1969 Mercedes-Benz 250/8

The W114 (six-cylinder) model debuted in the form of the 230/250, offering decent performance and higher trim and equipment levels than their four-cylinder W115 cousins. With classic styling but a thoroughly modern driving experience, decent safety and performance the 250 Compact is an ideal classic car for today's world, one that can still reliably be used on a daily basis.

This car spent most of its life in France, where it was primarily used as transport between Paris and Nice. It’s in beautiful condition and has the rarely chosen option of a column change manual gearbox, plus a factory fitted full leather interior, and a sliding steel sunroof. It’s also, in our view, a cracking colour.

The current owner bought the car in 2019 and is now selling as he says he has too many cars, with not enough space for them all. On top of that his growing family is taking up more of his spare time, leaving far less for his cars.

As you’ll read in the Mechanical section of this listing, he’s spent a lot of time and money restoring the car mechanically, and says he thinks the 250 has only covered around 150 miles since this work was carried out.

Nonetheless he’s changed the oil and filter every year since the rebuild, with the exception of this year, as the car’s had next to no use at all. He tells us he always uses Millers oil.

Although MoT exempt, the car has an advisory free test certificate which the owner got just for his and any potential buyers’ peace of mind.

The 250 looks absolutely lovely. The original colour Araber Grau paint is excellent, as is the brightwork, and there’s a matching set of Uniroyal Rain Sport tyres. In fact the only very minor faults we could find were some slightly threadbare trims on the wind-up window seals, which could be very easily rectified, as there is a new set in the boot!

The steel sunroof fits perfectly, the shutlines and panel gaps are all spot on and the French spec yellow headlights just add to the allure. The electric factory fit Webasto metal sunroof opens and closes smoothly, and the electric ariel rises and falls smoothly.

The interior is a great place to be, with the original leather seats (they’re more often MB-Tex vinyl), which are in superb condition. The early spec Bakelite steering wheel is crack free and so much nicer than those fitted to the facelifted later cars, which share the rubber ship’s wheel from the W123. This being an earlier car it also has the opening quarter light windows – another great feature lost on the face lift cars.

The owner assures us that the heater controls all work, as do the gauges. A retro style Bluetooth stereo with hands free calling is fitted, but the original Blaupunkt stereo and user manual are included with the car.

The only slight detraction we could find is some very slight discolouration to the headlining near the sunroof aperture, and on the underside of the sunroof itself.

The owner says there is a button on the left of the dash with a light symbol on it. He says, ‘I have no idea what it does... I assumed it's for the addition of driving lights but I never researched it – I like the mystery!’

The Speedo is in KPH but a used MPH one is also included. The owner says he doesn’t know whether it works, and that it was going to be a rainy Sunday afternoon refurb project.

A few weeks after buying the car in early 2019 the current owner noticed it was a bit smoky, so he set about replacing the valve stem oil seals. This quickly turned into replacing the valve guides themselves, at which point he decided to carry out a full engine rebuild.

Covid descended and the mechanical restoration kept him occupied – while the engine was out he also took the opportunity to rebuild the gearbox, replacing all the bearings, synchro rings and seals, complete with a new clutch.

The bushings on the column shift linkage have also been renewed. The owner reports that the gear box is lovely and precise to use, and that although the column shift can take a bit of getting used to: ‘once all the fluids are warm and you’ve got around 10 miles under your belt you’ll be wondering why all cars aren't still like this.’

He also fitted a pair of new carbs – non standard Webbers on the advice of several enthusiasts – and also the original Zenith carb importer! The originals are supplied with the car for purists though, should they wish to revert.

The only other non standard modifications are electronic ignition, which makes for easier starting and a stronger spark, and a Raccor cartridge fuel filter, which is a lovely piece of engineering and so much cooler than the usual plastic affair.

There’s a new boot seal already fitted and the owner says a new set of door seals come with the car, ready to go on. They’re in the boot, along with the original tool kit, boot mat and spare wheel.

The car also has new engine and gearbox mounts, brake calipers, rear discs and new pads all-round. Plus a new coil, HT leads (custom made) and the main cable to the starter motor.

There is a magazine in the documents with the car that has an article that paints a really good story of the history of the car while it was in France – in fact the stamped service book backs this up. The owner says:

‘I always wanted a black W114 as a first car, with white wall tyres and very silly sound system. 17 year old me could neither find one nor afford one at the time, so when I moved back from a decade in the middle east, I thought I'd buy one as my first 'true' classic.

‘This is a full matching numbers car, including the gearbox. It's been repainted at some point, and the only body work I had to do was some minor repair panels to the very bottom of the rear arches just under the bumper wrap around.

‘I could find absolutely no evidence of any repairs or rot to the floor when I was working on the car, which is surely a product of a pampered French life between Paris and Nice, as the magazine article that comes with the car hints at.’

Along with that original service book is a set of original handbooks, a selection of invoices and an advisory-free MoT certificate that runs to May 2024.

This could well be the perfect classic car. Big enough for all the family, but compact enough to thread along winding B roads, and with that lusty, silky smooth straight six under the bonnet you won’t have any problem keeping up with modern traffic.

The pre-facelift features, gorgeous leather interior and sliding steel sunroof make this a top spec W114. It’s the nicest one we can remember seeing, and we think you’ll struggle to find a better one.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at the Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, 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, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.