1985 Mercedes-Benz 280 CE

This late-model Mercedes-Benz 280CE with a 4-speed automatic transmission, was first registered in early December 1985, just as Wham! were topping the charts with “I’m Your Man” - you’ve got the chorus in your head now haven’t you? Sorry.

According to Mercedes-Benz themselves, they built over 32,000 of these 280CEs between 1977 and 1985 for worldwide consumption but fewer than 100 are still thought to be road-ready in the UK today.

There isn’t a great deal of history with the car - the current owner, the Merc’s tenth according to the DVLA, bought it just over 4 years ago from Mercedes specialist Edward Hall.

He has had a number of W123s before and has a small collection but with other cars to drive too he’s barely covered 300 miles in it, although he has kept it properly dry stored and in a running condition.

Whilst most people would say that this car is painted black, it is not just any black but Mercedes’ 199 Blue Black metallic. Granted you need a special ray of sunshine to notice much of a blue tinge but it is there.

The paint is a tiny bit bubbly on the nose under the headlamps and there is the occasional scratch or chip, but largely the paint is in very good order. The bodywork too is very straight, with good panel alignment and no signs of damage that we could find. The chromed trims and fixtures are mostly strong with just a bit of pitting here and there, around the door mirror attachments for example.

The car sits on its original 14-inch Baroque or “Mexican Hat” alloy wheels, which were made by Fuchs (of Porsche fame). All look immaculate and were refitted with matching Michelin Energy Saver tyres in 2016, but barely used since.

All four corners have Mercedes-Benz mud flaps fitted, something you don’t see on cars much these days but they are perfect for protecting vulnerable paint surfaces.

The interior of this coupé is an absolute eighties delight - cream velour upholstery with beige vinyl trims and carpets and a black trimmed dash and centre console, which is also faced with a very period horizontal-grained wood veneer. The velour was a luxury extra and makes a nice change from the ubiquitous MB-Tex faux leather.

Everything looks in a fabulous condition and there are few signs of wear. The only things we could find fault with are a section of the wood trim coming away from the glove box lid, some scuffing on the seat hinge trims, a few breaks in the piping on the armrest, a cracked section of underdash trim and a bit of gaffer tape on the sill trim. Elsewhere the seats, doors, carpets, headlining, dash and steering wheel all appear to be in an amazing condition- it is a stunningly good interior, more so given the mileage.

When new, this 280CE was specified with a number of optional extras such as rear headrests, luggage nets, electric windows and mirrors as well as the sunroof. It is fitted now with what is possibly a later period Blaupunkt Verona radio cassette player, but it doesn’t look out of place. As far as we have been able to test, all the electrics and interior equipment work as they should, although the vendor reported that the fuel gauge didn’t move, despite driving it 80 miles to The Market HQ.

Lifting the bonnet you are struck by the expanse of the engine bay and how much space there is around the engine. This car is from a time when ease of maintenance outweighed the demand for computer aided compact packaging. The paint around the compartment is good and pretty much the only signs of oxidation are on the exhaust headers and some of the pipework. Elsewhere all is fairly clean, tidy and well maintained. The bonnet lid itself has a new liner and just a few specks of surface rust here and there.

Underneath is pretty clean and there is a good coating of Waxoyl or similar across the underbody and subframes as well as evidence of genuine MB parts renewal to the steering and suspension components, among others. The exhaust looks undamaged and in a reasonably good condition, although some of its seams and brackets are starting to rust and the rubber hanging loops are looking a little perished.

The boot floor mat and vinyl linings are clean and tidy and the floor underneath appears free of corrosion. There is a full size spare alloy wheel along with a jack and small tool roll in the wheel well and a warning triangle fixed to the underside of the boot lid.

The car has a current MOT valid until May 2022, which it passed with no advisories. It has had four tests recorded since 2016.

It comes with period Mercedes-Benz Sales and Service directories, three Owner’s Manuals of two different types and a small handful of old MOTs and invoices showing what was done back in 2016:

Sep - new tyres all round

Oct - full service, ignition system, brakes, steering, suspension, mountings, propshaft coupling, gaiters, bushes, links, dashboard lighting (£5k)

Aside from a couple of MOTs, the car hasn’t been used in the last four years and next to no money has been spent on it - not even an oil change - although it has been properly stored, trickle-charged and it still starts and runs well. The vendor himself suggests that a good service would be in order before too much more use.

This rare car is one of those that is truly worthy of a personal inspection. It wears its years and mileage exceptionally well and appears to be in pretty good mechanical order too despite not having been used a great deal lately. It is a car that, once serviced, we would have no hesitation in jumping into and setting off on a long touring holiday – something we will all be able to enjoy again soon.

Prices are climbing and we’ve recently seen a pretty high number for an immaculate low mileage model in showroom condition. This one is also very well presented - about as good as they get - but the higher mileage means that it’s one to take out as much as possible. We think you’ll only need to part with £9,000 to £13,000 to become the new custodian of this (almost) black beauty.

It’s selling with NO RESERVE too so there’s no excuse for not throwing out a cheeky bid to see what happens. If you win, be sure to take it out to car shows and meets - there won’t be a shortage of admirers for this lovely, solid car.

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’.