1973 European Car of the Year Mercedes 450 SEL

Here is a true barn find collectible vintage Mercedes classic! Thebarn held a group of four muscle cars plus this sedan in North Carolina. The wholelot was purchasedby a muscle car collector/professional driveralittle more than twoyears ago. He was only interested in the muscle cars and I purchased the less sexy sedan from him (see the photo of the car getting pulled from the barn). Though the car was in sound condition,after a careful review by my Mercedes mechanic I decided to replace a number of parts and bring it back to it's former glory, both mechanically and cosmetically. This model year was the first in the series and is fitted withthe originally designed elegant bumpers. For every model year thereafter cars imported into the USwere required to have the larger, less eye-pleasing bumpers.That makes this particular model very unique and collectible.Check out the photos/the lines of this vehicle - just gorgeous/timeless.The engine runsgreat and the transmission shifts smoothly. As most of the suspension has been replaced, new steering box, and shocks she drives and handles wonderfully. Tracks absolutely straight down the interstate at 70mph. How many odometers on sedansdo you see these days with 80mph at the middle of the odometer and 160mph at the top! The V8 has no problem going as fast as you like.New spark plugs, wires, fuel filter, oil filter, air filter, fuel pump.The A/C isn't blowing cold - I haven't diagnosed the problem. However here is some other work that I did have done -

• All new four Bilstein shocks and front end/suspension, ball joints, tie rods, control arm/ball joint assembly, bushings, steering center link, idler arm, rear sway bar links, steering box, water pump, thermostat, water hoses,and exhaust/exhaust manifolds, new valve gaskets, all new brake hoses, fuelhose and filter, wiper motor and delay relay, belts,hood insulation pad. Many Mercedes parts.
• Four New Michelin Defender tires/nitrogen filled and new alignment - tracks straight as an arrow
• Recent valve adjustment/timing chain checked by a Mercedes mechanic with more than 30 years of experience.
• New windshield seal and trunk seal
• Professionally cleaned metal radiator
• Completely detailed throughout including the engine compartment / headlight bays - spotless!
• Newly serviced Becker Mexico/cassette radio by Becker Autosound, with auto antennae
• Coco floor mats

The paintisn't perfect - there are a few flaws, however as the vehicle had Ziebart rust proofing applied, most likely early in the life of the car, there is virtually no rust on the entire vehicle. Though I don't have the full vehicle history my mechanic believes the mileage to be correct, based on the condition of the engine/his examination of the engine when he did the valve adjustment.The seats look great/condition of the seats is excellent though eventually the new owner may want to replace the original seat "filler"/"stuffing".In general the overall interior is excellent, headliner is flawless. Elegant locking wheel covers. I have the original valve covers and some additional spare parts.Contact me with your email address for a scanned copy of service receipts/recent history.

Here is a link to additional photos: <img src=http://s1036.photobucket.com/user/rwdnp/library/1973%20Mercedes%20450%20SEL

As the 450 SELwasquite special at the timeI collected a number of quotations regarding this model, as follows -

• When this car was introduced in late ’72 it made almost every other car seem as primitive as a wheelbarrow with a steel wheel, and that impression lasted for almost a decade.

• Named European Car of the Year

• Noting the quality and luxury of the new models, Road and Track crowned the 450SE the “Best Sedan in the World”

• There is a “Best car in the world” argument issue of Car and Driver in ’76 and Yates picked the 450SE / SEL.

• This was probably the best production car in the world in 1973.

• Excellent handling for a classic luxury automobile

• Solid body structure providing good accident protection

• Excellent A/C systems on pre-1976 models

• Very reliable fuel injection system on pre-1976 models

• Cost-no-object design means high intrinsic value

• The first S class “Sonderklasse”

• Hear Kent Bergman’s praise for the 450SEL on his website MercedesSource.

Hagerty puts a goodcondition 1973 450 SELin the range of $14K. This one is above average with low miles.

Inspections are welcome prior to bidding.