Very rare MB for sale soon- ideas wanted.

[chilstar]

Hello,

I have a friend who is selling this:

I'm going to be putting it up on eBay for them soon.

Here's the seller's info:

"The beast is a 1953 Daimler Benz hearse, 300 series, 4 door, 4 seater, with L.H.D special Hearse bodywork.

He has a 6 cylinder OHC engine. It is 17 ft long & weighs 2¼ tons.
This is a reluctant sale but due to new business commitments we have no time to restore this beauty.

We bought the Hearse in Portugal 3 years ago with the intention of restoring and using him. When we came back to England we contacted the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart, Germany to find some information on the history of the Hearse.

We found out that between the years 1952-1955 there were only 12 of the 300 series chassis supplied by the factory to be fitted as a Hearse or an ambulance. This is one of them and we think it could be the only one of them left, although we have heard rumours of one in Australia…

The Hearse is in very good condition for his age. Most of the work needed is cosmetic. The bodywork is in very good condition the only damage needing attention is above the window guttering. The paintwork is still original at present; it needs a re-spray. The chassis needs a bit of welding on the jacking points, the rest is solid.

The running gear is all good and the brakes have had new seals. The engine runs well. Part of the exhaust is missing, the rest is OK.
The interior is all original and needs some TLC, but is in amazing condition for the age."​

I have some people to contact to tell about it, but would really appreciate any pointers that any of you may have to other people or places where I can direct people to the eBay auction.

I'll post the eBay link here when it's up.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

 

[andy_k]

at the risk of offending the seller - this is not what I would call a reasonable description considering the pictures.

The bodywork is not what i would call "in very good condition" neither would I say the interior is in "amazing condition for it's age".

This is very obviously a serious restoration project for someone who is willing to throw an awful lot of time and money at the car.

My experience of buying and selling such vehicles is not to tell people how wonderful it is when the pictures tell a different story but be brutally honest and to make it clear whether or not it's a complete car or one where the buyer will need to source spares (headlights, glass, exterior trim etc) all of which add up very quickly when you start spending money.

The bottom fell out of the classic car market a few years back and it has shown no real signs of improving, good clean fully restored examples are not worth anything like the money people have invested in them.

Good luck selling it though - looks interesting

Andy

 

[BimMerc]

Does it have any MB Warranty

Sorry couldnt resist!!

 

[silverclk230]

Might have been interested if it had a full MB service history.

 

[pammy]

Likewise - can't resist - are you an Estate Agent?

 

[fuzzer]

you could prob get a new one for what they are looking for it

 

[Sp!ke]

you can bury me in it if you want

Dunno if a hearse or an ambulance will ever be a collectors item despite its rarity as for most of us it just doest have the *It* factor.......

 

[chilstar]

Thanks to Andy for your help. And to the others for your errr... amusing ideas...

I've collected a lot more info about it and taken some better/ more illustrative photos today.

I think this could have the 'it' factor. The fact that it doesn't look too much like a hearse, and more like a 50's American surf dude woody come Penelope Pitstop station wagon makes me hope that someone else might see its potential as a resto project for a special, completely unique ride other than a rich Goth

When the owner contacted the Hearse club when they first brought it back from Portugal, someone must have told the people at Mercedes as someone in the UK head office called the owners within the hour asking how much they wanted for it. At the time they were still set on restoring it themselves (the owners run a body shop) but now they have an almost finished Merc limo that needs some money spending on it before they can get it out making money on the streets of Brighton- they're selling the hearse to make that happen as soon as possible.

Anyway, once I've written a decent description and got the photos up I'll post back with the eBay link.

Cheers all.

 

[chilstar]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2479686954

 

[flagstaff]

strangely comforting to see that the driver's seat has the wear/tear in the correct place

 

[jimti]

seems to have nearly as much rust as my W210

 

[John Peerce]

Dunno if a hearse or an ambulance will ever be a collectors item despite its rarity as for most of us it just doest have the *It* factor.......

I agree, i dont think cruising in a hearse down the Kings Road in London will be a hit with the ladies !

Mind you, if it has a sunroof then...