1979 Mercedes-Benz 300-Series

W123 Sedan

5 - Cyl.

Manual

12312310102366

Diesel

Mercedes W123 Dream Car, Showroom Condition, 3.0 Litre Turbo Diesel Engine, Five Speed Transmission This is a beautiful example of a 1979 W123 Mercedes, which has a 3.0 litre turbo diesel engine, 5 speed transmission, and 23,821 original miles. Note, before you read this: I have had people ask me if this car is as straight as described, for fear that if they do come to see or buy it, it doesn't meet the expectation as presented, or that there is something misleading. I can assure you, that this car is exactly as described in terms of overall beauty, quality, and mechanical correctness as a used vehicle. You will be hard pressed to find another one like this any where in the world except for maybe, another person who had preserved their car from new, or someone like myself who happened to have found a real gem like I did, or a W123 that the Mercedes Corporation decided to keep for it's own collection purposes. I bought this car in 2004, from a man who inherited a large sum of money, and who had also received a rare collection of 25 cars. Previous to this, he had already owned this beautiful well preserved Mercedes, which later became part of his grand collection. As the owner got older, he decided to start disposing of his collection as he could no longer take care of them the way in which he once did. As a result, he started to sell his cars off one by one which is how I found out about this particular Mercedes. The car was in absolutely the most perfect and beautiful condition, as if it had just been newly purchased from the dealer, it had 16,000 miles on it at the time. It was a very basic model, which included a 2.4 litre diesel engine, a four speed manual transmission, driver’s side mirror, manual windows and antenna, air conditioning, power steering and brakes and automatic door locks. The interior did not include any wood trim in the center consul. I immediately bought the car sight un-seen, with the idea of creating an ultimate Mercedes W123 which had always been a desire of mine. As with many other W123 fans, my main desire was to own one in very new condition, and to equip the vehicle with a 3.0 litre diesel engine along with a five speed transmission. After receiving the car, I contacted Motorwerks in Commerce Township, Michigan, a Mercedes specialist, who modifies and restores vehicles. We discussed what we wanted the car to look like in the end, and began the project which took about six months which resulted in a magnificent automobile. The project started when the car had only 18,000 miles on it. The out-come was very successful, resulting in a car that I spared no expense on. In total, there was about $45,000 - $50,000 spent on the car, including the original purchase price. I bought the OM617 long block engine with fuel injection pump, belt drive accessories, and turbo from Metric Motors in California, who are renowned for their superior engine work, you often see them advertised in the Mercedes Star Magazine. After delivery of the engine, we then mounted it to a brand new and rare Getrag five speed transmission purchased directly from Mercedes. This transmission was originally produced for the OM617 diesel engine but unfortunately never imported into the North American market. It was not only used for the W123 chassis, but also used with certain utility vehicles as well. As far as the compatibility of the engine, transmission, and drive train were concerned, everything went together the way that Mercedes intended it to be. All components fit together very naturally, and were number verified including clutch assembly, bell housing, shifter rods etc. The rear axle ratio was also changed from the original 3.69:1 to 3.07:1, as this was the correct match for the new engine and transmission set up. In addition, all of the primary parts and components necessary for the completion of the long block engine including, the radiator, hoses, etc, were also according to specification. Every part was original and acquired either from Mercedes, or from the previous engine. There were no after market, hand made, or makeshift parts used except for a small custom made steel tube, necessary for the air conditioner as this was unavailable otherwise. There were very few modifications that took place of which were minor, and that was changing a bracket on the fire wall going from a four cylinder throttle linkage to a five cylinder linkage, the bracket was taken from a donor 300D. The other was the drive shaft which I decided to shorten using the original one due to the new longer engine and transmission. I could have bought one from Mercedes but that would have taken time and unnecessary expense. We also ordered a different support bracket from Mercedes necessary for the transmission, including a different speedometer cable. The outcome of the project is that the car functions as a factory design, and it has more power then a standard 300D with turbo and automatic transmission, and it’s faster and very responsive. It feels very natural and great to drive, which makes you wonder why Mercedes never created this version for North America. This is truly a great car and is in impeccable shape, the result of extreme care, fanatically maintaining it, and always keeping it garaged and covered. It has never been any kind of a daily driver, or driven in snow, and has only been driven in the summer during nice weather for pleasure purposes. The car has never been in any form of an accident, and I have all records and receipts for anything that has ever been done to it or purchased otherwise. About one and a half years ago at a Mercedes club event at Motorwerks, I met Jim Luikens the editor of “The Star Magazine”, he saw the car and was so impressed that he invited me to write a story about it as he was interested in a center fold in one of his up coming publications. I haven’t been able to take on the task due to a great number of personal situations preventing me from finding the time to do so. The following is the work that was done: · Added OM617, 3.0 liter Turbo Diesel long block engine (currently has approx. 5,000 miles on it), fuel injection pump and belt drive accessories. · Added new and rare five speed Getrag manual transmission plus linkages, brackets and clutch assembly. · Lowered the front end by removing one rubber spacer to give the car a natural rake. · Added new 17” AMG wheels to give a more modern look including, new Bridgestone Potenza RE 760 tires, size 225/45 – 17 (speedometer correct). · Added a new spare tire. · Added new Euro bumpers with head lamp washers. · Added new grill painted black. · Added new Euro headlights and modified them to accept HID Zenon bulbs. · The original paint was in very new condition however, I had the car painted the original base paint color and added clear coat to give it a modern look. The paint job is beautiful, also if you look at the photos, the seams that you normally see in the sheet metal under the front headlights and rear tail lights, they were intentionally welded to give a cleaner look, the same was done for the cowl under the front bumper. · Added new outside mirror passenger side. · Added a new tachometer for the OM617 engine. · Added a smaller diameter and matching wood steering wheel from a later version Mercedes. · Added new wood trim on the consol. · Added a new shifter knob to match all wood which has a shorter stroke. · Added a new CD player with four speakers. · Added new floor mats front and rear. · Windows were tinted by the original owner. · Car was treated with ZBAR (rust prevention coating) by the original owner. Note: The original white wheel covers and rims are available if you would like to have the classic stock Mercedes look.