1978 Mercedes-Benz 280 E

This car is offered from outside of the European Union. It has been imported under temporary admission customs bond and is therefore subject to Dutch import tax on top of the winning bid price.

The winning bidder will receive a receipt for the final hammer value, as their proof of purchase.

This vehicle has been on static display for a number of years and the documented history available is limited to that displayed in our photography section.

We have not tried to start or drive the car, and cannot vouch for its mechanical viability or functionality. It will require recommissioning prior to road use and is sold ‘as seen’.

As CARS Europe BV is the guarantor of all customs duties and taxes for vehicles within Dutch customs bond, the car cannot be released to the buyer or transporter immediately after the sale. For all enquiries relating to Customs, please contact CARS Europe BV.

Purchases will only be released once cleared funds are received. All vehicles must be collected after the payment of funds. All storage charges must be paid in full prior to the vehicle’s collection or onward transportation.

Storage charges payment must be arranged with the storage company. Collection is strictly by appointment only.

Please send a booking email to the storage centre to ensure vehicle(s) are ready at time of collection. Photographic ID will be required at time of collection. If a third party is collecting for you, then written authorisation is required in advance from you and photographic ID of the third party is required at the time of collection. Collection either by buyer or third party is only possible for vehicles within customs bond if applicable import taxes paid are paid to import into country of bonded storage location.

As soon as The Market by Bonhams will receive your payment, The Market by Bonhams accounts service will inform the manager of the storage facility where your car(s) is stored: a release note will be sent to them.

CARS Europe BV will contact you just after the sale to confirm onward transport requirements. Direct contact at CARS for enquiries is as follows; Joanna Herlihy, +31 (0) 252 682 526, +44 7483 433912, joanna@carseurope.net.

STORAGE CHARGES

€30 + local VAT per motor car per day commencing from the sixth day following the auction end.

CUSTOMS CHARGES

€500 per motor car (plus applicable permanent import taxes from bond).

Chassis No: 12303312038570

Odometer: 39,215 kms.

In common with many vehicles from the vendor’s collection, the car comes with no history or service records.

With the proviso that we haven’t tried to start or drive this car and can therefore only comment on its cosmetic condition, we think this 280E is an excellent example of a car that that was manufactured when Mercedes-Benz built cars up to a standard, not down to a price, and when everything they did was almost obsessively over-engineered.

It is in exceptional overall condition and appears to be entirely authentic and original.

We know that it entered the vendor’s collection of static display cars in 2012.

The Colorado Beige paintwork is in impressive condition.

The bodywork is free of any significant dents, bumps or creases. The wheels seem to be good all round.

The panel gaps and shut lines are consistent and even.

Most of the chrome work is very good, with the exception of some scuffs on one of the hub cap rims.

There is a small patch of discoloured paint on the passenger side front wing and a few light scratches around the boot.

We also found some stone chips on the passenger side rear wheel arch and some scuffs on the rubber sections of the front bumper.

The interior looks showroom-fresh in almost every respect. But this isn’t a restoration – this is how it looked when it left the factory.

The brown upholstery has one or two very light creases but is otherwise in fine condition, both front and back.

The same applies to the carpets, door cards, mats, trim and headlining.

The wood veneers running along the dashboard have not been damaged by sunlight or time. Neither has the plastic surrounding the instrument cluster.

We can’t make any claims about the functionality of switches, knobs, levers, toggles, buttons, dials or other electrics as we haven’t tried to start the vehicle.

The boot is as pristine as the rest of this car. Lifting up the carpets here or elsewhere reveals…nothing to worry about at all as far as we can see.

And the only real flaw we could find is a broken storage pocket on the driver’s door.

Everything looks pretty good and honest. There’s plenty of protective wax/bitumen in evidence. All visible exhaust, braking and suspension components are present, correct and in what seems to be excellent condition.

Everything in the engine bay is in its right and proper place and appears to be clean and dry.

The car doesn’t come with any history or service record.

Any paperwork we have is photographed and displayed in the photo gallery. We we do not have anything else.

Apart from one or two very minor cosmetic issues, this car is in remarkable condition and it is hard to believe that it first left the factory 44 years ago.

Provided that the engine and mechanicals are as good as the rest of it, this car is probably one of the best preserved, low kilometres examples of this model you’ll find anywhere.

Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.