Hi there,
I havent wrote too much here lately, and in between I also sold my 1977 450SE which I had converted to Liquid gas fuel before...
Anyway, I missed the car so much that I bought another one which is almost identical.
The new one is a one owner(family) car which was owned by an older couple in Freiburg (Germany).
I bought the car from their nephew after they had both passed away.
It is a 1978 450SE in Milanbrown metallic with a light brown Leather interior. It had only 138.000 km on it and came with the original purchase order and many maintenance bills.
What I like better about this car (compared to the previous 1977 car) are the velours carpets, The brown dash and full wood console.
I'm also glad the car has an original sunroof (without that I wouldn't have bought it).
Strange is that the car has no colored windows...
I plan to write more on this forum again!!
Best regards from the Netherlands!
Mathieu
(http://forum.mercedesclub.de/index.php?page=Attachment&attachmentID=18682&h=4cbef83b2d00abc7dbd0b2e729b940b66444e399)
(http://forum.mercedesclub.de/index.php?page=Attachment&attachmentID=18679&h=66b71332f4898a1fcbe901c1fdc20b07cd7d2cc0)
(http://www.oudebenzclub.nl/media/kunena/attachments/930/vAbbemuseumEindhoven.jpg)
Welcome back Mathieu!
That's a lovely clean looking 450SE you have there.
What amazes me is that how well preserved some of these cars are... the fact the owners have looked after them so well for 34 odd years is a rarity in the car world... and all the better for it for us "next Generation" to continue to look after them!
Cheers,
Al
Oh wow she looks fantastic! Here we tend to get the extremes; cars that are pristine and those that are badly neglected. There's not many inbetween
That's a really lovely looking car. Congratulations!
So *that's* what my milan brown 300SD is supposed to look like! I've got to get it repainted...that's a very lovely car in the sun!
Mathieu,
Welcome back and congratulations on a stunning 450SE!!!
Milan Brown is such a beautiful color and suits the shape of 116's so well!
We look forward to more pictures.
Tks
Joe
Stunning car - congratulations!
Nice car, Mathieu.
Unusual the brown dash: I know it exists (colored dahs was OPT for second series W116), but I has never been able to see one... and in combination with Milanbrown paint and bamboo leather it's a wonderful mix! You will get me a favour by a picture of attached here! :P
When I found my 450SE, in 1999, it had 125000 km (78000 miles) and only two previous owners (the first one sold the car to his brother after 17 years and the last one sold to me after 10 years!), it was good, but stopped since 3 years, so I was obliged to get some maintenance to put it in the right condition to run. Now, my 450SE has a bit less than 160000 km (100000 miles), unfotunately I use then only once per year, during my holiday period, because the distance (700 km, form Turin to Rome).
Fabulous looking car Mathieu, looks to be brand new. Is it unusual not to have tinted glass in Europe? I think we got heat treated glass as standard in Aus, haven't sen one without anyway.
More pics please....
Agreed! More pics please! :)
Hi thanks to you all.
I tried to post some more pics but the links wouldn't work right.
The original Bill
(http://www.oudebenzclub.nl/media/kunena/attachments/930/Rechnung1Mercedes450SE.jpg)
(http://www.oudebenzclub.nl/media/kunena/attachments/930/stadhuispleinEindhoven3.jpg)
(http://www.oudebenzclub.nl/media/kunena/attachments/930/DB4.jpg)
Still with German plates
(http://forum.mercedesclub.de/index.php?page=Attachment&attachmentID=18681&h=e16589efd6951235010bb4361775c0f24bdb4bbb)
The engine which has a catalic converter retrofitted (which I plan to remove again)
(http://forum.mercedesclub.de/index.php?page=Attachment&attachmentID=18684&h=a89fb0df2a2a27cb6cc1857b0880882788c57306)
I hope the pics come trough.
I'm 37 years old and living in the south of the Netherlands, close to both Germany and Belgium.
I like Mercedes all my life, my father drove a W115 when I was a child.
The W116 was the big S-class back then, I always admired these cars with their luxurious upholstery (especially these upper end door panels) and double bumpers.
Back then I only remember seeing 280SE, maybe once a 350SE. Couldn't dream of a 450! (the 6.9 was elusive, I never saw one before much much later).
I like milan brown also very much. I think it is quite a hard color to paint, especially to repaint separate panels. Color differences are obvious. My left front wing is also just offcolor due to a repaint at some time.
Color-glass was allways optional over here but at a 450 I would expect it to be ordered. I have some of a color glass fetisch ::)
Maybe I'll retrofit it one day, but now the car is all original like this so it's OK.
I did mount some original 6,5J Fuchs alloy wheels in teh mean time. I like the hubcaps but because the car was also originally deprived of its 450SE badge it will kindly be mistaken for a 280S... :o
Untill now I didn't do to much work on it, I changed the spark Plugs (NGK BP6ES) and ignition cables (1 was 5 kOhm and the center cable from the coil was very old). Also I adjusted the steering house a little bit to reduce play.
Hope to hear from you!
Best regards,
Mathieu
That interior looks as bright as it was in '78 !! Beautiful.
Mathieu, wow!!!!
I just love how you could spec these cars "exactly" the way you wanted! They ordered leather, sunroof and tach without tinted glass and a/c. Today you end up having to "accept" option packages that a lot of times carry more OR less of what you REALLY want.
Again congratulations on a gorgeous 450SE. I am a huge fan of bundt alloys but this car with clear glass and short wheelbase looks just right with hubcaps, besides you have a level of originality that shouldn't be disturbed in my opinion.
Tks,
Joe