There are few cars, in my opinion, more stoic the Mercedes-Benz W123. This wasn’t a particularly flashy Mercedes, nor was it overtly luxurious. It was designed to take over a large segment of the Mercedes-Benz portfolio while providing transportation that would last a lifetime, as we see with the examples still pressed into service on a regularly basis. So popular were these cars that even shortly after their introduction, people were paying premiums for new examples immediately available, averting the wait list in Mercedes-Benz showrooms. The US market did not receive many non-diesel W123 variants over the course of the production cycle, and none were in coupe form. That makes this final year 1985 230CE for sale in California is a bit of a rarity on these shores.
Category: Mercedes Benz
At the risk of appearing like we’re recycling a bit too much material lately, I’d really like to take a look at this superb and interestingly equipped W126 from last fall again. A relatively low spec European model never offered here, this 280SE features the M110 inline-6 instead of the normal V8s the American market experienced, but the smart Euro look, low miles and great color combination really caught my eye. It’s not the fastest S-Class you can buy, but it’ll still leave you feeling pretty rich. Last time around this car hammered at a seemingly unfathomably cheap $2,950, but for whatever reason it’s back up for sale from the same owner having covered only a few more miles since the fall. The reserve is still on the auction, but this should still remain a very affordable bit of classy classic Mercedes to pick up!
The below post originally appeared on our site September 7, 2015:
As with the W140 model I covered the other day, the W126 eagerly accepted by the automotive world as the new benchmark in design in the late 1970s. Mercedes-Benz pioneered new safety, aerodynamics and luxury through typical Mercedes-Benz over engineering. Replacing the outgoing W116, the W126 was thoroughly modern inside and out but at least initially carried the same motivation. Under the hood of the short wheel base 280SE was the inline-6 M110 motor, but there were small and large displacement V8 models too. Paul looked at a excellent condition W116 280SE recently, but a high asking price called into question the value of that particular example. Will this grey market import 280SE sing the same song?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1982 Mercedes-Benz 280SE on eBay
Comments closedTuner Tuesday posts usually focus on cars that have been turned up a few notches by aftermarket companies, but for some time Mercedes-Benz did all the magic internally. Indeed, if you go back to the 1920s and 1930s, Mercedes-Benz had a habit of taking the largest motor they could reliably produce and sticking it in their luxury cars. Such was where the legend of the 500 and 540K specials came from, but while the War postponed many further developments Mercedes-Benz were back at it in the W109 300SEL 6.3. Apparently not satisfied by that factory hot rod, engineers conceived its replacement with an even larger 6.9 liter V8 – mind you, in the midst of an international fuel crisis. Churning out 286 horsepower from the now legendary M100 V8, the 450SEL 6.9 was effectively a land-bound aircraft carrier and about as powerful. Long ignored by the market, the 6.9s have heated up over the past few years as large classic Mercedes-Benz models have become increasingly sought after and the rare 450SEL with the big motor is a solid draw. Today I have two examples to consider – a desirable European version and a less powerful and not quite as attractive American-spec car. Which is the one to choose?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1977 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 on eBay
1 CommentThey weren’t produced in big numbers, but we’ve seen a couple 1993 Mercedes-Benz 190E Limited Editions appear on GCFSB as of late, both in 2.3 and 2.6 form. This 190E 2.6 Limited Edition for sale in Florida has extremely low mileage and certainly appears as such. These 2.6 Limited Editions came equipped in black over black and red leather with carbon fibre trim, tighter suspension settings and sport seats. The carbon fibre trim has been replaced by wood trim in this example, which, in my opinion doesn’t really complement the more sporting look of the interior. It’s not terrible, mind you, but I would have preferred the stock look in this case. Given the small number of these 190Es built and the smaller number that still exist in good shape, you’ll want to look this example over a bit more closely.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1993 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.6 Limited Edition on eBay
5 CommentsThe C107 is to me a very strange car, yet I’m often compelled to look at them. They’re certainly not the prettiest or best proportioned Mercedes-Benz product and the attempt to make a Grand Touring coupe out of a roadster was perhaps a bit too ambitious. Yet sometimes I see one and am captivated by the look; long, low and with a tremendous amount of presence, the C107 demands attention even if it’s not the best looker. This is especially true of the European versions, which had the trifecta of being more powerful, a little bit lighter and were all-around better looking. Throw in some period wheels and a body kit from a respected tuner and the results can be great as shown by this first model year Euro example: