1985 Mercedes-Benz 280CE

We are delighted to be able to offer you this gorgeous Mercedes-Benz 280CE pillarless coupe. First registered on the 25th of February 1985, it shows just five previous owners on the V5 registration document, the first of whom owned it from new until 2006. It then passed to his stepson, who kept it until 2013. This is an almost unprecedented run of family ownership that ran for the best part of three decades.

In the care of the vendor for the past three years, the 280CE was the subject of an £8,000 mechanical restoration in April 2017 by independent Mercedes-Benz specialists W123 World, the same people who sold the car to him.

He’s a classic Mercedes-Benz enthusiast who currently has three classic MB cars in his collection. Meticulous in the way he maintains his cars, his aim is simple: his wife must be able to jump into any of his cars with their children and use it immediately; no ifs, no buts, and no excuses.

It’s a great ethos, and one that has paid dividends here. Only being offered to make room for his next purchase, he only clocks up around 2,000 to 2,500 miles per year in it and so can’t really justify the space it occupies at his London home.

The corrosion resistance of the W123’s bodywork is one of its few weak points, although to be fair we should point out that even the youngest one is knocking on the door of its 35th birthday, so a little wear ‘n’ tear is to be expected.

With this in mind, the owner arranged for the wheelarch inner liners to be removed before having the area steam cleaned before applying a hefty dose of protective wax. The car’s jacking points were all cleaned, protective wax applied, and new plugs fitted. The sills were also cleaned and then painted in the correct graphite grey. New rubber door seals and door check straps were also fitted to both doors.

The headlights were removed for inspection and cleaning and all the car’s exterior glass was cleaned, including the mirrors which were removed and serviced. As you’d expect given the meticulous nature of the work, the sunroof was fully serviced too, work that included having new fibre strips fitted and all the water drainage channels cleaned and checked for leaks.

Various bits of damaged trim were removed and replaced, with particular attention being given to any bodywork defects. These were mostly very minor and mainly amounted to nothing more than scratches, all of which were attended to. The owner reports that the vehicle is structurally strong with no evidence of any previous serious accident damage or welding and/or corrosion.

The bodywork finally detailed using the Meguiar’s Gold system. As you’d expect given all this work, it looks amazing, and not just for its age. The W123 has weathered the years far better than most of its contemporaries and it presents beautifully even after having various panels re-sprayed. 

The 14-inch steel wheels have been refurbished, and are in great shape including the huge chrome-and-paint hubcaps. The tyres all have good tread.

Finishing touches include a new Beru fully automatic electric aerial and a pair of W123 World number plates. The car also comes with an Autostorm outside car cover.

Work to do is limited in scope, and seem to be restricted to sorting out the underside of the leading edge of the bonnet, which is showing the first signs of some surface rust developing. There are also a few minor scratches here and there, and the odd stonechip.

None of it is anywhere close to being serious or in need of attention other than the bubble of rust that is starting to develop on the lower portion of the nearside front wing; the front valance, which is starting to look a little worse for wear; a small patch on the edge of the sunroof; and another small area of rust near the windscreen wipers. None is especially serious, but they will need catching sooner rather than later before they deteriorate further.

The interior of the 280Ce has also be refurbished. In typically thorough fashion the door cards were removed and the window regulators serviced and lubricated.

The driver's seat was also removed and the back rest cover replaced due to slight wear. The central locking was also checked and the vacuum chambers replaced where required. The entire system was then pressure checked and serviced, including the seat adjustment mechanisms.

The work has left it fighting fit and looking marvellous. Even the Zebrano wood veneer, which almost always looks scruffy, is in fabulous shape and free of the sort of peeling and milky lacquer that is ubiquitous.

The blue cloth seats still have the springiness that seems to be unique to this era of Mercedes, and they’re free of rips, tears and other damage. The headlining is taut and clean, and the door cards are pristine.

The top of the dashboard, which invariably cracks over time, is free of damage and any sun-induced wear or deterioration whatsoever. Lifting the (very good) carpets reveals only solid metal floors, and even the netting that is fitted to the rear of the front seats is still fairly taut – and that is never the case.

A modern Alpine CD/radio has been fitted.

Everything seems to work, including the metal sunroof, and if it were ours we’d drive around with all four windows permanently lowered; just take a look at the photos, and tell us this isn’t one of the most elegant pillarless coupes of the period.

The boot liners were removed to allow all the cavities to be checked and cleaned. The metal floor is solid and appears free of rust, and the new spare wheel, OE tool roll, and first aid kit are all present and correct. The carpets and side trim panels are all good too, and the boot lid is home to the warning triangle.

Problems seem to be limited to a small area of loose cloth on one door card, and a spot of peeling trim on the nearside front passenger seatbelt’s top mounting. That’s not a bad To Do list, is it?

Aficionados will appreciate the fact that the 280CE was the subject of a full mechanical restoration in April 2017 by independent Mercedes-Benz specialists W123 world, whose Mark Cosovich literally wrote the book on the W123. The owner tells us that the work cost him around £8,000.

A brief summary of the mechanical work that has been undertaken is:

• A new Behr automatic radiator was fitted, along with new flexible hoses for the transmission. The engine was then flushed and refilled with fresh coolant. The car later received a new waterpump and thermostat.

• A complete new braking system was fitted. This comprised a new master cylinder and reconditioned brake calipers including new discs, pads, hoses and brake fluid.

• A full lubrication service was carried out, along with a full safety inspection of all suspension components.

• The fuel tank was drained and inspected for internal corrosion. None was found, but the flexible fuel pipes and filters were replaced anyway.

• The engine bay was cleaned and detailed with particular attention being paid to known water traps, all of which have been cleared and protective wax applied. The battery tray and air cleaner were both removed for cleaning and painting.

• The camshaft covers have been polished and detailed, and all the wiring harnesses, pipework, and hoses have been checked and cleaned and replaced where necessary.

Please see the attached invoices for further details including the dates and the cost of the work.

The car has been regularly serviced since then by West Hampstead Motors, another well-regarded W123 specialist.

The 2.8-litre straight-six petrol engine starts on the button and soon settles into a steady, even tickover. It drives very well, and while it isn’t even close to being a sportscar it waffles along very nicely, burbling away to itself in a very satisfactory manner. This is undoubtedly due to a combination of rock-solid maintenance and an engine rebuild in 2015 by M-Star of Manchester. The work included skimming the cylinder head before rebuilding it with new gaskets etc.

The engine bay is very clean, and the inner wings are free of rust and corrosion. The underside is clean and largely dry. It all looks solid too, although we note that the offside rear wheel arch has been welded in the past. This was done in 2015 by Nair Autos Ltd., another independent Mercedes-Benz specialist, so shouldn’t be cause for concern. (The exhaust was replaced by them at the same time.)

The 280’s MOT certificate expires in October 2020 and was gained without a single advisory point, something it’s been doing since 2016. The online MOT history shows nothing of concern and confirms the car’s mileage.

The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a thick sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

It also comes with two keys and the original owner’s handbook and assorted manuals. There is also a letter from the stepson of the car’s first owner to confirm its originality and provenance.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained in recent years to the very highest standard.

We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

The W123 is a perennially popular model with classic car enthusiasts who appreciate its style and complete reliability. In fact, the owner’s next-door neighbour was so impressed that he went out and bought one shortly after seeing this one; all-in-all, there are five in the vendor’s immediate neighbourhood, which tells you everything you need to know about their practicality and ease of ownership, even in a city that is as anti-car as London.

And yet, for all their style and reliability the price of even the best W123 hasn’t risen to the heights we think they warrant. This one has a guide price of anywhere between £8,000 and £14,000, which is a staggeringly small sum for such a beautifully maintained machine.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.