Highlights

Great condition throughout
Impressive history file
Recent restoration

The Appeal

The W123 series has only recently gained legendary status amongst Mercedes aficionados. With 2.7 million examples produced between 1975 and 1985 they have an enviable reputation for reliability and build quality, unsurpassed at the time and unequalled since. Millions of taxi drivers can’t all be wrong! The majority were run into the ground or shipped off to developing countries where the rugged build and longevity were most appreciated whatever the mileage!

But a few lived charmed lives, like this example. It was purchased from a dealer earlier this year and has been reliable and enjoyable, but is now reluctantly offered for sale as the owner has had knee replacements and has difficulty getting in and out.

If you are looking for a W123 Series Mercedes to add to a collection, or take to concours condition, or perhaps as a nearly perfect daily driver, then read on…

History and Paperwork

First registered in March 1984
6 owners over 38 years
Spent early life in France at holiday home
Approximate mileage 59,000
Speedometer changed in 2007 at 39,000 miles and replaced with km item
Now reading 31,922km
Good recent history file
MoT history back to 2006 and old MoTs on file
A Service book with recent stamps
Full service performed 600 km ago
New complete exhaust system
New discs and pads
New water pump, fuel pump, spark plugs
Impressive paintwork
Excellent condition throughout

The Interior

Unmarked grey cloth interior
Clean and original black carpets
Near perfect wood trim

The interior of the Mercedes is not faultless, but it’s pretty damn close! We’d recommend a good look at the photographs.

We studied it closely and found only a couple of things that need to be mentioned: There is a small crack in the wood veneer on the rear edge between the seats, and some stitching has come adrift on the base of the rear armrest.

That’s it. For a car that is 38 years old the interior is quite extraordinary and something we don’t often see. It’s hard to say how much is original as there is little history older than a few years in the file. The roof lining is immaculate, as are the carpets. There are fitted mats in the rear and on the front passenger side, so the carpet beneath is like new. The plaid seat fabric is clean and unmarked throughout. There is a later JVC CD/Radio fitted in the dash connected to speakers mounted on the rear shelf, along with an operational electric aerial. The original Mercedes First Aid kit is still present mounted within the rear parcel shelf.

The dash board area is all very tidy, with good veneer throughout and no sun damage to the dash top. The controls all appear to function correctly, although some of the white print areas are a little worn. The instruments are all clear and working. As mentioned the speedometer was changed in 2007 from the original mph item to a kph one. It could be that it broke, and as the car was in France a kph item was sourced? Form the MoT history we know it was changed at just shy of 40,000 miles and the Mercedes has covered 31,922km (19,823 miles) since. This totals at 59,823 miles approximately.

The door shuts and sills are clean and with barely a scratch to be seen. The doors all close perfectly with the quality Mercedes “chunk” sound. The boot area is equally impressive, perfectly clean with no scuffs, stains or marks. The spare wheel and tools are properly stowed.

Overall is hard to find fault, and very little that would need to be addressed to be concours quality.

The Exterior

Smart and virtually faultless Signal Red paint
Original 14 inch wheels with correct hubcaps
Excellent chrome trim

Again, we subjected the exterior to close scrutiny and can report that it’s in extremely impressive condition.

There are tiny faults here and there; there is the odd paint chip, but minor and you’d need to hunt for them. We think that it has had a high quality repaint at some stage as we would expect there to be more wear given the mileage. The chrome work is excellent, the bumpers are straight and the black plastic parts are all intact and show no UV fading. The side trims that run the length of the car are all arrow straight and line up perfectly. The flanks are free from any dings and the shutlines are consistent on every panel.

We noted that beneath the rear bumper, particularly on the passenger side, there are some scratch marks that show signs of a small scuff in the past, but you need to be on your hands and knees to see them.

The glass is all in good condition with no major chips to the screen or the headlights. There is a Portman Cars, Croydon dealer sticker in the rear window, but also the fading remnants of what we think is a Malaya Garage sticker which would make sense. We think apart from its time in France the Mercedes has resided in the Sussex area.

The wheels are original 14 inch steel items, complete with matching red full size hubcaps. The red areas have a few small scratches on all four hubcaps, but there is no curb damage or dents to the rims. The tyres are matching Rapid 309 brand fitted in early 2022, all with only light wear.

The Mechanics

Full service performed in January 2022, just 600km ago
New timing chain, water pump, fuel pump
New exhaust, brake discs and pads

When the seller bought the Mercedes in January this year it had just had a full service, and then received a new exhaust system including downpipes and the timing chain was changed. Other works invoiced in the history file include brake discs and pads, new water pump, new fuel pump, accumulator and transfer pipe. A new radiator was fitted along with a new thermostat, fan belt and magnetic fan coupling.

Mechanically the seller assures us the Mercedes is in great shape with all systems operating as they should. The automatic gearbox performs faultlessly, with a good kick down and smooth changes.

Although used only occasionally he has completed a couple of 100+ mile journeys without an issue.

Summary

For a car that will be tax exempt in couple of years the Mercedes is in exceptional condition throughout. It is an excellent example from an era when Mercedes Benz meant real quality, with the ability to accumulate massive mileages with barely a murmur.

We think it’s a lovely car and would, with just a little effort, be a potential show winner.

Notice to bidders

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