Fast Vollausstattung

In the 1950s and 1960s, Mercedes always offered coupes and convertibles in the luxury class, unlike its main competitor at the time, the Opel Kapitän. There was probably little money to be made from the elaborate coupes and convertibles and their relatively low production numbers, but Mercedes recognized the appeal of these luxury cars across the entire portfolio, and many Mercedes sedan owners certainly raved about an elegant coupe or convertible. Opel was the market leader with the Kapitän, achieving a 56.5% market share in the German luxury class segment in 1956. Mercedes could only dream of that! However, Opel failed to offer coupes and convertibles. In the long run, Mercedes’ strategy was better, and its image overtook Opel. Opel then tried to keep up with the Diplomat Coupé from 1965 to 1967, of which only 347 were built, but the train had already left the station. Mercedes repeated the game in 1969 in the upper mid-size class, offering coupes based on the W114 (popularly known as the “Stroke-8” due to the sedan’s release year of 1968). The 250 C with a carburetor and the 250 CE with fuel injection. In 1972, the 250 CE was discontinued and replaced by the 280 C and 280 CE. For the 1976 model year, the highly successful sedans of the “Stroke-8” series were replaced by the W123 model. The coupes, however, remained in the lineup until 1977, and Mercedes had long since dethroned Opel. From 1969 to 1972, the 250 C was built for export with a 2.8-liter engine, delivering the same power as the 2.5-liter, but with significantly better pulling power. From 1972 until the end of production of the 250 C, this most robust gasoline engine of the “Stroke-8” became the standard engine for the 250 C in Germany as well. Today, cars with this engine are sought after by connoisseurs because they have a good torque curve and are easier to maintain than the fuel-injected engines of the 250 or 280 CE.

This coupe was delivered to Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, in the summer of 1971. The car comes with a thick file folder, from which it can be seen that the car was in the first owner until 2012 and was apparently not driven during the winter months. At 97,417 miles, the car was sold to Germany. The new owner in Germany had the car thoroughly inspected and repaired. The chassis was re-bushed, the brakes completely overhauled, the engine disassembled and rebuilt, the fuel tank sealed, and the exterior of the body repainted. The paint thickness is between 150 and 250 micrometers all around, which is very good for a repaint. After another eleven years, the car passed into its third owner in 2023, to a classic car collector in Freiburg. The paint is still in good condition, but has sustained some minor damage from stone chips over the course of the thirteen years since the paint job. A scratch on the rear left wheel arch was painted over, which is unfortunately visible. If you wish, we can remove the American side marker lights and then repaint both sides of the vehicle below the side trim strips. This will remove not only the marker lights, but also most of the minor paint damage. The car is almost fully equipped, with an automatic transmission, original air conditioning, power steering, four electric windows, central locking, cruise control, auxiliary headlights, metallic paint, leather seats, headrests, four retractable seat belts, and much more. The only things missing are alloy wheels, tinted glass, and a sunroof. The fact that there’s no sunroof is also an advantage, as these cars with sunroofs often have rusted-through sills through which the sunroof’s drainage water is channeled. The car, with a current mileage of 175,734 kilometers, is distinguished not only by its very good condition and equipment, but also by the fact that it features a robust 2.8-liter 130 hp engine and a completely intact blue dashboard. While the blue interior trim is in high demand, the blue dashboards in particular are prone to cracking. A superbly equipped Stroke 8 coupe in excellent condition with extensive documentation.

We subject each vehicle to a systematic inspection – from the body to the engine to the electrical system. Based on this, we prepare three offers. You decide which offer suits you best.

Economy – €28,500
Operating and roadworthy vehicle with a general inspection valid until June 2026 and a H-certificate.

Standard – €30,200
Including major service, oil change, and a new MOT.

Supreme – €36,600
Including the removal of the side marker lights and subsequent painting of both sides of the vehicle below the side moldings. Also included is a new cavity sealant and underbody wax treatment.

We’d be happy to send you the details of the three proposed offers. Or simply give us a call and we’ll explain everything to you personally.