How do you assign value to a car that could be great but is very, very much removed from greatness? The W114 chassis sedans with their thundering V8s put the company on the map for building high-powered sedans that could handle and go like a rocket, but despite this, values have only held for the best examples. If you own a project or one that’s in fairly rough shape like this 1972 model listed here on eBay, it’s a tough call: do you proceed with restoration, or look for one of the legions of better examples that are not all that hard to find on any classifieds site of your choosing? The seller claims this one is rust-free and is asking $3,950 or best offer.
The first thing this car has going for it is its supposed rust-free condition. The seller highlights this as a major selling point, and he’s not wrong: there are many of these sedans littering junkyards and side yards in the north that were kept for posterity’s sake (hell, they were probably still running) but the tin worm had done significant damage to the fenders and undercarriage. So, you’re already coming out ahead with a rust-free project versus one that has thousands of dollars of metal work ahead of it. I actually sold a very similar car to someone out west who wanted the spotless interior and could care less about the ravaged bodywork, so the reverse scenario may be an option here (thinking of someone who needs rust-free body panels.)
Despite this selling point, the seller doesn’t sugarcoat the fact that this is a major project, and we’re glad he was that honest in the listing. The interior does not look to have fared well, wth missing door panels, perished wood trim, and likely a very cracked dashboard under that ancient pad. The floor shift was an option at one point in the production run over a traditional column shift, but I can’t recall if it was standard by this point. The seller reports that it was sitting for years and “….needs everything.” That’s a dangerous admission when it comes to vintage Mercedes, especially when cars that have been loved are still out there.
The problem with these classic Mercedes-Benz products is that they keep running so they’re unfortunately subject to decades of additional abuse past when most older luxury cars have succumbed to the test of time. These are still powerful machines, packing 195 horsepower and 264 lb.-ft. of torque courtesy of the M117 V8. The engines and transmissions were both fairly overbuilt so I would hope that’s part of the attraction here, but the seller mentions having a V12 engine available to potentially swap in (that makes absolutely no sense.) The price is fair for a runner with no rust, and good interiors are not that hard to find. This car would present significantly better with a cheap set of Bundt wheels and matching whitewalls.
Nothing costs more than a cheap Mercedes.