Mercedes-Benz 280E (W114)

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Some classic cars have histories that are only matched in detail by Gibbons’ six volume ‘Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’; others have little or nothing to tell their story. This 1975 Mercedes 280E is one of the latter.

The DVLA does tell us that this car was first registered in January 1975 and that it has had, in total, five owners. The speedometer tells us that the car has only covered 16,059 miles – a figure which might be met with some scepticism except that the car’s condition is exceptional (as in good) and the five old MOTs that accompany it and an online history check show that between 1993 and 2018 its mileage rose from 3,263 to 16,049.

GWN 231N appears remarkably clean and tidy inside and out and only a record of the 2007 MOT indicates that it has had any structural problems – and those must have been rectified for the car passed with no advisories in 2015. A performance it repeated in December 2018.

One rare clue to the car’s past appears in the original owner’s manual where a faint stamp suggests it was supplied by Neyland Motors of Gorseinon, Glamorgan, a fact supported by a small sticker on the dashboard.

The car looks well and has a clean MOT. It is in real time-warp condition and, knowing Mercedes build quality at the time, its six-cylinder engine and automatic gearbox will still be performing as well as ever ensuring that this enigmatic automobile is a practical proposition. Its history is there to be uncovered.