Unfortunately, we didn't meet reserve, so she'll continue to give joy in Michigan.

Hi everyone.  Final hours for this sweet time capsule.   This pristine family-loved Italian 108 is easy to live with and fun to drive, giving way more luxury vibes for your money than most other cars.  

@1976w123 At the advice of my mechanic I usually use Premium and it starts and runs great.  Some people suggest Rec fuel (My mechanic recommends that in my 1980 280TE) but this one seems to like Premium.

@relishthat @bd450sl thanks for getting the ball rolling!

@zachmac No, the records don't support 93 miles per year.   I believe the car was in storage after the grandfather died and before the grandson took over his labor of love recommissioning it in 2016.   Even so, I guess I apologize that I'm missing your point....even if the car wasn't in storage, low mileage happens. In my broader collection have a special low mileage SL  I've owned for 42 years that receives only 150 miles per year, so there are obsessive collectors out here.    In this case, I think the Benz was waiting for the next family member to get through kids, career, and life commitments before spending time and money on a family heirloom.

@zachmac the previous owner included a receipt showing 70k in 1986 (I reattached from paperwork, so for 40 years, yes there is proof).  I cannot attest to the miles driven from 1967-1986 in Italy, but can only imagine one wouldn’t go to the expense of shipping a high mileage used car to the US in 1986.   But no documentation of early years, other than how clean the car is overall.   So bidders can bid based on 40 years of records, not 59 years of records.

A note about condition, imperfections, originality, and improvements:

Condition:  The car was professionally painted while in Italy in 1986 and the paint presents well.   The previous owner did clay bar and paint correction, and took care of some surface rust repair in the cowl area, and I did some surface rust repair from chips and road rash on the rocker panels, jack points, and steel rims.  The undercarriage has some surface rust, but nothing crazy.  No rust under doors and no rust on floors or in the trunk.  

Imperfections:   The front bumper is misaligned a bit on the drivers side creating a crooked grin, the bumper rubber has a few gashes on the corners front and back, there is some surface rust under the front bumper, and some patina surface rust on undercarriage.  Inside there is small nick in the MB-Tex in the middle rear seat that can be easily repaired, the wood on the dash has been refinished but could use another sand and varnish.   Rubber trim around the shift lever is loose.  The clock doesn't work, and the KmH speedometer sometimes bounces.

Originality:  I believe glass, carpet, upholstery, wood, dash, headliner, gauges, Becker Europa radio, and trim are all original.  All the above show the right amount of perfect patina.  No sags in headliner and seat cushions are strong.  Heat and blower fan (new original fan which is expensive and hard to find) are strong.  Power antenna works.   I believe the three point seat belts were added at some point early in the cars life. 

Improvements:   There has been over $20K of mechanical and cosmetic improvements over the last three years.  All receipts included.  Oil was recently changed.

@relishthat I agree!  

Welcome to the auction!  This 250S has a sweet story. 

It was sold new in Italy and purchased by a Navy officer in the mid-1980s, where he was stationed in Naples.  He brought it back to the US with him in 1986 and it remained in his care until his grandson took over stewardship in 2016.  After 38 Years of ownership with one family, I bought it in 2024.  It comes complete with records from Italy, bill of sale to the Navy officer, import papers, ship manifesto, shipping instructions, and a mountain of books, receipts, parts, and paperwork.  When he bought the car in 1986 it had 70,736 km...the miles are believed to be true and not rolled over.
 
We are MB collectors and put about 500-750 miles on each car each season, and they are all stored in heated/cooled clean storage.  We are not mechanical, but have a great German shop that does all our work.  If it needs to be done, it is done.   Our cars are only driven on nice dry days, and never in the Winter. 

This is a sweet, humble, simple car with a great story.  She starts, runs, and drives like a champ and has been driven up to 150 miles at one time without missing a beat (and at highway speeds).  I'll include more details on condition and considerations in my next post. 
Enjoy!