8, still good for 200 horsepower and a top speed of 130mph.
In September 1969 the much more powerful version of the 280 SE 3.5 Coupé and Cabriolet (type W111) was laun-ched. The newly developed 3.5-liter V8 engine with 200 hp combined exceptional running smoothness with a perfor-mance on sports car level. The car’s front end was slightly revised: The radiator grille had become lower and wider and the bonnet was flattened accordingly towards the front. Thus the face-lifted coupés and convertibles are often referred to as “flat radiator” models. 3.270 were examples of the Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 Coupe were built from 1969 to 1971.
1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SE Coupé 3.5 V8.
American comedian and talk show host Jay Leno has over 1600 vehicles in his collection, and they range from tiny micro cars and hot rods, through to a pre-1900 steam car, the latest hypercars from Europe, an American LaFrance fire engine, and even a Ferret Scout army vehicle! Leno loves cars and his passion has led him to collect not only the fastest and most powerful machines, but cool cars and culturally significant models. Said to be worth north of US$52 million, one of the strangest cars in Leno’s brood is the Blastolene Special, otherwise known as “the tank car”. Basically it is a giant hot rod built on a truck chassis with an engine from a tank!
Jay Leno has over 1600 vehicles in his collection.
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