A very beautiful Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL in China, seen at a small car restoration shop north of Northern Section of the Fifth Ring Road in Beijing. The great Mercedes was in very good shape and fully original.
The W126 Mercedes-Benz S-Class was manufactured from 1979 until 1991, divided between the First Series (1979-1985) and the Second Series (1985-1991). The 300 SEL was a second-series model. Power came from a 3 liter inline 6 with 177 hp and 255 Nm.
The blue 京A license plate is very old and has likely been with the car from the beginning. The W126 Mercedes-Benz was officially exported to China but only in government-regulated batch-sales. In 1982 Mercedes opened its first service shop in China, in Beijing. More on this shop in a later story!
The plastic ‘Benz’ license plate frame is an after-market accessory, and it looks pretty old as well.
The wheels needed a wash but were otherwise in a fine shape.
I love beige car interiors and this one has a of it. The seats are worn and cracked but somehow that makes them even look more special in this car. The wood panel in the center tunnel is loose and, sadly, the radio-CD player is not original.
It was a cold winter’s day in Beijing and at the end of the afternoon you always get these typical sunbeams invading your photos. On the right side of the Benz an old Xiali, likely an ex-taxi. More on that car too in a later story.
A Benz badge of those days is always a work of art.
Another look at that old license plate. These early blue 京A’s are very rare today.
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