In August 1959, the company announced a thoroughly revised passenger car range. Under the slogan: “The new six-cylinders - in a class of their own” and as successors to the existing six-cylinder models came the following three completely re-designed models - the 220 b, 220 Sb, and 220 SEb of the W 111 series. In addition to various differences in equipment detail, the three new models also differed in terms of their engines. A coupe version of the 220 SEb arrived in February 1961, and a convertible followed in September that same year. In August 1961 the 300 SE was introduced as the new premium-class model, a vehicle which in terms of its external appearance and technical design lent heavily on the 220 SEb, but which also included numerous technical tidbits as standard. Coupe and convertible made their debut in February 1962. In addition to the four-speed automatic transmission and the likewise newly developed power steering, basic equipment also included air suspension - a first for a Mercedes-Benz passenger car - which offered a combination of sporty handling with top-quality ride comfort. In September 1969, clearly more powerful versions of the 280 SE 3.5 Coupé and Cabriolet were introduced. The completely newly developed 3.5-liter V8 engine with an output of 147 kW excelled in particularly smooth running characteristics and gave the car a sports-car-like performance.
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source: Mercedes-Benz Classic ALL TIME STARS