Back to the History of the Coupés and Convertibles


At this time, Mercedes decided to replace their top-of-the-range W111 and W112 sedans with a new range: the W108 and W109. It's interesting to think that Paul Bracq's early designs for these new models were no more than a 4 door version of a W111 Coupé! By now they were also considering to replace the W111 and W112 Coupés by a new design. The design that Paul Bracq put forward would have dated quickly so it was not adopted for production.


In styling terms, the new W108 and W109 models didn't affect the Coupés and Convertibles. In mechanical terms however, they certainly did. The 2,2 liter engine was replaced by the new 2,5 liter engine that also featured in the new W108 models. The 250SE Coupés and Convertibles remained in production alongside the 300SE Coupés and Convertibles until the arrival of the 280SE Coupés and Convertibles in 1967.


From the outside, the basis of the 250SE Coupé/Convertible was the 220SE Coupé/Convertible. So for a detailed description of the 250SE, please read chapter 3) 1961: The 220SE Coupés and Convertibles first. You can read the word "250SE" where it says "220SE". Below are things mentioned were the 250SE models differ from the 220SE models.


The only real noticeable difference (apart from the badge of course) between the 220SE and the 250SE was that the 250SE had different wheelcovers. The 220SE had the elegant looking rims with the 12 holes and the 250SE had rims that consisted of a single strip of chrome. The design of the hubcaps remained unchanged. This design was similar to the wheelcovers of later 300SE Coupé/Convertible models. Besides that, the 250SE also had larger rims, 14 inch instead of 13 inch.



I couldn't find any noticeable differences between the interior of the 250SE Coupé/Convertible models and the 220SE Coupé/Convertible models. So for a detailed description of the interior of the 250 SE Coupé/Convertible models please read chapter 3) 1961: The 220SE Coupé and Convertible. You can read the word "250SE" where it says "220SE".

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Previous: 4) 1962: The 300SE Coupé and Convertible
Next: 6) 1967: The 280SE Coupé and Convertible