Few cars do restrained good taste quite as effortlessly as a Mercedes-Benz W123 estate.
Built to carry families, luggage and seemingly anything else for hundreds of thousands of miles, this practical Mercedes-Benz has become one of the most admired classic cars of its generation.
This UK-supplied 1986 Mercedes-Benz 280 TE will be offered by Iconic Auctioneers at its Classic Sale, which takes place at CarFest, Silverstone on 29-30 August.
Estimated to sell for between £18,000 and £22,000, it has undergone a seven-year restoration, understood to have cost somewhere between £40,000 and £50,000.
A Benz built to last
The W123 arrived in the mid-1970s and quickly established a reputation for exceptional durability. Taxi drivers, diplomats and well-to-do families all relied upon them, while the estate added a large, versatile load area and self-levelling rear suspension.
It even had an optional third row of rear-facing seats to create a seven-seater – and nearly a decade before the Espace was a twinkle in Renault’s eye.
The 280 TE sat close to the top of the W123 estate range. Its 2.8-litre ‘M110’ straight-six featured twin overhead camshafts and offered far stronger performance than the four-cylinder and diesel engines commonly associated with the W123.
It is paired with a four-speed automatic transmission here, as is proper for a wafty six-cylinder Mercedes-Benz.
First registered in 1986, this car has been owned by its current keeper since 2016. It is finished in Astral Silver Metallic, with a retrimmed black leather interior and new carpets.
Its restoration was carried out over approximately seven years by a former employee of Mercedes-Benz specialist Hilton & Moss. This work included replacement valve stem seals, renewed timing chains and extensive attention to the car’s mechanical and cosmetic condition.
The distinctive ‘Mexican Hat’ alloy wheels have also been refurbished and fitted with new tyres. Around 700 photographs document all the work, providing an unusually thorough record of what was repaired, replaced and refinished.
A fine old estate car
The odometer reads 120,640 miles, which is barely run-in by W123 standards. These cars earned their reputation through long-distance use, and this example, with its comprehensive restoration, is ready for almost anything.
It is not an untouched survivor, nor a low-mileage museum piece. Instead, it is a carefully rebuilt version of one of Mercedes-Benz’s most respected family cars, equipped with the most desirable engine offered in the estate car range.
For buyers who want a usable classic with room for people, luggage and the occasional piece of antique furniture, few vehicles combine practicality and period character quite like a 280 TE.
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