Sitting in Molalla, Oregon and listed here on craigslist this 1966 Mercedes Benz 250S is a timelessly beautiful car in my opinion. This design doesn’t look dated, like its finned predecessor. The seller doesn’t provide very much information in the ad other than that it runs and drives. The owner states he is rebuilding the dual Zenith carburetors as well. The clearcoat is gone over much of the car which can happen when MBs are stored outside. Most all the finish is off of the hood as well. The front passenger’s door may have been replaced too based on the color differences. If in fact this 250S runs and drives it could be a good driver though. The owner is only asking $600!
The glass and trim, from what can be gleaned from the photos, looks good.
For a $600 car the interior is in good shape too. If she can be driven as-is I don’t think you could go wrong with this one!
Cheers,
Robert
Seems to also be missing a cylinder!
SBC and you’d be in business. ( or at least an American I-6) These were such nice cars, but I think the mechanicals could drive you nuts. Didn’t these have some funky rear suspensions too?
Really……you would take out a overhead cam cross flow engine with forged Pistons, rods and crankshaft with more bearing surface than a big block Chevrolet to
put an antiquated American engine built with twice the parts and looser standards while destroying any future value the car will ever have……..
Hi Dave, in an Oregon minute I would. Ok, maybe a SB AMC motor. I’m teasing. Do what you want. While there may be parts for these, better have an “open acct.” with the M-B dealer. With rebuilt 6 cylinder M-B long blocks costing 5g’s (or more), that would probably be more than the car is worth. As far as future collectible, I believe these get junked all the time, because nobody wants them, as this was posted a month ago, and even at $600, it’s still for sale.
Why not replace the 4 wheel disc brakes with drums, the independent suspension and double acting Bilstein shocks with a straight axle and a set of Monroe’s while you are at it….. Might as well finish the job
I am with you Dave.
Howie has a limited horizon.
How does one say (I guess in UK) :Penny wise, pound foolish…..
Down here in So CAL some guy had ripped out the engine out of one of these exact models and was trying to sell his chevy conversion project for over a year….. no takers.
Very nice base model cruiser. Not much power but simple and smooth. Smallest of the large body cars. Great first Benz for an enthusiast.
My dad had one when it was about a year old and it was fantastic on all accounts. It was a replacement for a Jag 3.8 that was nothing but trouble (even when new) and was immeasurably superior: not in looks, but everything else. There was PLENTY of power and would easily do a hundred even if it took a little while to get there. Unlike his Ferrari and Jag, it was quiet, fast and one of the best riding cars around in the 60’s. He replaced it with a 59 300 “Adenauer” thllat was in another class all together.
I don’t think this model have that funky rear suspension. These cars have very nice ride. But low in power. Its worth much more in parts alone.
That “funky” rear suspension is Air bag suspension on all 4 corners. It was only assigned to the top of the line cars not these base models.
I don’t know if you can get parts for “dual Zenith calibrators”.
Mercedes keeps an incredible parts inventory even for there old cars. Tom Hansen at the factory classic center in Irvine probably has factory rebuilds in stock.
This is a perfect candidate for the 24 hours of LeMons.
Had one of these briefly. If you are interesting in this era of Mercedes, the 250S is a good one to have. Parts are around if you look, and there are mechanics working who can point you in the right direction on fixes.
If you want something with a small-block Chevy in it, a Chevelle or Impala makes a lot more sense.
The front end being a different color than the back end would be my biggest concern. Why was a new front clip needed?
When I was stationed in Germany 75-77, I had a 67 250 SE that looked much like this S model. Mine had a chocolate brown top, that’s the only difference. It handled almost like a sports car, until the rear suspension’s hydraulics went out. Mercedes are not cheap to work on in Germany either.
That rear hydraulic auxiliary compensator spring/suspension (weak point on these cars) could also be remedied by a metal spring ( a couple of hundred bucks) rather than the original hydraulic one (a couple of grand).