Classic Chatter: 1960s Mercedes-Benz 300SE

It has been some time since I wrote about classic cars but now I am resurrecting the Classic Chatter column that used to appear in the New Sunday Times, Cars Bikes and Trucks motoring pullout and we are going to start off by cheating a bit, I am going to just put a Press Release from Mercedes Benz about the car. Next week I will upload my own piece on an interesting classic car



Zenith of Mercedes-Benz’s coupé and cabriolet tradition in the 1960s

A combination of the cutting-edge technology of the 300 SE with exclusive bodywork variants
The 300 SE was produced as a coupé and as a cabriolet almost three years longer than the tailfin saloon

Stuttgart – The premiere that was celebrated for two luxurious premium-class cars from 15 to 25 March 1962 at the 32nd Geneva Motor Show was a brilliant one: Mercedes-Benz presented the 300 SE Coupé and the 300 SE Cabriolet of the W 112 series.

Because both these two-door four-seater cars were the result of the consistent combination of technical brilliance, impressive performance and very high standards of style and elegance.

In terms of their style, both coupé and cabriolet were based on the respective variants of the 220 SE (W 111). The full-length floor unit was adopted from the tailfin saloon, underscoring the stately presence of both two-door vehicles with their 2.75-metre wheelbase and overall length of 4.88 metres.

AMG prepping four-door Black C63, to challenge Ferrari FF?

Mercedes-Benz is still running the horsepower race with huge engines shoehorned into small cars.

This time they found a 6.3-litre engine that could be forced into the engine bay of the four-door C-Class and turn it into a Ferrari FF challenger as the fastest family transporter. This one actually has a boot but no all-wheel drive.

The four-door version is a further development of the coupe variant and is expected to match the two door for performance.

Latest pictures of 2012 Mercedes-Benz B-Class

It does look to the world as if the new B-Class looks like the old B-Class, oh well, anyway these are the latest pictures issued by Stuttgart.

I do like the interior design, especially the new natural-looking matte-finish wood. It also looks like Mercedes-Benz is beginnning to behave like the company that used to make cars that felt like bank vaults.

More photos after the jump

FIRST PICS: Interior of the next-gen B-Class shows its gone upmarket

The Mercedes-Benz B-Class has given many people the chance to get into the habit of buying brand new Mercs and the company is keen to give this baby MPV more exclusivity and this is evident from these photos of the interior.

The round air-cond vents and curves on the dashboard brings it in line with the next generation of Mercedes-Benz interiors.

See the full gallery after the jump

Mercedes confirms another shooting brake

I love shooting brakes, they are the automotive world's equivalent to two fingers to the world, so you think station wagons are for soccer moms? Well not these.

Shooting brakes used to be a British thing, the Reliant Scimitar and various bespoke versions from Aston Martin, Bristol, Bentley and there is even a couple of  Ferrari 456 shooting brakes, allegedly belonging to the Brunei royal family.

Mercedes Benz has caught the bug and after approving the CLS shooting brake late last year (it may show up at Frankfurt as the real McCoy) they have now approved the production of a baby shooting brake, presumably from the CLC model family.

Bravo to Mercedes-Benz.

After the jump is a collection of a few shooting brakes.