1963 Mercedes-Benz 220SE Coupé - Black on red leather interior

1963 Mercedes-Benz 200-Series Additional Info:

I purchased this car a couple of years ago from a restorer in Costa Mesa, CA. He stated that he had the car for over 20 years and was his pet project. I have invested quite a bit of money in getting the car sorted out to my liking. It runs excellently and is fun to drive on a short errand or a long trip. The paint is in excellent condition, and the chrome is in very good shape. (Although the left rear taillight is starting to discolor, as are the rocker panels a bit. There is minor pitting in some areas as well, but not to the level that you would bother re-plating). The wood was restored by Madera Concepts, and you can smell the red leather interior from ten feet away (if you have the windows rolled down). As you can see, the engine bay has been detailed to a high level. There is no rust whatsoever on the car, pointing to its CA roots. An A/C unit can be added for about $2,000 to $3,000 (either Kuhlmeister or a modern unit from Bud's Benz). And a period correct Becker radio can be found for somewhere in the $500 range. During restoration the decision was made to make a color change from white (050 code) to black (040 code). Also, I've been asked before if I believe the car has 10,000 or 110,000 miles. I believe it probably has neither. My experience is that the majority of these 50 year old Mercedes have had the odometer break at some point along the line. Often times the owner doesn't bother getting it fixed for 15 years, making it difficult to tell. You really need to go off of the condition of the car, and the trust level you have with the seller. And of course, we always recommend you have someone do an inspection. Sometimes the seller is misrepresenting the car, and then sometimes the seller is emotionally attached and thinks the car is in better condition than it really is. I have placed a reasonably low reserve (roughly $15,000 less than what I've previously been offered for the car).