Bracq Friday: 1972 Mercedes-Benz 280SEL 4.5
The Paul Bracq styled W108 generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class is one of the better ways to get into a vintage sedan for a semi-daily driver. The performance is acceptable, ride is comfortable, build quality is exemplary, but most importantly — drive one and you’ll look like a king. This next example isn’t the most preserved or minty clean W108, but the price is nice. Find this 1972 Mercedes-Benz 280SEL 4.5 offered for $2,200 in Santa Cruz, CA via craigslist.
Mercedes-Benz was able to sell a staggering number of these q-ship S-Class cruisers from 1965 though 1973 — which was 364,699 if you believe the figures published on the interwebs. The stout lines of this example have been slightly adjusted by the ravages of time, but if you’ve got the skills (or known someone with the skills) this car is offered as a mechanically perfect example that just needs some cosmetic attention.
See a better car for around two grand? tips@dailyturismo.com
I so much prefer a cosmetically perfect example that just requires some mechanical attention.
I agree. With mechanical work, it is possible to bring something back to "as original". But the price is surely attractive on this one.
Santa Cruz rust. Car gets hot in the daytime, cools at night and sucks the salty air into places it would never occur to you to expect rust. The inside of the A pillars, inside the dashboard, it's always a surprise.
I thought Santa Cruz Rust was a strain of Mary Jane that makes you sit for so long you start to oxidize?
I'm learning so much about West Coast geography and microclimates right now. Here everything is salty and wet all year.