What do you do when you realize that not everybody wants the latest ‘n greatest, with all sorts of shiny geegaws which add flash but no excitement?
Well, in the world of cars, it’s clear that there are a lot of people like me: people who are disinterested in the nanny electronics which purport to make the driver’s life “easier” and driving more “convenient”; except that such ease and convenience comes at the expense of driving control and enjoyment (not to mention bloated prices and happy auto manufacturers’ accountants).
And unlike me, it seems, there are a lot of people who have the money to indulge this preference (and yes, I am jealous), because you’re talking about cars which were great for the time they were made in, but which have deteriorated over the years (decades, even) and therefore just don’t work as well as they used to, or else just don’t work at all.
So how does one of these wealthy nostalgianistes (to coin an expression) go about acquiring, for example, a Mercedes 280 SL “Pagoda” model from the 1960s that isn’t a rustbucket and hasn’t been subjected to the violations of the part-time “restorers”?
Well, you’re in luck because over in Germanland, the independent performance tinkerers at Brabus have expanded their operations from just making modern Mercedes cars into performance monsters, into an entire division which restores old Mercedes models back to their showroom condition. And here’s the story of Brabus Classics, which you should watch before moving on to the interactive part of this post, which is:
If you had the (stupid) money in the bank and the urge to own an older Mercedes car, which one would you order from these maniacs?
My choice is below the fold…
Rationale: I’m too old to drive a sports car, and too fat to try and fit into one. So: comfort, luxury and a dash of performance (if the 450 SEL’s astonishing speed and handling can be classified as simply “performance”).
And ever since riding in my Dad’s 350 SE of the same era, I’ve been in love with this body style. (By the way, the number plate on this car is misleading: I believe that Merc first released the W116 350/450 SEL line in 1973.)
Next week, we’ll do the same with another car brand.
I am really not much of a car guy. I enjoy them but am not so into them as many of you are, basically I see them as utilitarian transportation devices. But with those models you really tweaked my interest as far as you probably could. That body style and vintage of Mercedes was their peak in my opinion, as well. An old karate buddy of mine back in the day, a dentist by trade, had a 1970’s SL convertible (manual, of course) in sky blue and he was the original owner. He kept it garaged and covered in the winter (near Killadelphia), and probably never drove it in the rain. It was gorgeous. He actually let me drive it once, and having learned to drive on a manual, I LOVED it.
I enjoy your car posts, but mostly as I would looking at museum pieces—I never really imagine myself behind the wheel. These? You actually inspired car lust in me, which I don’t remember happening before. For me, it’s a very narrow window of interest, and both those cars hit it perfectly.
We had a 72 280 SEL 4.5 for many years. It was an excellent car until New Jersistan’s salty winters rusted it out.
But for pure joy of driving my Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder and later, Spyder Veloce were among the finest drivers cars I have ever enjoyed.
I’m not into cars but I’m with you on the Merc 450 SEL.
JQ
My stepmother had a Pagoda that she used exclusively to dive to St Armans circle in Sarasota to go shopping every week or so. I drove it a number of times and it was a nice enough open Fla car that that did what it was designed to do ( exactly how she used it) but would I want one? nope.
But how do you go about acquiring a candidate now? There are a number of paths. Start with the clubs. The Mercedes Club (MBCA) has a very good magazine and marketplace. Or there are a number of people who specialize in “Barn finds”. If you are an active club member, you will eventually build up a list of contacts to help you find a car. So , after you locate a suitable candidate, then you need to decide if you want to do a full restoration or make it “unrestored” and just fix the safety issues , and get it running and drivable. Some carefully unrestored and documented original cars can be worth more than they would be fully restored. If you choose to do a restoration there are plenty of shops that will do that for you, assuming you don’t have the desire and skills and time needed to do it yourself. I know a Dentist friend who took 8 years to do a full frame off restoration in his 2 car garage of a 904 with a lot of help from fellow PCA members. The result was a concours winning example. But it was not inexpensive. For example, there were no windshields available. And there was only one guy who specialized rebuilding the Carrera 4 Cam roller bearing 6 figure engines the 904 uses. So he had a minimum run of 50 windshields custom made. For a while, he was the sole suppler of 904 windscreens for the 35 or so actual 904’s originally made plus the 75 Beck kit cars.
Another route is to have one of the restoration shops do it for you. For Mercedes’ one of the best is Paul Russel right here in the Boston area. The waiting list for them to do your 300 SL Gullwing is only 5 or 7 years to get started on the 3+ year job. And for $5 to 8 hundred grand or more depending on what they find halfway through plus whatever you paid for the car ( maybe another $800k for a barn find) they will turn it into a million dollar car.
Of course you could also just go to one of the Barrett Jackson auctions or Sotheby’s and buy one already done and save half the cost but where’s the fun in that?
I didn’t see one in the Brabus “for sale” list but I’d look for a early 1960’s vintage 190 SL, possibly one of the best-looking convertibles ever made. While slightly underpowered by today’s standards it was a twisty-road handling delight. Looking online I see that the price for a non-restored one can run as low as $100,000 (low?) and goes upwards from there. Unless I actually buy a lottery ticket and then win it’s pretty much out of the question for me.
On t’other hand, my wife’s little 1997 Mazda Miata is in almost-new condition, garaged through Minnesnowta winters, and only has around 67,000 miles on it. We bought it off the dealer’s lot back in 1999 with 1.6 miles on it. We’ve used it only for summertime touring around the country and day-tripping to see the fall colors. It’s also somewhat under-powered, but we’re not jumping on freeways with it. Now that we live in the Big Wonderful (aka, Wyoming) we use it for day-trips on the twisty little mountain roads that surround us here.
Yeah, an MB 190 SL would look a little classier but really wouldn’t do any more (or better) than the Miata. We plan on keeping it until we’re too old to drive.
There are some “modern” conveniences that are well worth having.
E.G. 4-wheel disk brakes with anti-lock. Electronic fuel injection. Satellite / bluetooth radio.
And, since I’m not as supple as I was when I was 78, I like backup cameras.
“If you had the (stupid) money in the bank and the urge to own an older … car, which one would you order from these maniacs?”
None. I have zero F’s to give about Mercedes. Especially after the parent company raped Chrysler during the “Merge of Equals”.
WTH is it with Ze Germans and their “rough wooing” of nearby nations/industries?
I’ve already got the older car I want, even though it’s currently sidelined thanks to the craptastic fuel California requires gas stations sell, which is Hell on rubber. It killed an 8 year old fuel pump, which replaced the original 40 year old pump in 2006!
A Navy acquaintance of mine is one of the top two Mercedes restorers in the world (Mark Passarelli/Rancho Merced). He principally does gull wings, but I have seen him do other models. I had a chance to buy a 1965 220SEb cabriolet about 10 years ago (an Arizona car with low miles, but bad paint and dried out leather). The car was under $25K–the restoration was going to be north of $50K and probably closer to $70K. And I’d have to wait a couple of years for him to get to it.
In hindsight, I probably should have done it. Most of his Gull Wing restorations are going for over a million now. The 220SEb would be a fraction of that, but man what a good looking driver.
Here’s what it would have looked like.
https://e4m4q4e3.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/grundor-20210927-mercedes-220se-blue-180335-copy.jpg
I have a silver 94 SL500 with 25,000 kilometres on it sitting in the garage.
IMHO it’s the last generation, engineered to a standard Merc. It’s not the best car I’ve owned, but it’s pretty close.
Yes, it has the crappy biodegradeable wiring issues.
I agree with you, Ken. While I will agree that a new or restored Mercedes *can* be a nice car, unless you are a multi-millionaire and can afford the upkeep, not a chance.
I worked for a German engineering company for over 35 years. It didn’t take long before you were disabused of the notion that “The Germans are the world’s premier engineers.” Please don’t misunderstand. Some of them were very good, while others were… not so much. Working on these machines, we would encounter – in the same assembly – items that would make you say: “Whoever designed this was a genius.”, while right next to it was something that would make you say: “What moron thought that was a good idea?” Then there was the 17 fastener theory. Assume a German engineered assembly has 17 fasteners holding it together. To access the interior for service, you had to remove 10 Phillips head screws, 5 #8 Allens, 1 #5 Allen, and one 10mm nut that was way back in the back that couldn’t be seen and had to be removed/replaced by feel alone. …oh, and that there wasn’t enough room to get a socket on. You had to use a boxed end wrench, one notch at a time. Yep, German engineering.
Back to Mercedes… In 1989, I inherited an 83 Mercedes sedan as a company car. I was overjoyed when I got it. It was a great car to drive. However, it was NOT very reliable and NOT a great car to service. I was on I-65 just north of Birmingham AL, going about 70, when the speedometer needle just fell off. Yep, there it was lying at the bottom of the speedometer casing. Guess how much THAT cost to fix, considering that you couldn’t just buy a new speedometer. Oh no. You had to replace the entire instrument cluster to the tune of over a kilobuck in 1989 dollars. I fixed it myself by disassembling the instrument cluster and sticking the stupid speedometer needle back onto its post. (Screw calibration, it was close enough.) And then, a month or so later, the passenger-side window jammed at the halfway point. I won’t even go into the cost of that stupidity. This was just two things. With that car it was one thing after another.
I was overjoyed when I inherited that car, but I was even more overjoyed when I traded it for a Chevrolet Celebrity wagon about two years later.
Suffice to say, if I had “stupid money”, I wouldn’t go anywhere near a Mercedes.
I’d be looking for something like this:
https://uncrate.com/icon-derelict-1971-mercedes-300sel-sedan/
Icon Derelict 1971 Mercedes 300SEL Sedan
“The latest in Icon’s Derelict series brings classic German engineering and American power together in a one-of-a-kind 1971 Mercedes 300SEL. The four-door Teutonic luxury sedan rides on a custom-fabricated chassis by Art Morrison with adjustable coilovers, fully-independent suspension, rack-and-pinion power steering, and Brembo brakes. Larger one-piece billet alloy wheels that mimic the originals were made specifically for the car, while wiring and plumbing were made from scratch for modern electronics and the power-assisted brakes. The interior features a modern sound system and HVAC, all cleverly hidden behind controls identical to the original Mercedes units, along with restored wood trim. Power comes from a GM LS9 V8. Every Derelict is a one-off commission, built specifically for the client, with prices starting at $450,000.”
A good friend has an older Mercedes S class. One of the ones with an extended wheelbase. Top of the range when new; he got it for a song and it runs beautifully.
A point regarding “stupid money” many here seem to be overlooking. It’s only “stupid money” when you can afford to hire (and professionally house) the entire pit crew such an investment vehicle requires if all you want to do is drive the silly thing. Presumably, if you already have the skills to restore one yourself, doing that is what you would spend your money on instead.
To abuse the words of the inimitable Forrest Gump: Stupid is as stupid does, so go do you.
There’s something about having your left hand on the wheel, your left foot on the clutch, and your right hand on the shifter that makes you more alive and in touch with your environment. There’s no faking and no denying and no avoiding the reality of the thing. You and the vehicle in complete cooperation.