1971 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 3.5
A while back I was looking at pictures of what were most certainly not Pauline Hanson's breasts and my mind was put to the benefits of keeping your own photographic records. Sad to say, but the way my mind works meant that I was thinking about the day some crook decides to steal your classic motorcar.
I'm not talking about a couple of pictures with you standing next to the great love of your life, but a detailed photographic record of every nut and bolt on your car. Get deep down and dirty. It might cost you a few bruised knuckles and maybe even a camera or two, but the damn things are so cheap these days you can buy another one for less than the price of a new tyre.
So, clean off the grime from the engine number and take a picture. Polish up the chassis stamp and take a picture. Then take another 100 shots and that should just about do it.
Put the whole lot on a single $10 SD card and you never know how useful it might be when you are trying to convince that nice insurance assessor that your treasure is worth double what his little red book might be telling him.
By now you might be asking if a glimpse of a couple of fried eggs that clearly never belonged to Pauline prompted all this gratuitous advice. Well no, there is more to it than that. I know somebody who had something stolen recently and he thought the insurers would take his word for what it was worth. Wrong! Prove this, prove that, show me the receipt. Show me a photo.
Now, how many of us have actually kept receipts for all the money we have spent on restorations?
You have, Sir? - well done!
The rest of you would be well advised to get the camera out this weekend and snap away.
Just a little warning, though. As you take the photos you will develop a list of jobs that you know you should have been done but haven't got 'round to. My list ran to 2 pages!
Incidentally, whoever buys this Editors Choice car had better allow for 150 shots, because this is really quite a large vehicle. It's a 1971 Mercedes Benz 300 SEL 3.5.
The 280 series (or W108 models) were shorter and did not have the same level of chassis or interior refinement. They had coil springs to each wheel while the 300 series was mostly fitted with air-suspension - just the thing for 200 kph autobahn cruising!
This car has the 3.5 litre V8 as the earlier 2.8 litre cylinder was no longer available by 1971. Also, by then the default transmission had become a four-speed auto that was driven by a fluid flywheel rather than the more usual torque converter. Performance is not real push-in-the-back stuff, but certainly more than adequate for a 38-year-old limousine
This car presents in good, unrestored condition. Plenty of patina for those who like their seats a bit worn and the wood varnish a couple of shades more mellow than it originally was.
This could be one of those classic investments for the future, too. A few months ago we looked at a 280 SE Coupe with the same 3.5 litre engine. That car, fully restored and admittedly a coupe, was for sale at an asking price of $55K. This one, more luxurious and with the magic of air suspension can be yours for under $10k - a bargain! Trevor West
WHAT, WHERE, WHEN & HOW MUCH
Model: Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 3.5
Year: 1971
Dealer: Bayswater Car Sales
Price: $9,999
0-100 kph: Around 10 seconds
Best point: Nice unrestored car
Worst point: The 300 SEL 6.3 is the uber-collectable version
Recommendation: Fair price for a collectable that you can work on and increase the value with little effort.
