Bidding has climbed to over $10,000 for this rough-but-worthy 1964 Mercedes-Benz 220SE coupe, equipped with the rarely seen four-speed manual gearbox. The W111 is perhaps one of the more recognizable Mercedes-Benz models, and you can slide into one for fairly short money depending on which era and model you choose. The coupe and convertible are not typically in this category, almost always fetching a fair amount more than their sedan siblings, even in project car form like this. The coupe has some rust issues but is largely complete, and seems worthy of restoration given the scarcity of manual transmission examples. Find it here on eBay with bids to $10,300 and no reserve.

The auction for this 220SE coupe wraps up on Friday at 1:oo p.m., and given the current bid, it seems plausible you could end up with this car for under $20,000. The Mercedes seems to be in the absolute sweet spot for project car ownership: it runs and drives and has had multiple new parts installed, some of which are quite pricey, like a new clutch; and, while the idle and air/fuel mixture needs some fine-tuning, you can drive it right now on short errands and weekend jaunts. I love cars in this state because the mechanical refresh shouldn’t take eons, and the bodywork can be tackled over the course of the off-season (i.e., winter) while still being able to drive it once or twice. Obviously, you’ll want to add upholstery repair to the list.

The Paul Bracq design has aged well, and I would attribute this feature alone to the impressive value retention the coupes and convertibles have enjoyed. The car really doesn’t have a bad angle, and it looks even better with the windows down and the pillarless design on full display. The Mercedes retains key original features, like the color-matched hubcaps and handsome chrome bumpers – which, by the way, appear to be in excellent shape for an unrestored car. The body does have some rust in places, but it’s hard to pinpoint just how extreme it is (or isn’t) with the photos provided. One photo does show rust in the driver’s-side fender bottom, and it looks like there could be trace elements in the lower quarter panel just ahead of the rear wheel – but that’s a big guess.

The interior is encouraging, aside from the driver’s seat, which seemingly just has wear and tear from normal use. The wood trim is in outstanding condition, which usually doesn’t occur on cars that spend any time outside. The back seat and front passenger seat also help to confirm that the Mercedes was parked indoors and also that it likely didn’t carry many passengers besides the driver. The 220SE comes equipped with the familiar M127 engine, which should provide years of reliable service if maintained. While restoring a vintage Mercedes is never cheap, this one will be worth it – especially if you prefer having three pedals to work with.