1967 Mercedes-Benz S Class

This 1967 LHD manual Mercedes-Benz 250SE was first registered in the UK in 2001.

It comes to us via a vendor who has owned the car for around a month and is now looking to pass it on.

It has 51,697 kms on its odometer and is, generally speaking, in pretty good condition, although there are one or two issues to address, inside and out.

What it needs is an enthusiast with access to the right levels of energy, expertise and resources – someone who appreciates the sheer class of these quality pillarless coupés and the rarity of finding a manual example of an already very rare car.

The bodywork is pretty good, save for a dent at the rear of the roof.

The shut lines and panel gaps seem consistent and even throughout.

The gold paintwork is decent in parts.

There’s a long scratch along the driver’s door and the front wing on the same side, plus a somewhat shorter scratch on the front wing on the other side.

The paint is missing or cracked in various places around the front grille.

There’s also a patch of paint missing from the bonnet and some scuffs, scratches and paint chips on the n/s/f wing.

There are scuffs and paint chips around the end of the o/s/r bumper.

There are scuffs around the rim of the o/s/r wheel arch and, at the front-facing base of the same wheel arch, there’s some bubbling and flaking in evidence.

A few more scuffs and signs of previous repair can be seen around the rim of the o/s/f wheel arch.

The car’s exterior rubber trim is cracked and perished pretty much everywhere.

While the chrome bumpers and grille are reasonable, the chrome beneath the windows and on the front spot lamps is somewhat foxed and tarnished.

The interior is much the same as its exterior counterpart. In other words, it’s good in parts and less so in others.

Aside from a few creases and signs of general wear on the front seats, the brown leather upholstery is fairly good and the seats, front and back, are comfortable and supportive.

The driver’s door armrest has been patched and has a few splits in the leather.

The base of the storage pouch on the same door card is cracked and spilt.

The carpets and mats in the front are grubby but serviceable. The carpets in the rear will need replacing.

The headlining is intact, but the same can’t be said for the parcel shelf fabric which has come detached and has a few rips and tears in it.

The wood around the ‘A’ pillars, above the windscreen, on top of the dashboard and above the instrument binnacle is disintegrating and in poor condition.

The dashboard itself seems pretty good, although there are some splits in the padding around it.

The leather is split on the steering wheel boss.

The boot is scruffy but looks to be intact.

The engine and engine bay look clean and dry, and everything appears to be in its right and proper place.

There is some flaking rust to be seen under the sills. The extent to which this may or may not compromise the car’s structural integrity is something you’ll want to gauge for yourself.

This car has less history than Clint Eastwood in any of the countless films where he turns up, wearing a poncho and chewing a cheroot, at some desperate, fly-blown town inhabited by terrified peasants.

There are various bills, receipts and invoices covering some of the work done over the years.

There are also some old tax discs, a clear HPI report and a trail of MoTs going back to 2006, when the car’s odometer was recorded as reading 45,000 kms.

Arguably, Mercedes-Benz has never made a better-looking car than these beautiful and hugely over-engineered pillarless coupés.

Yes, there’s some work to be done on this one, but we really don’t think it would take too much to recapture most of this magnificent car’s former glory and more than recoup the time and effort required for the job.

We’re confident to offer this car for auction with an estimate of £25,000 - £30,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at 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’.