The other day the publisher of this blog and this olelongrooffan were exchanging a series of emails about scheduling, formatting and many other things that I am sure are boring as hell to my fellow Curb Dwellers. As a result of that exchange, I decided to check out more in the blog archive here at Curbside Classic. I did so and was rewarded to find a blog he did back in March about a sweet W116 Mercedes 6.9.
Ironically while I was out wandering around later, I spotted
a W116 of my own. But trust me on this, it was definitely not in nearly as pristine condition as his was. Yes, the Florida sun is a terror on cars, especially if they are neglected early on in their life.
Though it seems the owner of this one is certainly aware of the provenance of the Mercedes Benz marque as is evidenced by his display of the MB badge and license plate on the rear shelf beneath the cracked rear window.
However the brush painted body and the black electrical tape covered door handles would indicate otherwise.
I suspect this vintage Mercedes has spent some of its life in the Northeast given the amount of rust that permeates its entire body. But it still drives on as is evidenced by the current FLA registration on its rear flanks.
And the custom grill totally allows this car stand out from the crowd. In the comment section of that referenced post there was much discussion about electric versus manual windows in many different makes of automobiles. I would suspect this big old Mercedes Benz 450 SE has power windows but somehow I don’t think
it matters to the driver of this one.
lol, nice one
I wonder if it has current registration simply because it’s someone’s home and they don’t want it towed.
It looks to have been painted with latex house paint at some point. Should have went with black, methinks.
We have to suffer a 6 monthly roadworthiness inspection this Benz would not get thru too many rust holes.
I love the W116 and it pains me to see this one treated this way…luckily, living in Southern California, I see many well-cared-for examples. There’s one particular black 450SEL that I see here in Pasadena from time to time that still seems to be earning its keep as a daily driver, and an impressive one.
But this one…not long for this world, I’m afraid.
Crackle finish on cars?