Junkyard Gem: 1972 Mercedes-Benz 250C

From 1968 by 1976, Mercedes-Benz constructed practically two million proto-E-Class vehicles on the W114/W115 platform (the E-Class title would not turn into an official designation till 1993, however the W114 is the direct ancestor of the present-day Es). Following within the tire tracks of its fin-equipped W110 predecessor, the W114 held collectively very nicely and I nonetheless see fairly a number of of them throughout my junkyard travels, 46 years after the final ones had been constructed. In the present day’s Junkyard Gem is a sporty W114 coupe in very stable situation, discovered two years in the past in a Denver-area self-service yard.

On the time this automobile was constructed, the “C” within the mannequin title meant that it had two doorways. An “E” within the mannequin title meant that it had an Einsprizmotor, or gasoline injection.

W114s had six-cylinder engines, whereas W115s bought four-cylinder energy (to keep away from annoying hair-splitting, everyone however essentially the most tedious Mercedes-Benz fanatics makes use of the W114 time period for all of those vehicles). If that is the unique engine, it is a 2.8-liter rated at 150 horsepower.

150 horses from simply 170 cubic inches was severe stuff in 1972, when the 250-cubic-inch pushrod six within the new Chevrolets made simply 110 horsepower. Ford put a 170-cubic-inch straight-six within the 1972 Maverick, and it generated solely 82 horsepower. Different 1972 W114 engines had been the gasoline and diesel straight-fours within the 220 and 220D (110 and 65 horsepower, respectively).

A four-speed computerized was commonplace gear within the US-market 250C. The diesel 220D had a four-on-the-floor handbook as base gear, with the automated as an possibility.

Plenty of the paint on higher physique surfaces has been burned off by a long time of harsh climate. I discovered outdated documentation within the automobile indicating that it lived in Arizona in the course of the Nineteen Eighties, then moved to Colorado in the course of the early Nineties. The local weather in each these states is tough on automobile paint.

That floor rust isn’t any large deal, and we are able to see that there is no rust-through within the typical bother spots. It would not have been very tough to make this automobile look new-ish once more.

Simply have a look at that good inside! Even the driving force’s seat is basically rip-free.

Granted, the upholstery is the legendary MB-Tex pretend leather-based, which often is the hardest cloth ever put right into a motorized vehicle.

Nonetheless, this is likely one of the best-preserved early-Seventies vehicles I’ve ever seen on this form of boneyard. Unique W114 coupes in nice form aren’t price spectacular cash, although, so this one did not discover a ceaselessly house previous to arriving right here. Should you’re on the lookout for a superb deal on a cultured undertaking automobile, think about a 250C!

This automobile even had the elective air con.

Mercedes-Benz hadn’t but absolutely switched to six-digit odometers by 1973, so we will not know the true mileage on this automobile. It’d actually be 93,662 miles, given how well-preserved it’s (or it might have traversed 493,662 miles throughout its life and acquired meticulous care throughout that point).

I considered shopping for this good-looking VDO/Kienzle electromechanical sprint clock, however I’ve already bought one in my hoard assortment. In my expertise, most of those clocks nonetheless work even after a half-century in a automobile.

How a lot? Listing worth for the 1972 250C was $8,089, or about $55,290 in 2022 {dollars}. You might purchase a brand new Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado coupe for $7,360 ($53,035 now) that 12 months, and the Eldo was a lot greater, plusher, and extra highly effective. In the long term, although, the 250C’s superior construct high quality triumphed.

It seems that this automobile’s closing proprietor was down on their luck and doing a little bit of panhandling to make ends meet.

In Colorado, medical hashish is rather a lot cheaper than the leisure sort. I discover a lot of baggage like this in junkyard vehicles right here.

It seems that an indignant neighbor left this observe on the automobile, then known as the police when it wasn’t moved rapidly sufficient. After that, this 250C’s life was all tow vans, storage tons, and an public sale at which the highest bidder was U-Pull-&-Pay. So it goes.

The music on this home-market W114 promotional movie is groovy, man.

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