Lot 212 - 1972 12987 250CE

The W114 coupé hailed a completely new range of cars for Mercedes-Benz. Unlike everything else on offer, this did not take any previous elements from the standard 180 from the 1950's. A new designer was also bought in, Paul Bracq, who penned a pure and uncluttered motorcar. The roofline came down and the seats lowered to maintain headroom. The pillars were removed and all four windows wound down completely out of sight. The engine was a 2.5 litre, fuel injected unit with Bosch Jetronic injection delivering 148bhp and propelling this model up to a perfectly respectable 115mph, especially in those days.
 
The first owner, it transpired, was Baron King of Bridgewater, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at the time. He specified an automatic gearbox and alloy wheels from the limited options list at the time and it was that same owner, some twenty years later, who sold the car, through an intermediary, to the vendor, just the second owner from new. It had a damaged front wing by this time and the new owner restored the car to the fine order you see it in today. The number plate it carried and first owner in Ireland was expunged from DVLA records for secrecy at the time, although a new age-related plate has since been attributed to it. Officially, this makes it a one owner car with a known but mysterious past.  The originality, low mileage and model rarity made this not only too good to miss for Mercedes Enthusiast magazine who dedicated an entire feature to this car, but also the museum curators at Mercedes-Benz World where it has been on show since June last year. Supplied with a fresh MoT test certificate and history file, this desirable and fascinating example not only looks good but has been used little, looked after comprehensively and is reported to drive very well indeed.