Designed by Paul Bracq and Friedrich Geiger, the hand-built w108/w109 series 4-door sedans were manufactured from 1965 to 1972. Initial production models were 250S, 250SE, and 300SEb. The “S” signifies “sonderklasse” full-size luxury sedan/saloon. The “E” signifies an “einspritz” fuel injected model.
Mercedes W108 – 1967 250S
According to its service records, this car spent most of its driven life with the original owner in Chicago and Hyannis, MA. By 1980, it had accumulated 74,000 miles. Between 1980 and 1998, it was only driven an additional 4,400 miles.
I think I know why they let it sit in the garage so long — the power windows; with electric motors that were so strong that if you continued to hold the switch when closing would eventually warp the regulator gear. Innocent enough for the owner, but the end result was that all four windows would close, and then drop an inch. All four windows would go up and down, but at the top, impossible to keep any of them completely closed.
When I bought the car in 2014 with 74,449 miles, the engine was frozen from sitting and the hydrostat rear suspension had failed. Still, it was a beautiful car with pristine interior, no sag in the driver’s seat (as if driven by a light person all its life), and the doors closed with that wonderfully solid “thump” of a Mercedes. No rust underneath, but a few small spots of acne on the top of front fenders and the trunk lid and roof had been damaged by the acid of bird poop.
The engine was freed up and torn down for a full rebuild. Brake calipers, brake lines, and fuel lines all been replaced. A new set of tires installed, a new stainless steel exhaust system shipped from TimeValve in Florida, and a small fortune of little miscellanous from the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in CA have brought this wonderful car back to life.
