Another addition to the collection - W201 2.3-16

[nosmonkey]

By collection just to be aware I do mean 70s-90s german cars in a wide variety of disrepair. Never been a huge merc fan, some models obviously being the exception. Picked this up from Birmingham, (The midlands, not Alabama...) and it seems to have had a few owners who aren't really clued up on these cars. It needs work, most critically under the front screen it needs some welding as well as the front inner wings and one of the jacking points and a few mechanical issues.

Disconnected the old full closure alarm system which was stopping the windows from working, PO attempted to remedy by splicing/ twist taping universal harnesses in....it was a mess. The engine bay harness also had caught fire and melted at some point, half of it was still working albeit dangerously. PO had it welded but they neglected to move the wiring for an aftermarket amp behind it. They were live and permanently shorting, explaining the battery drain. Ripped out any aftermarket wiring and made the rest of it safe. Got the clocks and interior lighting all working as well as the windowsReplaced the timing chain as it's a known weak point, new oil pressure sender,

On the trailer home

Back home and cleaned up

Note the low suspension, hydraulic lines had corroded, replaced them and didn't realise that the height adjuster was also seized. The jack under the car was down, and the resulting "ride height alternation" was amusing to say the least although I did get worried that I had blown the shocks past their limit

Once the adjuster was unseized things were a bit more...normal.

I'll be adding bits and bobs to this thread, most work has been menial (read boring). Most likely once the E9 is done and i've got some garage space spare!

 

[teahead]

stick shift? Cool project.

I miss my '94 E320 coupe, but I was running out of room.

 

[nosmonkey]

stick shift? Cool project.

I miss my '94 E320 coupe, but I was running out of room.

Yup, 5 speed dogleg

 

[adawil2002]

So cool, that's Mercedes answer to the E28 M5.

 

[Strato102]

Great car! Love the headers on the RHD cars. I have a later 2.5 that I got out of South of France and I love it. These cars have so much history: The immensly popular DTM battles with the BMW M3, the single spec race of champions when Senna came on the scene and drove through all the greats, the Nardo records of over 150 MPH for over 30,000 miles. You are going to love it!

 

[Krzysztof]

Very nice find.

It is good the car targeted the right Owner in the end who will bring it to the old glory!

... what a pity car is damaged ... by having steering on the wrong side which is good in a bad as I'm not for it


Keeping for the project despite it is MB not E9 but still classic and valuable car no one is producing anywhere on Earth anymore

 

[dang]

So cool. I love the RHD. This is one is those cars that you take to Cars and Coffee and everybody just walks by, except for that one guy who stops and you talk with him for an hour about it.

 

[Krzysztof]

So cool. I love the RHD. This is one is those cars that you take to Cars and Coffee and everybody just walks by, except for that one guy who stops and you talk with him for an hour about it.

Agree from this perspective but to be able to make some speeding on serpentine, 1-lane road in LHD country I would stick to LHD option.

These cars have been made for speeding and cornering ... but sometimes for showing as well.

Ratio driving/showing is user-dependent.

 

[Keshav]

Engine was developed by Cosworth motor sports (UK) as I recall.......

 

[vince]

Very cool car!!

 

[nosmonkey]

So cool, that's Mercedes answer to the E28 M5.

Closest rival to it was the E30 M3 which BMW brought out after the 2.3

Engine was developed by Cosworth motor sports (UK) as I recall.......

Cylinder head by cosworth, on the 2.3 you can see the coscast markings on the head. Later 2.5s were cast by MB

 

[dang]

Agree from this perspective but to be able to make some speeding on serpentine, 1-lane road in LHD country I would stick to LHD option.

I never considered this before. Maybe because I've never driven a RHD car. I can imagine how different it would be going around sharp corners in the mountains with rock walls to the right and your point of view on the inside, maybe you should take a passenger as a spotter.

 

[nosmonkey]

I never considered this before. Maybe because I've never driven a RHD car. I can imagine how different it would be going around sharp corners in the mountains with rock walls to the right and your point of view on the inside, maybe you should take a passenger as a spotter.

And upset the delicate power to weight ratio?!

They can get their own car!

 

[E9Wayne]

Wow, another 16V in our community. I took the same route last Spring, just before Covid hit, after six months of shopping for one. I wanted a unique, sporty daily driver for my post corporate, no-company-car days ahead and the E9 would not be the right car for me (too much anxiety as a daily driver, poor to no AC pending, best for car events and shows...) In 1996 I bought an E30 M3, this car's nemesis, after a lot of research on both cars, especially the road test comparisons in the buff magazines. The M3 appealed more to me at the time with its more outrageous spoiler and blistered fenders - and there were more of them to choose from. The car I bought for $16K at that time is probably worth north of $60K today. But I was really drawn to the 16V given the Cosworth engine pedigree and more innovative tech in MB's factory hot rod - self leveling and 5 link rear suspension, single wiper, and so on. The car started a whole new category and inspired DTM racing too, plus a new sustained high speed record at Nardo.

I sold the E30 M3 in 2001 when I bought a Subaru WRX which was much more practical for the daily traffic commute I had in the Bay Area and the mechanical upkeep I recall was super expensive at the time...but still, I should not have sold that car!

Here's a shot of my 16V as delivered and post first car wash in March of last year. I remember having lunch with Chris Ohmes and Doug Dolan in late 2019 and telling them about the search and why I wanted that car - especially in Smoke Silver, one of Benz's prettiest and most popular colors in the day.

So now the car is at the equivalent of Don Lawrence in Florida getting a thorough mechanical inspection, repair and upgrade to make her roadworthy for daily driving and at the top of her game for performance and tune. Down the road, I plan to paint some panels and upgrade the performance according to the resto mod route I took with the E9 -- starting with high compression pistons (Euro spec), more aggressive cam and full exhaust, etc. after talking with more folks in the 16V community. Many have gone the EFI and individual throttle body route too but that's a lot of additional expense and you loose the factory look.

This car is really fun to drive, nimble and the dogleg 5 speed shifts really well.

Plus they made less than 2000 of these over the two years they were imported in the U.S.

The E9 will always be my top collectible car, but this neat 16V will be my daily driver and it stands tall as one of the best designed and proportioned sports sedans of all time in my view...

 

[Gazz]

Very underrated because it's over shadowed by the E30 M3. Their day will come.
Non computerised cars will continue to grow in value because those with a few skills, like Nosmonkey, can actually fix stuff. I put most of my E9 together and I'm a numbskulI.
I was torn between an R129 SL and a W124 E320 coupe but went with the W124 for that very reason, ( with the exception of the skills part ). '94 is just about the end of the line for the simple stuff.

 

[jpg10]

You will enjoy that - I had a 2.5-16 that I used as a daily driver around the M60/M62 motorways around Manchester. Loved the fact that it was a Q car that no one looked at, but you could put your foot down and disappear off if required. Had to get rid of it when I changed jobs and had a different commute so after a lot bit of nagging by the Mrs I got a "sensible" Subaru Outback 3.6R to replace it.

From memory the SLS rear shocks were a pain to get right of and costly to sort, but worth it other than that as a 190 it was fairly easy to maintain. It is on the list of a few cars I'd happily own again....

 

[Ohmess]

I don't know much about these cars, but I'm hoping to see Wayne's car this summer. I like the MBs from that era.