In 1984 my dad popped into Lone Star to admire, and ended grinding down the price on a 1979 450 SEL, in the typical Silverbleau, and came home with a car that we had no business owning... We had the car for almost 20 years, it was really good to us during that time. I just adored the big Benz, and during my free time from then on I would look at pictures of old 450's and reminisce. It was very distinctive, and since it was the car that I came home from the hospital in, I had really awesome memories associated with it. Everything from the smells of the off-gassing leathers/plastics to the feel of the doors and sound of the engine.
I always kept "Mercedes SEL" in my searches on Kijiji creeping out other old Benzes for sale for nostalgia... And then one day I did a random refresh while at the office and then popped up something I never in my life imagined. A 1977 450 SEL 6.9... I contacted the seller right away who was selling it on behalf of the widow of a gentleman who owned the car since the early 80's. The price was fair, the mileage was relatively low at 75k mi., and more than anything, the color combination was my all-time favorite - Milan Brown on Bamboo. For me... I know, it might sound ridiculous but, if I could choose any dream car for me - this was it.
I lucked out on timing and told the guy the story, and then made an elaborate business case for my wife and low and behold... I am the owner of this very interesting car. The seller stated that he had to turn off his phone as he had close to a 50 calls over that evening, and said that I was the first one to set a time to come to see it and therefore I had first dibs. Somewhat unlike me... I threw caution to the wind, had no inspection, and bought the car. Amazingly... considering this car is 45 years old... still feels rock-solid (and makes the doors of my Cayenne feel like a play toy). Perhaps more amazingly, it still had that 'smell' that I associated with my old childhood car.
When I bought the car it had a bad misfire, which ended up being just the ignition wires being in the wrong order and a loose spark plug. The vehicle had been sitting for 15+ Years (stored indoors I was told and believe), and was brought to German Car Specialists in 2020 for a full fuel system rebuild and inspection. The car was also pretty rough paint condition-wise due to sitting, and my good friend and detailing-god, Beyond member - Sneek, helped me get the paint to a point that it popped again. There is a long list of things to work on, but for now, the car holds height without a problem for weeks and idles smooth. I have been having some issues registering it (as I do not want to do an OOP), as the VIN number is shorter than the standard and the registry that I went to (AMA) could not find any past Alberta registration, that I am certain it has been.
Some positives and negatives - and I obviously have some work ahead of me, but I am looking forward to maybe holding it onto a bit and enjoying myself as a summer driver to the office. The color and design are so striking in 2022 and I just love the feeling of being in it.
Positives:
- Body seems very solid, with no rust of note. The car has only had <10k miles in Canada.
- The car was originally from Miami, Florida, and had a facetious owner who provided (extensive) Service Records/Manuals from Day one. On a side note... A Miami 6.9 owned by a small plane pilot in the early 80's... This car must have seen very wholesome things in it's past.
- Miles are low and make it seem worth the 'mini-restoration'
- It is my dream car in the dream-color combo
- Since I didn't register the car, I was only able to drive it up and down the block. Possibly the first time it has done so under its own power in many years. It runs 'very' well... I was absolutely shocked by the amount of 'push' back the car had... By modern standards, it is not 'fast' but it had too much torque.
Negatives
- Paint peel on the roof from sun exposure
- Requires extensive deferred maintenance - Fluids, Brakes, etc.
- Leather is hard and needs a good leatherique treatment. General cleaning/steam cleaning of the interior
- Dashcrack, needs a grill surround, Trunk badge, some other cosmetics
- I want to replace the exhaust, it has a strange single exhaust right now which is dented (I imagine from towing it in 2020)
- Need to replace the wire wheels with factory bundt wheels (hopefully in 15 or 16" for better tire selection). Apparently these wire wheels may have some value, and they have brand new current tires.
So, some fun ahead of me... My contention on keeping it is if I can find a place to store it in the Winter. This winter was OK as my wife was home with our kiddo, but her car won't be happy outside in the winter when she is going to work every day. In the meantime, trying to figure out a good place to take it for some of this simple maintenance work (open to suggestions!)
I have been a part of Beyond since 2004 and always enjoyed this community, thought I would share a my car related story here for others who might be interested in an old Merc.
Some quick snaps for you - not exactly glamourous angles.
and.. the goal (less the chrome on the wheels)