Sweet Tooth: 1972 Mercedes-Benz 220D W115
As I’m sorting through the good stuff from my kids’ Halloween haul, I’m reminded of the a guy (and everybody knows a guy like this) who claims he doesn’t like sweets. Oh yeah, somehow this guy is free from thousands of years of human evolution and has some kind of alien taste buds — because a normal person should appreciate sweet just as much as the other tastes like salt, sour, and bacon. Anyway, the guy who doesn’t like sweets is like the guy who says he doesn’t like to drive fast…so why did you buy a sports car Mr Slow? I actually knew a guy who drove an S2000 for years and never put the needle (okay, it is a digital tach…) above 5,000 rpm…so today we’ve got a treat for the slow driver. Find this 1972 Mercedes-Benz 220D here on eBay
bidding for $2,300 with a few hours to go located in Philadelphia, PA.
When I say slow driver, I’m not just talking about people who drive cautiously when in school zones, or near parks — that is actually a good thing for everybody, seriously — I’m talking about the guy who buys the brand new Corvette and then spends his weekend polishing it and driving the speed limit. What is the point of those horsepower if you don’t use ’em once in a while, so for that guy, this is the perfect car.
Under the hood is a 2.2 liter OM615 inline-4 diesel puts out 59 horsepower and 93 ft-lbs of torque…but first you MUST feast your eyes on the chocolate brown interior. They just don’t make stuff like the used to…IT IS SOOOO BROWNNNNNNN.
See another slow mobile for Mr Slow? tips@dailyturismo.com
I resemble that remark. Even as a kid, I'd take a big salty pretzel over a cookie every time. Now give me a Corvette and let's see what happens.
It is possibly the sliwest car you coukd ever drive for ahalf million miles.
It is possibly the sliwest car you coukd ever drive for ahalf million miles.
I wonder if anyone has done a 6 speed manual/ LS1 swap into one of these? The clutch pedal is already there….. Sleeperifick
Actually, a lot of 'slow' drivers are slow because they buy 300HP but can't bear the idea of ever actually making that machinery work for its keep, they have no idea how fast their car is capable of going, these are the ones who lose 20mph going up hills because they try to keep it from downshifting.
If you are driving an old 220D you will have to get over your fear of working the machinery, because you'll need every ounce of what it can do to avoid becoming a bug-splat on some delivery truck's front bumper.
I often ask myself if I made the wrong choice in cars when I'm flat out and getting passed by a Ford C-Max hybrid. No, my car isn't German or a diesel. And it was made in the 21st century.
This is so nice. The Mercedes Benz 220D may be slow , I think 0-60 in around 45 seconds, but if you rev the engine and drop the clutch 0-5mph is pretty darn quick on account of the gynormous flywheel.
They are a hoot to drive because the brakes and handling are wonderful , the steering is unassisted and light, the shifter is as nice as they get, and with 70 horsepower you can drive flat out and no one will notice unless they are tailgating you in traffic and follow you through a freeway offramp cloverleaf.
Valet parking is also fun. You ask the attendent "Do you know how these work?" they always say yes , then you come back and the engine is either still running or they can't figure out how to start it.
We had one that we drove for 300,000 miles, then a tree fell on it and we gave it away to a guy who spent a month fixing it with a 3 pound sledgehammer and a tree trunk and then he put another 100,000 miles on it.
It's about the most overbuilt car I've ever seen. The engine may be a bit underpowered but the windshield wiper motor is more powerful than most cars starters.
An engine swap would be interesting , but I'd be more interested in a 5 cylinder turbo diesel.