1985 Mercedes-Benz 300TD

AT A GLANCE

ENGINE:  3.0L Mercedes-Benz 5-cylinder diesel
TRANSMISSION:  Five speed manual
MILEAGE:  364.734 km (226,135 miles)
EXTERIOR:  Forest Green
INTERIOR:  Cognac nappa leather with Porsche pepita cloth centers, brown loop carpeting.
PRICE:  €25,000

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

Conventional wisdom seems to imply there are two ways of doing a 123 chassis Mercedes-Benz. 100% bone stock and original, or go all “Stanceworks” on it. Truth be told, I love both looks, but… we’re not much for conventional wisdom here at Autology, so we went our own way with this 1985 s123 300TD.

We left a lot stock. The engine and exhaust system are stock, and although we completely refinished the bodywork, we didn’t modify it and used the original color of Forest Green. It’s 25mm lower on H&R springs, which gives it a sexy squat, but even marque junkies don’t really understand why the stance is so nice at first glance, and the rear load leveling functions perfectly.

Inside, the original green MB Tex, uhhh… didn’t do it for us, so it all came out, and we fitted factory style loop carpeting throughout in brown. Seats are a conbination of Italian nappa leather hides in “cognac,” and seat centers using original Porsche pepita cloth. Door panels have been hand finished to match. In the back, you’ll find a branded leather suitcase from the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, secured in place with leather straps, and a companion umbrella that sports a 300SL-style shift knob handle. Peek around more, and under the spare wheel cover you’ll see a rare factory auxiliary fuel can nestled into the cavity of a spare wheel, which extends the range of this wonderfully efficient classic to somewhere around, like… a million kilometers (estimated.) Interior dome lights are new and equipped with brigher LED bulbs, and the vintage Becker Europa II stereo head unit has been carefully modified to incorporate bluetooth connectivity.

Up top, we hand-made an iroko-wood slat rack, which provides vastly more flexible load possibilities and brings a stylish vintage feel.

In short? It has a lot of period-correctness going on that pleases the originalists, but it has enough style and individuality to satisfy the black sheep. Or, put another way, it draws a crowd wherever it goes and is gawked at and photographed by pretty much everyone, regardless of age or gender.

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?

The atmospheric 300 diesel isn’t known for it’s drag racing prowess, but it IS known for almost incomprehensible durability. Healthy and looked after, this is a multi-million kilometer engine without major repair, and the 5-cylinder layout, with near perfect internal balance, is equally smooth. Despite modest power, when coupled with the factory 5-speed manual transmission it keeps up with modern traffic on any road you can conjure, and is as happy dawdling around town in traffic as it is cruising at 140kph or more on the highways.

Like our similarly wonderful w116 sedan, the 300TD makes us realize what “luxury” is supposed to feel like. Modern vehicles are so heavy these days, they require significantly more suspension damping and roll stiffness to contain the mass. When you combine that with 20+ inch wheels and ultra low profile tires, even modern cars known for luxury are almost unrecognizable to someone raised on luxury cars from the 1970’s and 1980’s. The 300TD will reacquaint you with what “luxury” feels like. The roll stiffness is perfects acceptable, and pushed quickly on twisting secondary roads it has amazing balance. But over broken pavement, speed bumps, and potholes? It glides over them in a way that would flatly embarrass something like a new 7-series BMW.

Brakes are all new, as is the suspension. It’s 25mm lower on H&R springs, coupled with new Sachs dampers, and the factory load leveling works correctly. New tires are accented with (removable) wide white portawalls.

The factory air conditioning has been fully serviced and upgraded to r134a, and blows extremely cold, keeping the cabin fresh even in Spain. In August. It is a lovely place to spend time, this cockpit, as was summed up by my 12 year old son recently on a long highway trip up north. After a few hours in the car he turned to me and said: “Dad? Let’s not sell this one. This is my favorite car you’ve ever had.”

Smart kid.

All new fluids and filters, everything checked and double checked, everything shaken down and ready for daily use. I have been driving it daily, and I am in love. So in love, in fact, we had to make a t-shirt to commemorate it. You’ll find it in our trading post.