1959 Mercedes-Benz 190-Series

Sedan

diesel

Manual

Clear

Where do I begin? Racing, Cars, and Stories …. They all led me to this car. Maybe it was when I was 4 years old and my father woke me up at the crack of dawn. We drove back roads swiftly through the western Connecticut countryside to Lime Rock Park in a silver on blue Alfa GTV6. I was introduced to the sights and sounds of auto racing with my first race being the 1987 IMSA Camel GT race. The sound and smell never gets old. Possibly it was going to the local ¼ circle track every summer Saturday night of my pre-driver's license youth to watch my uncle run an old Saab 900 in the 4 cylinder enduro or ministock classes terrorizing the VW and pinto powered Mustangs at Riverside Speedway (which is sadly gone now). It must have been that beat old go-kart chassis with a 5hp Brigs and Stratton on it that would continue to wind-out down an industrial park road my father would take me to after I ripped up his lawn with it enough times. It fit perfectly in the back of his Peugeot 505 diesel wagon with the back seats down! Most likely it was the bedtime stories. While other kids were hearing about velveteen rabbits, and saying goodnight to the moon, I was being told the tails of Fangio, Fitch, Moss, Ickx, Stewart, Bell, Petty, Baker, Clark, Newman and Foyt to name a few….. It is clearly no mystery of how I got to where I am today. If you have read this far it’s because you are either just as much a car guy, or you have also been bitten hard at some point in your life by the racing bug. If you are like me, much of what you do during the day-to-day is figuring out how you will get to the next race. The selling of parts you have stashed, possibly a car like this, working a job you’re not particularly fond of, ALL for those short moments of freedom behind the wheel of a race car. All it takes is time and money….. I am auctioning my 1959 Mercedes 190d not because I want to, but because I want to go racing again. I am liquidating cars and other possessions to raise the capital to build a 300hp Biodiesel powered 190sl to run La Carrera Panamericana and the Targa Newfoundland……. I digress. Now, About The Car! Own the first car to ever compete in an international road race using waste cooking oil (WCO) or Biodiesel!! This car is named Rudy, after Rudolf Diesel. The man created the diesel motor to run on peanut oil; the compression combustion engine! The Mercedes is a joy to drive, people always want to check it out and hear the story, and it never gets old watching there facial expressions when you explain that it runs on filtered waste vegetable oil. Driveline: The car is a 1.9 N/A Diesel 4spd on the column and shifts through all of the gears and into reverse with no problem. The motor was rebuilt by the previous owner along with injection pump. This is an early glow plug set up so it takes about 20 seconds to activate the glow plugs indicated by a light on the dash. Once lit the car fires right up. The second tank and cooling lines that run the waste vegetable oil have been routed tastefully, utilizing the duel factory heater box plumbing to route the cooling system water back to the second WCO tank’s heating coil and back up to the front. The rear swing axel was given heavy duty limiting straps and fluids changed. This car will come with an extra motor with injection pump and accessories, as well as a good block, head and crank. I also have a rebuilt 5 cylinder 123 chassis motor and a 1985 rear end out of a 123 Mercedes diesel that I intended to adapt for this car that go along with the sale if the seller desires. Here is a link to Greasecar, this is the WVO kit that is in the car a value of $1295.00 : http://greasecar.com/ If the seller does not want the kit in the car, I can remove it and return to stock. Electricals: The car has been fitted with an aftermarket bosh alternator with custom bracket to replace the older and heavier generator. This aids with the new electric fan added, as well as some Hella driving lights (which might need new stronger brackets). All of the brake and turn signal lights work as they should along with the headlights and dash lights. The instruments cluster works but the internal gasket between the glass and the instruments has fallen down about a ¼ inch and limits the (diesel) gas gauge from fully reading. There is a veggie oil gas gauge that works great. Suspension: I have fitted the front spindles and brake assemblies from a 1965 Mercedes 200 fin-tail (Heckflos) to aid in the stopping of this car. I have also rebuilt the rear brake cylinders as well as a new master. The car stops well, but if this car were to see racing again I would add an air pump run brake booster off a later Mercedes diesel. The car has brand new Bilstine shocks all the way around and is sitting on stiffer lowering springs. The wheels are steel wheels that are 14 inch, bigger than the stock 13’s. The steel wheels are from a 123 chassis car and currently have a set of Toyo Proxes’s mounted. I will also include a set of Mercedes Bunt pan wheels if the new owner so desires, as well as the original 13 inch wheels that came with the car. Interior: As you can see from the pictures and video, the original interior is not currently in the car. In its stead you will find two Sparco seats with 5/6 point harnesses, a few extra gauges (Temp, oil and volt meter) and a 6 point cage designed for a short person like myself (5’10’’). If you are taller than me and interested in the car, I can aid in the changes to the cage needed to accommodate a larger person but you will have an issue getting in and out of this car. The simple fix would be to remove the door bars and cross bar from the main hoop and replace the stock front seats. The original interior is included as seen in the pictures and can be re-installed in the car by the next owner. Body: The car really looks great. I was trying to go for that 50’s style Mercedes factory race car look. It has a great stance with the lowered suspension and later 14 inch 123 wheels. Please note that the paint is not great, but this is a race car and it’s not supposed to be perfect! All of the lettering and decals can come off the car except for the Spanish writing on the rear quarter panels which was hand painted on like the original Panamericana cars. There are a few dings and dents, so please look carefully at all of the pictures and video to get a true understanding of the car's patina. Any of the rust that was present was but out and repaired by welding in new metal. This is a solid car for someone to enjoy, or take to the next level and build a better race car. If you are looking to be the stand out at the next coffee and carbs for a fraction of the cost of a 356 outlaw, e-type, done up Healy, or anything modern, this is your car. I would say that if you are looking for speed, you might not fall in love with this car unless you like the fact that you are running on a waste product. This is by no means a show car nor am I claiming it to be. With both this car and my next 190sl project, there have been and will be Mercedes purists that I have, or might offend. This was and is not my intention however; I look at these projects as saving cars that would never be concourse cars. The car is ready for the next owner to take it to the next step, maybe slap a turbo on it re-do the cage over and head down to Mexico next fall, or just put the interior back in it and a muffler (did I mention it is loud?) and enjoy the quirkiness! Please take the time to read over the description, look at the pictures and movies, and ask me any questions you would like. I would encourage any prospective bidder to come look at the car in person and drive it. The car is located in Suffield, CT 06078. Here are some video clips of the car’s current state. Please be advised that I was slightly over served the night previous to the iphone filming and my narrative is a little shaky. The Car http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsaRfR7_jbM (introduction to car and cold start) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R63fWtUhX4 (Grease car explanation) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qgmkM2bEtc (Walk around) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2-HIwiPYfc (CBS News piece) The car on track/racing in Mexico http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNFG6ejc4tc (look for us around minuet (1:29) Other links http://www.solshinealternatives.org/ (This website shows the car and our other project an alternative energy education site) http://www.solshinealternatives.blogspot.com/ (We tried to keep a blog going through out ups and downs) Terms and Conditions: There is no warranty on this car. This car will come with a CT bill of sale and current registration. Connecticut does not issue titles for cars twenty years or older. Please make sure you can register this car in your state. Please don’t bid on this car, win the auction and then ask for more pictures. I will aid in the loading of this car on any transport that comes to my house and picks it up, but I will not be driving it to the port, of sending you more info after the auction has ended. Be responsible with your bids. I will require a $500 deposit within 24 hours that can be sent via PayPal or electronic wire. You must have funds in your PayPal account, have the account linked to your bank, or your credit card. Shipping address must be PayPal confirmed. I accept cashiers’ checks and money orders via regular mail. However, I will not ship or let the car go until I receive payment. I will accept personal checks from domestic bidders with 10+ positive feedbacks and ZERO negative feedbacks ONLY. There is a mandatory seven (7) business day waiting period for personal checks to clear. Payment is expected within 5 days of auction close, unless prior arrangements have been made. If payment is not received within 7 days a Non-PayingBidder (NPB) warning will be filed with eBay. A negative feed back will be left if the buyer does not answer the NPB warning within 10days. I am a reasonable person and as long as the communication channels are open and clear, I have no problems accommodating special circumstances. By entering a bid, you are entering into a legal binding contract to purchasing the item described above. Please do not bid if you are unable to comply with the terms of the sale and eBay policies, or are unsure/unable to pay, or have no intention to purchase the item. Happy Bidding!