Can't Kill a W123

Started by cawimmer430, August 15, 2018, 12:21:41 PM

cawimmer430




This story was recently featured in a German classic car magazine. Long story short, the owner of this 300D wanted to sell it back in 1993. The only problem? Nobody would pay his still hefty asking price. So instead of doing the sensible thing and selling it to the best bidder, he parked the 300D underneath a tree on a field next to his property where it ended up staying for 25 years.

Fast forward to 2018. Two car enthusiasts come across the desolate 300D and want it. They pay for it with a crate of beer and give the car a new battery - and then attempt to start it up; with the original diesel fuel and motor oil still in its places. And what happens? The car starts without problems and clatters away! The 300D even manages to drive out of its position under its own power, although the deflated tires made this a little difficult. Its new owners, a father and son, were certain it could make the journey home under its own power, however they towed it home on a trailer instead because the brakes were obviously not in working condition.

Is this even possible? Wouldn't the diesel fuel be contaminated by now? Wouldn't the engine oil have hardened? Wouldn't the fuel line(s) and injection systems have become clogged?

Nowadays these two attend classic car shows all over Germany with their "new" 300D and the foliage growing out of it! Obviously they have repaired the brakes and probably flushed the fuel lines etc., but they're keeping the body the way it is - with rust and foliage!


Those W123s are tough bastards and can't be killed, especially the diesels. I recently saw a documentary (Autos für die Ewigkeit, video at the bottom of this post) about these cars in Morocco and it's just incredible how beat up and trashed they are, but the engine, transmission and basic mechanicals are still working and easy to repair in street garages (or on the street)! The W123 is still my most favorite Mercedes' and hands down the best Mercedes' ever made. I don't know what people see in the W124...  :lol:











Autos für die Ewigkeit - Old-school Mercedes' from the 1950s to the W124/W201 in Africa...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cONs04L5Yp4
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
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