The top variant for the W111 Cabriolet was the Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet. Introduced for the 1970 model year, the 280 SE 3.5 was Mercedes' top of the line cabriolet during its production years. Fitted with Mercedes' M116 3.5L V8 engine, these cabriolets featured design tweaks including a wider and lower front grill, leading to these cars being known as 'flachkühler,' meaning flat radiator. Built until 1971, only 1,232 examples of the 280SE 3.5 cabriolets were produced.