What can I say about the W124 500 that hasn’t already been said? I doubt I could honestly come up with anything original. Sure, I could throw around the typical laurels – super sedan, Q-Ship, sleeper, muscle car, velvet hammer. I could talk about the interesting relationship in construction with Porsche through which reportedly each of these cars took 18 days to complete as they traveled between factories. Of course, it was long from the first time that Porsche and Mercedes-Benz had worked together, since Ferdinand had been employed by the company pre-World War II as a designer. You could argue that Mercedes-Benz out-M5’d the M5 with the “monster” M119 pushing over 320 horsepower to the rear wheels – a full hundred horsepower more than some of its rivals. Interesting stuff, for sure, over a pint of your favorite beer. But what interests me about this particular example is not the obscure facts, the stupendous for their day power levels, the legendary build quality or even the luxurious yet Spartan interior of the W124. No, in this case, it’s the color – Arctic White:
Category: Mercedes Benz
The time has once again come that you can not purchase a new Mercedes-Benz in the United States with a manual gearbox. The SLK250 was the last to be equipped as such. Even on a stroll around Frankfurt, Germany last week, I spotted few new Mercedes-Benzes with a proper gearshift on the console. As time passes on, they are only going to become more rare. So we might as well look back to more vintage models to satisfy our dynamic driving needs. We’ll take a look at two very different 190E models today, both equipped with 5-speed manual gearboxes. We’ll start first with this European spec 1985 190E 2.3-16 for sale in Florida.
Click for details: 1985 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 at Champion Motors
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I’ve written plenty about the allure of the Volkswagen unicorns, the Syncro vans and trucks from the T3 generation. Ranging from high $40ks to over $100k(!!!), they are not to be trifled with. But as my brother points out any time I write one up: “Why not just get a Sprinter van?” In my mind they occupy a slightly different echelon, although that last Vanagon proves that there is plenty of overlap in price. Up until now, you could argue that Syncro brought a different level of capability, but Mercedes-Benz has released the Sprinter 4×4 with a 3.0-liter diesel V6. The auto gods are still there, van fans, and have bestowed upon us a modernized, go-anywhere van ready for any adventure.
This example has the high-roof option, a huge boon for vanliving when you’re over 6 feet, but is pretty basic other than that. It provides a great blank canvas, and the cabin looks functional though work-truck austere. Same goes for the exterior with black on black on black on black on black, but the black wheels and flat plastic bumpers look purposeful and perfect for the GoPro generation. I’ve driven an older diesel Sprinter quite a bit for work, and despite being abused and simple, they were surprisingly fun. I can only imagine what a significantly improved diesel engine and 4WD do to the experience. Sure, it may not have the every-option-possible approach of the white Syncro, but the $40k you’d have left over would allow you to take it in just about any direction you could dream up.







