5k Flash: Potentially Cool; 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE – 4spd?
The Mercedes-Benz W108 is a favorite of the grey-hairs in the Daily Turismo blogging collective. They are cheap, well-built and sweet looking – and we even did an entire write up on the W108 market last week. The only violation of the Daily Turismo requirements is that most of them come equipped with automatic transmissions…and it is rare to find one that might be equipped with a 4 on the floor. Find this 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SE with what might be a 4 speed, for sale in Los Angeles, CA for $3,000 via craigslist.
This W108 looks in need of serious repairs – the left upper bumper is cattywampus and the tri-pointed emblem is missing from the Mercedes hood ornament.
The seller mentions a ‘4-spd’ in the description, and we can see what looks like a Mercedes manual shifter… but this could be in reference to a 4 speed automatic…and none of the photos are clear enough to see a clutch pedal. The jury is still in deliberations…
In all, we haven’t seen many W108s equipped with manual transmissions on this side of the Atlantic ocean, and we seriously hope this one has a DIY trans.
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Wait, You're calling me a grey hair?… that's ok.. I turned grey at 36 – what was left of it at that time… the ones I really like are the 280 SL's… but WAY out of my range…but I agree with the 4 speed option.
That shift knob looks exactly like an automatic shifter knob. Don't know whether automatics of this era were 4 speeds or not?
Called the owner and confirmed – this is indeed a 4 speed manual car.