5k: Hearse When I Laugh: 1979 Mercedes-Benz W123 Wagon

What could be better than a classic Mercedes wagon, with Euro bumpers, long wheelbase, diesel power and a manual transmission?  They are great cars if you like driving slow, and what if you had an additional few thousand pounds to lug around in the form of a hearse conversion?  Time for another Sunday Sanity Check on this one…if you’d drive this…you are certainly insane.  Find this 1979 Mercedes-Benz  W123 Hearse offered for $5,800 in Silverlake, CA via craigslist.

You need to be seriously dedicated to slow motoring to be willing to drive around a non-turbo diesel powered Mercedes from the golden age of Daimler-Benz. The long wheelbase “lang” version was sold to customizers like Binz or Miesen who would transform them into ambulance or hearse configuration.

It is strange to see a manual transmission in a hearse on this side of the pond, but I can’t imagine how slow this OM616 powered diesel wagon would be with a slushbox.  The 64 horsepower and 101 ft-lbs of torque will be slow to say the least (this might be a OM617 inline-5 cylinder diesel rated 79 horsepower, but the seller doesn’t say and the low res (thanks craigslist!) fish eye engine bay photo is inconclusive (I count for 4 or 5 injector lines).

With a car this slow you might have several more fatalities in the funeral procession.   tips@dailyturismo.com