Ask anyone what their favorite classic Mercedes-Benz may be and no doubt many will point to the 300SL Gullwing. This limited production sports car put Mercedes-Benz on the map in the United States shortly after the end of World War II and established its reputation as an innovator in automotive engineering. One of my favorites from years gone by in the Mercedes-Benz portfolio is a dark horse to many. Sure, even the uninitiated may instantly recognize the W111 Coupe as a Mercedes-Benz. Few, however, know of a powertrain combination that was available late in the production run that would make this classic an ultimate sleeper. This would be the 280SE 3.5 Coupe with the rare 4-speed manual option. A mere handful made it to the US and production figures are said to barely break into the three figures. This 3.5 Coupe for sale in Texas was sourced from California, having been stored for a number of years. It’s not in pristine condition, but is far from a basket case.
Category: Mercedes Benz
My wife and I have recently had discussions about what is the perfect Providence commuter vehicle once again, with mixed results. You see, we’d like to own something nice and high performance such as a E46 BMW M3. But there are several things counting against that; first, driving a low slung, high performance car around the “streets” of Providence is akin to entering a Group C prototype into the Dakar Rally. Second, you gain attention of the wrong characters in the city. Third, you can never realize the performance of the car in a city setting. Sure, it looks great parked, but why go through the bother? My wife’s solution is something like the 250GD Nate wrote up yesterday. Indeed, it’s the first car she’s commented on in a long time in a positive manner. She likes the rugged simplicity of the G-Wagen, the understated aggression, and the upright, go anywhere, in your face attitude. “Just wait until tomorrow”, I said, “I have something even better”:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1982 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 416 DOKA on eBay
5 CommentsThe Volkswagen Golf was never what you would call exotic, but sometimes the most pedestrian of cars makes for an interesting base for something a bit more special. Race homologation has brought us many great cars over the years, like the Porsche 959, Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 and Audi Sport Quattro. At double the price of a standard 8V GTI, the Rallye Golf was built so that Volkswagen could compete in the World Rally Championship. With Syncro four-wheel drive and a supercharged 1.8 liter, this car started a trend of ultimate Golfs and GTIs that we see up to the present day. This example for sale in England has been lightly used and a perfect piece for someone who is into the box flare style of the 1980s and early 1990s.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1990 Volkswagen Rallye Golf for sale at 4Star Classics
4 CommentsI’m always interested in old-school G-wagens that kick the sparkly stuff in the faces of the people that see them as accessories similar to those watches with 4-inch faces, or 30 lbs of platinum tennis bracelets. This almost 30-year old green example is in fantastic shape from less than 60k miles, but it eschews the standard glitz and chrome for a great green and flat black exterior. The extra kick to the 1%’s groin is instead of “V8 Biturbo” on the side, it says “Schnitzel.” Yep. Be careful when you sit in any of the NINE seats, because there’s a strong chance you’ll get some serious awesome rubbed off on you.
Click for details: 1986 Mercedes-Benz 250GD on eBay
2 CommentsSometimes you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone. So goes the story for me and my love of Mercedes-Benzes from the 1980s and 1990s in comparison to the current model range. Mercedes still makes wonderfully good cars, but a bit of the mystique is gone, as an ever expanding SUV lineup emerges and the company tries to lure in those obsessed by the badge with the new CLA sedan. By 1994, the W124 E class was appearing a bit dated in comparison to the Japanese luxury upstarts Lexus, Acura and Infiniti. However, if I look at any of those models from the Far East in comparison to this E420 for sale in Connecticut, I’d say the E420 has stood the test of time. It might have not been the most exciting thing to look at when it was new, but the hallmark Mercedes build quality along with V8 muscle are ever apparent.




