Mercedes-Benz
300 SE Cabriolet (W 112)

Why it matters

The 300 SE Cabriolet (W 112/3) was the most exclusive open car of the 111/112 series. It combined the elegant four-seat cabriolet body of the 220 SEb with the technology of the 300 SE: a 3.0-litre light-alloy fuel-injected six, standard automatic gearbox, air suspension and four-wheel disc brakes. The factory archive counts 708 built from 1962 to 1967, fewer than any other open model of the range.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Cabriolet (W 112) (Wikimedia Commons: Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Cabriolet)
  Photo: CapCase · CC BY 2.0
• Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Cabriolet (W 112) (Wikimedia Commons: Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Cabriolet)
  Photo: Publicidgroup · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Cabriolet (W 112) (Wikimedia Commons: Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Cabriolet)
  Photo: CapCase · CC BY 2.0
• Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Cabriolet (W 112) (Wikimedia Commons: Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Cabriolet)
  Photo: Thesupermat · CC BY-SA 4.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The 300 SE Coupé and Convertible made their debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1962, built from existing components: the 220 SEb bodies with extra decoration combined with 300 SE technology. A four-speed manual gearbox became optional from March 1963 at a price DM 1,400 lower, a six-plunger injection pump lifted output to 170 hp in January 1964, and the larger 14-inch wheels came in August 1965. Production ended at the end of 1967, shortly before the 280 SE arrived in January 1968. Across the whole 111/112 series 7,013 convertibles were built in Sindelfingen.

Catalogue examples include a car completed in January 1963 that stayed with one owner for nearly fifty years, a 1964 car described by Bonhams as one of 706 coupés and convertibles built that year, and a 1965 car that the actor James Mason acquired in 1966 and whose family kept it until 2016.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The factory type is 112.023 (design name W 112/3) and the engine has a light-alloy block: 2996 cc, 160 hp at 5000 rpm, rising to 170 hp at 5400 rpm from January 1964, with Bosch manifold injection. Standard equipment is a 4-speed automatic gearbox, air-spring bellows on all wheels, four-wheel disc brakes and recirculating-ball steering; a four-speed manual and a ZF five-speed were options. The body carries a chrome trim from headlights to taillights along the side bead and decorative trims around the front and rear wheel arches. Wheels are 5 1/2 K x 13 B rims until August 1965, then 6 J x 14. A catalogue car carries chassis number 112.023-12-005430.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   300 SE Cabriolet / W 112/3, 1962 - 1967 Level A Mercedes-Benz Public Archive (Classic M@RS)

   • Units produced : 708
   • Engine type : M 189 I / 189.985; from 01.1964: M 189 VI / 189.987 (Specifications)
   • Number of cylinders / arrangement : 6 / in-line; light-alloy block (Specifications)
   • Total displacement : 2996 cc (tax classification: 2975 cc) (Specifications)
   • Bore x Stroke : 85 x 88 mm (Specifications)
   • Compression ratio : 8.7; from 01.1964: 8.8 (Specifications)
   • Valve operation : 1 overhead camshaft (Specifications)
   • Fuel system : manifold injection, mechanically controlled; Bosch 2-plunger injection pump, from 01.1964: Bosch 6-plunger (Specifications)
   • Rated output : 160 hp at 5000 rpm; from 01.1964: 170 hp at 5400 rpm (Specifications)
   • Rated torque : 25.6 mkg at 3800 rpm; from 01.1964: 25.4 mkg at 4000 rpm (Specifications)
   • Gearing : 4-speed automatic transmission (Specifications)
   • Gear ratios : I. 3.98; II. 2.52; III. 1.58; IV. 1.0; R. 4.15 (Specifications)
   • Final drive ratio : 4.10; 4.08; 3.92; from 01.1964: 3.75; from 08.1965: 3.69; (3.92 optional) (Specifications)
   • Driven wheels : rear wheels (Specifications)
   • Frame design : floor assembly / steel unit body (Specifications)
   • Front-wheel suspension : double wishbone (Specifications)
   • Rear-wheel suspension : single-joint swing axle with level control (Specifications)
   • Brake system (foot brake) : hydraulic dual-circuit brake system with vacuum booster, acting on front- (Specifications)
   • Steering : recirculating-ball steering (Specifications)
   • Wheelbase : 2750 mm (Specifications)
   • Length : 4880 mm (Specifications)
   • Width : 1845 mm (Specifications)
   • Height : 1400 mm (Specifications)
   • Front / rear track : 1482 / 1490 mm (Specifications)
   • Kerb weight : 1690 kg; from 08.1965: 1715 kg (Specifications)
   • Maximum speed : 175 km/h (RA 4.10/4.08) resp. 180 km/h (RA 3.92); from 01.1964: 195 (Specifications)
   • Acceleration 0-100 km/h : 11.5 s; from 01.64: 11.7 s (RA 3.75/3.69) resp. 11.4 s (Specifications)
   • Fuel tank: position / capacity : in the rear / 65 l; from 01.1963: 82 (Specifications)
   • Fuel consumption : 13 l; from 01.1964: 13 l (RA 3.75 / 3.69) resp. 13.7 (Specifications)

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   Mercedes-Benz Classic M@RS archive – 300 SE Cabriolet Level A

   • 708 cabriolets

   Accessed 2026-11-12