In some ways, it’s amazing how Bring A Trailer has turned from a Craigslist blog to the internet’s biggest, fanciest car auction site. Head to its recently-sold section and you’ll find listings that hammered for seven figures. Gulp. However, if you bide your time and um, lower your standards, it’s still occasionally a place where you can buy a classic Mercedes-Benz for $500.
Yes, $500, proper 24 Hours of Lemons money. Less than the average new car payment for an actual classic Mercedes-Benz. And I’m not just talking about something that’s 25 years old like a haggard old C 230, this one’s pre-impact bumpers, festooned with factory chrome, and hiding a proper high-grade V8. It’s a 1972 280 SE 4.5.
While the W112 S-Class kept the ’50s flair of fintails alive into the mid-1960s, by the end of its production run, it was looking a little old-fashioned. The thing is, by 1963, Paul Bracq and his team had already finalized the styling of a sleeker S-Class that would go on to debut in 1965. The W109 was a masterclass in restraint, toning down the flamboyance while dramatically improving space efficiency. At the time, the assembly of this Sonderklasse was on another level, with a seven-layer paint process, five-layer brightwork, a dust filter for the climate control, and dual-zone heating. All this in 1965.
The most famous variant has to be the 300 SEL 6.3, the world’s first luxury supersedan. With a 6.3-liter V8 under the hood, air suspension, and ventilated disc brakes at all four corners, this full-sized sedan could keep pace with some of the fastest road cars of the ’60s. The 280 SE 4.5 was a bit different. Sure, it still had a V8, but with 195 net horsepower under the hood, period zero-to-60 mph times ran around 9.5 seconds. Still, that wasn’t anything to sneeze at in the early 1970s, especially when the car itself was still beautifully made.
This particular 1972 example is a little less beautiful than when it rolled off the line in Stuttgart some 54 years ago. I’m not necessarily talking about the patination as there is some real charm to the various shades of oxidized grey paintwork, but instead the overall condition. Right off the bat, in the lead photo, two of the wheels have been relieved of their hubcaps and one of the tires seems rather low. While the hubcaps themselves are tucked in the trunk and the sills and arches look remarkably straight, this is likely either a parts car or one with a long recommissioning ahead of it.
Moving inside, everything seems to be complete, if a bit tatty. The leather’s split, the driver’s door card’s torn, but miraculously, the dash pad and wood veneer actually look rather alright. The sort of condition that makes you wonder how this southern car was stored. Did it live in a carport or under a car cover? If only it could talk.
Does it run and drive? Probably not, and absolutely not. As the listing states, “The engine has not been started since the seller’s acquisition,” and between the unknown mechanical condition and the flat left rear tire, it’s hard to picture this 280SE 4.5 moving under its own power for the time being. Still, $500 is $500. Whether this 280 SE 4.5 gets restored to its former glory, recommissioned whilst keeping the patina, or used to keep other W109 sedans on the road, its story isn’t over. For $500, the winning bidder did alright.
Top graphic image: Bring A Trailer
At first I thought- what a steal! One look under that hood…… Nope. Go find one that runs and pay a little more to save yourself the headaches.