Mercedes-Benz
300 SE Coupé (W 112)

Why it matters

The 300 SE Coupé (W 112/3) is the closed two-door of the exclusive 300 SE pair, combining the 220 SEb coupé body with the fuel-injected 3.0-litre six, air suspension and four-wheel disc brakes of the 300 SE. The factory archive counts 2,419 built from 1962 to 1967. Together with the cabriolet it was a low-volume car built largely by hand.

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 Coupé (W 112) (Wikimedia Commons: Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Coupé)
  Photo: Rutger van der Maar · CC BY 2.0
• Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Coupé (W 112) (Wikimedia Commons: Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Coupé)
  Photo: Rutger van der Maar · CC BY 2.0

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 coupé and convertible debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1962. From March 1963 a four-speed manual gearbox could be ordered at DM 1,400 less, and in January 1964 a six-plunger injection pump raised output to 170 hp. In 1962 the test department also built a one-off landaulet on a 300 SE coupé, with a retractable hood replacing the rear roof edge, for use by the head of the development department; its later fate is unknown. Production of the 300 SE coupé ended at the same time as that of the 2.5-litre models, around the start of 1968.

RM Sotheby's states that 3,127 coupés and convertibles were built through 1967, 630 of them in 1963, which matches the archive counts of 2,419 and 708. A 1963 car with Bonhams spent nearly fifty years in one family, and a 1963 car sold in Paris was delivered new to the United States and moved to Finland in 1992.

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 112.021 (design name W 112/3), with a light-alloy 2996 cc injection engine rated 160 hp, or 170 hp from January 1964. Standard fittings are the 4-speed automatic gearbox, air-spring bellows front and rear, four-wheel disc brakes and 7.50 H 13 tyres on 5 1/2 K x 13 rims, changing to 14-inch wheels from August 1965. Wheelbase is 2750 mm, length 4880 mm, width 1845 mm and height 1395 mm. The body carries the chrome trim from headlights to taillights along the side bead and chrome trims on the wheel arches. Catalogue chassis numbers follow the pattern 112.021-10-004361, with body number 112.021-10-00319 in the same catalogue entry.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

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

   • Units produced : 2419
   • 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 : 1395 mm (Specifications)
   • Front / rear track : 1482 / 1490 mm (Specifications)
   • Kerb weight : 1590 kg; from 08.1965: 1650 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: 11.4 s (RA 3.75/3.69) resp. 11.1 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 Coupé Level A

   • 2419 coupés

   Accessed 2026-11-12