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They’ll never be another Mercedes-Benz like the W116 S-Class. In the late 1960s when these were developed, the philosophy was just different. I’m really not trying to be the “They don’t make them like they used to!” guy, but these were just built differently. Bank vault-like doors are replaced by doors where closing as softly as possible is the goal. Don’t get me wrong, I love new cars and would absolutely love a new S-Class, but a properly sorted W116 is just so satisfying. That explains why I still have one in my modest collection.
Today’s car, a 1977 280SE up for sale in California, pre-dates the 300SD turbodiesel and is the little brother to the 450SEL and legendary 6.9. It isn’t a powerful car by any means, but sturdiness and longevity is the name of the game here. Which is probably why we are still checking it out some 46 years later.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1977 Mercedes-Benz 280SE on eBay
3 Comments
I guess lightning does strike twice. Last November I took a look at a 2008 Wiesmann GT MF4 which ended up being one of the more popular posts for the year – and that surprised me. Looking back, maybe it was because we almost never see them and most don’t even know they exist. Wouldn’t you have it, I bump into the roadster model of the GT MF4, the GT MF4-S. Outside of being a roadster, the biggest change is the powertrain. The popular M3-sourced BMW S65B40 is paired with a seven-speed DCT automatic gearbox. Talk about an upgrade.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2010 Wiesmann MF4-S Roadster at Car Gallery Aaldering
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I’m going to bet you didn’t expect to see this. “This” is a 2008 Wiesmann GT MF4. A very quick history of Wiesmann is that it is a small boutique from Western Germany started by brothers Martin and Friedhelm Wiesmann back in 1988 that produces a small number of hand-built custom convertibles and coupes. Since making your own engine and transmission is really difficult and expensive, they’ve always sourced them from BMW to squeeze into these bodies. Today’s car, the GT MF4, is no different. It uses the 4.8-liter N62 with a six-speed automatic, although a few were made with the popular M3-sourced S65B40 if you ordered the GT MF4-S. The interior is what you would expect with a bunch of generic parts that were clearly assembled by hand and all the BMW parts were covered in leather trying to disguise them. The price? Probably not as much as you’d expect considering how much goes into these and you’ll probably never see another one if you actually buy one.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2008 Wiesmann GT MF4 at Car Sensor Japan
5 Comments
It’s always fun to take a look at something different – and bubble cars certainly are different. I’ve previously looked at several different German variants, including one that looked quite similar to today’s Heinkel – the Trojan 200:
The similar looks were for good reason; the Trojan was a licensed copy of today’s car, the original Kabine. There were three Kabine variants made; the Type 153 with a 174cc four-stroke air-cooled single, and two versions of the Type 200, which had a 204cc motor in ’56 and a 198cc motor from ’57-’58. This is the latter of that group, and while it’s perhaps not the most exciting, or fastest, or most practical, or prettiest, or even…well, really it’s not a car, it’s still cool to see: