Buried Treasure

Entombed in a garage in the aftermatch of an earthquake, this pristine 1979 280TE may be the ultimate barn find

Article Bill Morris

Images Sean Johnstun

Although the story of this Nickel-green 1979 280TE is hard to believe, it’s true. Mercedes Motoring’s JG Francis purchased this car in late 2018. When the car was buried in its garage following an earthquake in Avellino, Italy, it was just 5,847 kilometers from new. Now, after a beauty sleep lasting 38 years, Francis has brought this time-capsule W123 wagon back to life.

May 1979

Italian-born Lorenzo Nesta Dimarco placed an order for this first-series W123 station wagon on May 30, 1979, at the Zico Corporation Mercedes-Benz dealership in Caracas, Venezuela, where he lived and worked. Dimarco often traveled back and forth for business between Caracas and Avellino, east of Naples, near Caposele where he had been born. As far as we can tell, his plan was to garage the new W123 wagon in Avellino for his personal use when he was visiting Italy.

The 280TE that he ordered was powered by an inline six-cylinder M110 engine with Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical fuel injection. He specified a number of options on the W123, including extra-cost Nickel Green paint (code 870, $398 in 2020 dollars), Moss Green MB Tex (106) interior trim with Blue-green cloth inserts (006), Becker Mexico cassette radio (511, $2830) and automatic antenna (531, $576).  These exterior and interior colors were available only during the first series of W123s built from August 1976 to July 1979. Rounding out his order, Dimarco also ordered central locking (466, $594), automatic climate control with air conditioning (581, $6,069), anti-solar windows (275, $537), floor-shift 4-speed automatic transmission (420, $3,082) and a folding rear third seat (844, $1628).

The final price at the Mercedes-Benz factory delivery center in Sindelfingen, including the price of the wagon, international plates, insurance, taxes and transportation for Dimarco from Zurich to Sindelfingen, was nearly 41,000 Deutschmarks (almost $80,000 in 2020 dollars). This sum, interestingly, is almost exactly that of a well-optioned 2020 E450 wagon, which looks like a space shuttle in comparison.  Back in 1979, just as with today’s E450 wagon (excluding AMG versions), the 280TE stood at the pinnacle of its class both within the Mercedes-Benz lineup and against everything else.

The first in-house wagon

The W123T debuted in 1978 as Mercedes-Benz’s first factory-built station wagon (the W123 designation refers to the chassis series produced in sedan, wagon and coupe forms from 1976-1986). The T stood for “Touring und Transport,” not Turbo. Before the W123T, a customer who wanted a station wagon would order it from an aftermarket company such as Binz, LUEG or IMA, which would mate a custom rear body to a chassis manufactured by Mercedes-Benz.

The first 100 units of the W123 wagon were built at Sindelfingen to ensure that all assembly procedures were optimal. Thereafter, chassis made at Sindelfingen were shipped to the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen, where wagon bodies were added before the vehicles were returned to Sindelfingen for final assembly.

Station wagons were unique in having a hydraulic self-leveling rear suspension and a large tailgate that added structural stability. Dimensionally, W123 wagons were very close in size to their sedan counterparts. In fact, the length, width and wheelbase were the same, but wagons were 1.5 inches taller and 187 pounds heavier.  Even so, they weighed a relatively svelte 3,439 pounds, 1,000 pounds lighter than a comparable 2020 model.  Load capacity was 1,200 pounds, and a wagon could tow up to 3,000 pounds.  While W123 sedan production stopped in 1985, the wagon continued into 1986 until the next-generation W124Ts became available.

Initially wagons were available with five different engines: carbureted 4- and 6-cylinder and fuel-injected 6-cylinder gasoline units and normally aspirated 4- and 5-cylinder diesel engines. Later, a 5-cylinder Turbodiesel engine was added to the range in October of 1981. Almost all wagons were optioned with the 722.1 4-speed automatic. A 4-speed manual was offered in 1979, but the 5-speed manual wasn’t available until 1982.

The 280TE very quickly became popular. Almost 20,000 units were manufactured, although this was less than one percent of all W123s produced.

Enjoyed but briefly

From the paperwork that came with the vehicle, we know that Dimarco took possession of his wagon at the factory on June 8, 1979. Obviously anticipating he would be taking the car to Italy, he then got a customs stamp in Böblingen, Germany, just south of Sindelfingen.  The 887 prefix on his temporary customs plate confirms its issue from Stuttgart-West.  Avellino is only 1,300 kilometers from Sindelfingen as the crow flies, but Dimarco probably would have taken the more circuitous route through the Alps on his way home. Once in Avellino, local travel brought the odometer up to 5,847 km. Dimarco then parked the car in his garage, still unregistered and wearing temporary plates, and returned to Venezuela.

At 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 23, 1980, the Irpinia earthquake struck southern Italy. Registering a strong 6.9 on the Richter Scale and 10 (extreme) on the Mercalli Intensity scale, it was Italy’s worst earthquake in 70 years and was felt nearly everywhere in the country.  Ground zero was Conza, only 43 miles east of Avellino.  Damage spread over 10,000 square miles with 2,500–3,000 people killed and 250,000 left homeless. 

In the aftermath of the earthquake, a landslide engulfed the 280TE’s garage. The buried structure’s interior was left intact but inaccessible. Perhaps because of the damage to his property, Dimarco would never return to Italy. The house and the entombed car remained untouched.

A series of owners

Fourteen years later, on July 27, 1994, a bill of sale for the still-unregistered car indicated that Dimarco, still living in Caracas, sold the 280TE to Rosiana Idolo.  Idolo was presumably an acquaintance since the records indicate he was born in the same small town around the same year.  From Lorenzo’s view we have to remember that he hadn’t seen the car for 15 years, it hadn’t run in that time and he wasn’t coming back to Italy.

We have to presume that Idolo bought the property as well as the car, because when Idolo died in April 2018, his daughter took over ownership of the 280TE. Only then was the garage opened, and the car awakened from its 38-year hibernation and advertised for sale. Marcello Cipriani, a classic car dealer in Verona, bought the vehicle. Cipriani took a few pictures before removing the wagon from the garage; these show it in remarkably good condition, though of course buried in nearly four decades of dust. Cipriani cleaned the 280TE up, did some preliminary servicing to make sure the car could still run, and through the network of people who have an affection or affliction for older Mercedes-Benz wagons, sold it to JG Francis in the fall of 2018. So, in sum, this 1979 Nickel-green 280TE had four different owners without ever being registered or titled, and with fewer than 4,000 miles on the odometer.

Today

After its boat ride to America and arrival at Mercedes Motoring in Glendale, California, Francis christened his miracle station wagon “Verona.” The 280TE’s mechanical systems received sympathetic recommissioning, with function and safety guiding Francis’s work.  The wagon was reintroduced to the world at the 2019 Legends of the Autobahn, where it made a vivid impression.

The interior is amazingly perfect, with fabric colors still new-car vibrant.  The exterior paint needed only light polishing and waxing to remove minor scratches and scuffs earned during the wagon’s long slumber beneath dust and rubble.  

Verona hasn’t been driven much since becoming a U.S. citizen.  A car with such low mileage is like a chocolate teapot – once it’s used, it’s never the same. Some enthusiasts would argue that this W123 should simply be driven as if it was a new car; others would want it to remain an unmolested art object. Certainly, serious restorers will value this time-warp wagon as an indispensable historic reference.

The few times the 280TE has been driven demonstrate that the automatic transmission works well, but the most fun comes from depressing the accelerator quickly to get a kickdown shift into lower gear.  The engine’s power really comes on as the revs get into the 5,000 range.

Whatever Verona’s future holds, this pristine 1979 W123 280TE is certain to be cherished not only for its beauty, engineering and functionality, but also for its unique history.

Illustrations

The W123 “T-Model,” Mercedes-Benz’s first in-house station wagon, was revealed at the Frankfurt International Motor Show, September 1977. Production lasted more than eight years.

Largely similar to the W123 sedan with double-wishbone front suspension, the wagon was set apart by its hydropneumatic leveling system as well as distinctive rear end and lift gate.

Period piece: As fresh today as it was when it left the Sindelfingen plant 41 years ago, this 1979 280TE’s pristine interior is a rolling compendium of tasteful 1970s materials and finishes.

Above is the 280TE as found in Avellino, Italy. 

Owner JG Francis of Mercedes Motoring in Glendale, California added the rare factory luggage boxes as part of the 280TE’s refurbishment.

SPECIFICATIONS: 1979 Mercedes-Benz 280TE (W123)

TYPE: Five-door station wagon (European specification)

ENGINE: M110, 2,746cc, DOHC, Inline 6 • Bosch K-Jetronic CIS fuel injection

TRANSMISSION: 4-speed automatic (722.1)

HORSEPOWER: 182 at 5,800 rpm SAE net

TORQUE: 177 at 4,500 rpm SAE net

LENGTH: 186 inches • WIDTH: 70.3 inches • HEIGHT: 58 inches

CURB WEIGHT: 3,439 lbs

LOAD CAPACITY: 1,200 pounds •  TOWING CAPACITY:  3,000 pounds

FUEL EFFICIENCY: 18-20 mpg

PERFORMANCE: 0-62 mph in 11.2 secs (auto, factory spec)

MAXIMUM SPEED: 121 mph