Lot Ended
Description
In single-family-ownership from new until 2009 and just two owners
since; recent major restoration; driven 100 miles to the sale; a fine
example of this 'million mile Merc' from the era of peak-Benz
One of the most
instantly recognisable Mercedes of all time and for many years a welcome sight
at taxi ranks across the globe, the bullet-proof reliability and practicality of
the W123 Series has earned it a special place in the hearts of Benz enthusiasts
the world over. Around 2.7 million were sold between
1975 and 1986 and it’s a safe bet that many of them are still in use today.
Toughest of the lot was the 300D which was built
from 1976 – 1985, the 5-cylinder diesel engine being widely rated as one of the
most reliable engines ever made, capable of clocking up over a million miles
with minimal maintenance.
Supplied new by
Continental Motors of Cardiff in August 1984 (their sticker is still in the back
window), this fine 300D has covered a mere 98,524 miles and was owned by the
Williams family for its first 25 years (father until 2006 then son), passing to
its third owner in 2009 and to our vendor in 2012.
Finished in Silver Blue Metallic with a blue cloth interior, the data
card shows that it came with the following options: luggage nets behind front
seats (286); electric sliding roof (410); 4-speed automatic transmission (420);
rear head rests (430); central locking (467); electrically adjustable LH door
mirror (505); paintcoat preservation (524); folding front armrest (570); green
heat insulating glass with heated rear window (593); chromium-plated 17” wheel
rims (664); maple wood trim (732); rear roof lamp (876).
The service book has three stamps by Continental Cars up to 16,792
miles in June 1988 and there are various invoices for subsequent upkeep plus 24
old MOTs back to 1987 to warrant the mileage.
The big expenditure began when our vendor acquired the car in 2012 to
join his Mercedes collection. Over the next dozen years he slowly restored the
car to the fine condition you see today, using genuine Mercedes parts wherever
possible.
The full extent of the work carried out
is far too detailed to list in full here but is amply covered in many photos and
invoices on file. Rest assured it was a very thorough job which included new
front wings, new rear wheel arch sections, new sunroof runners and an engine
out/glass out repaint.
As you might expect from
such a durable unit, the engine itself needed very little work although the
fuelling system was completely rebuilt with all new injectors etc. The gearbox
was stripped and overhauled by Heath Motor Company of Cardiff and the
brakes/steering/suspension were overhauled as required and a new set of Avon
tyres fitted.
The finished car was submitted for
an MOT in January this year which it initially failed on multiple minor points
(typical of freshly restored cars), but these were all swiftly attended to which
resulted in a clean pass, the MOT being valid until 30th January next
year. (As it is now 40 years old, it will henceforth be MOT-exempt if the new
owner gets the taxation class changed to Historic Vehicle).
Treated to a thorough service by Anaco Autos of Bridgend, who added
one more stamp to the service book in March 2024 at 97,444 miles, it has only
covered some 1,100 miles since.
Driven 100
miles to the sale, this freshly rejuvenated Merc looks great and no doubt
has another million miles of life ahead of it.
Very few 300D W123s were
ever sold in the UK and only around 20 are still on the road today so
you are unlikely to see another for sale any time soon, let alone as good as
this.
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com
* All charges are subject to VAT