Some project cars come to market ready for a second chance, while others arrive as donors—vehicles whose value lies in the pieces they can give to keep other classics alive. This 1965 Mercedes-Benz 220SE coupe, listed on eBay and sold strictly as a parts-only offering with no paperwork, absolutely falls into the latter category. Still, for someone restoring a W111 coupe or planning a creative drivetrain swap, this rough-but-intriguing example could provide a surprising amount of useful material. It’s a true “what you see is what you get” car, but sometimes that’s exactly what a buyer needs. Thanks for the tip, Brett!
According to the seller, this coupe spent more than 25 years sitting outside, and the elements have taken their toll. The floors and cross braces are in very poor condition, making this car unsuitable for restoration as-is. However, the body itself is described as fairly straight, even though it carries filler and multiple layers of old paint. Underneath the flaking silver lies both yellow and green metal-flake colors from earlier lives. The seller is candid about the condition, noting that this would make a solid body-swap candidate—or simply a valuable collection of parts for another W111 project.
Sometime long ago, a drivetrain swap replaced the original Mercedes mechanicals with components from a Ford Maverick, including a 250-ci inline six, a C4 automatic transmission, and the Maverick rear end. None of it runs today, but for someone who needs brackets, mounts, or just wants to understand how the swap was done, the setup remains in place. Inside, the car carries a Grant steering wheel, a Stewart-Warner temperature gauge, a chrome floor shifter, and custom red velour upholstery—decidedly not factory, but potentially useful to the right kind of builder.
The rear glass is reportedly very good, while the front is frosted around the edges. The trim is too far gone to save, but many other parts still hold value for anyone restoring one of these handsome pillarless coupes. Doors, trim, hardware, interior components, suspension pieces—these can all be expensive or difficult to source, making a parts car like this worth considering.
This is a non-running, paperwork-free car being sold on a bill of sale only, but for the right enthusiast, it might be just the donor needed to finish a long-stalled W111 project. What would you do with a rough ’65 220SE like this—harvest it for its pieces, attempt a wild custom build, or let it live on through another coupe?
Those old coupes are very sharp cars… This one is just a bit too far gone for me…. however, if the underneath is not too bad, it could make a great resto mod! I would keep it looking stock. This car is relatively simple so an American drivetrain with a stick trans would be my choice. Everything else would clean up using non original supplies that are readily available. It could be a fun ‘Himmlermobile’! It would definitely draw attention……..
As stated ” floors and cross braces are in very poor condition, making this car unsuitable for restoration as-is” so it sounds like the underside is too far gone. There is a demand for parts so perhaps someone can use some bits. It’s really sad to see such a great car come to an end like this but yes indeed it might save another.
Sad end for a cool car. I had a nice ‘72 450 SL that had a 200 6 and C4 out of a Fairmont swapped into it. I know it was a travesty, but it was cheap, dependable, and looked sharp. 🤷♂️