A fine black W124 Mercedes-Benz 200 seen on a car parts market here in Beijing. It was dusty and dirty but a nearby shop owner told me the old Merc still snored like it was born yesterday. The W124 ‘E-class’ was made from 1985 until 1996. It was never officially sold in China but many arrived via the gray circuit and some other shady deals.
Most E’s went directly to the government, state-owned companies and as airport-limo’s to expensive hotels. Many are still alive today although parts are harder and harder to find. At the same market I also saw a perfect W124 300E, more on that machine in a later post. This blacky was a very early 200, made from 1985 until 1992 and powered by a 109hp 2.0 four-cylinder.
NIIIIIICE!
Pre-Mopf – this is really an exclusive car these days! Small engine – also not often seen in China.
Did the shop owner say how much he asks for it?
I think I need to come to Beijing and do some shopping ….
We hd one in 2004 but didn’t last for more than two months. One can find a large number on the roads in Lebanon.
It must have been in a terrible condition already when you bought it then. Old Mercedes die slowly … very slowly. If you keep changing parts there like planes, they’ll run almost forever. I’ve always had at least one 124 in my family and wouldn’t dare to say a bad thing about them. My current one has at least 260k down the clock (who knows …) with 20 years of unprofessional chinese maintance and care … it has a few problems, but it won’t stop running …
Quite a few of these 124s were sold unofficially to North Korea from China a couple of years ago.
any chance to find a good 300 around.. for sale .. these are great cars.
Yeah, the Kim Family is crazy about Mercedes. They just recently put Kim Jong Ils old W140 S600 on display in his mausoleum. Also they once tried to copy the 124 (didn’t Tycho have an article about those?) but failed miserably.
@Steve: Finding a 300, even in acceptable condition, is actually not that hard, but finding one that either still has a registration or that you can register again is near impossible. I was very very lucky to find my 300 by accident on a second hand car market one day. It was still registered in Shanghai, so we couldn’t transfer the license but can renew it every year by telling them we need it for classical movie productions. Due to the 16 (or was it 18) year scrapping standard it can become quite a headache thought. Finding 126s or 140s is much easier and, if you’re lucky, it was imported in the late 90’s after running a couple of years on foreign roads, so you can keep it on the road for a couple of years bc for imports they start counting the years from the day it was first registered in China.
“a nearby shop owner told me the old Merc still snored like it was born yesterday”
just why do i doubt a china-serviced carburetor engine that probably has x-times the earth circumference on its clock equals this statement..?! especially since the m102 was known for its’ extra hardened camshafts 🙂
but, as mentioned, bonus points for pre-mopf!
riiiiiight …. i missed the missing “E” – it’s a carburetor!
Not sure if that makes it even more desirable or an absolute no-go?!
Inside 1980s, Mercedes-Benz constructed the actual the planet’s initial driverless autos when using the S-Class, alongside the crew regarding Teacher Ernst Dickmanns on Bundeswehr Universität München. The particular culmination of this energy was achieved throughout 1995, when Dickmanns’ re-engineered autonomous S-Class robotic done a trip by Munich, Bavaria for you to Copenhagen, Denmark and also rear. About the autobahn, the actual robotic S-Class achieved rates beyond 175 km/h. It encouraged and also carried out running over moves. The particular car’s capabilities left a large impression about numerous observers, and is also told possess seriously swayed robotic vehicle exploration and also finance choices globally.
An idea upcoming crossbreed, the actual F700 exploration vehicle, was likewise presented in the 2007 Frankfurt Generator Show. The particular F700 included three typical opening entrance doors and also a last doorway capable of 180-degree rotation. Also is included with bulletproof and also puncture-resistant tyres.