Though Bill Walsh has owned the car for over three years, he still can’t resist taking pictures of it.
Article & Photography Bill Walsh
A Car for All Seasons
This elegant and reliable 1972 280SE proves the perfect daily driver for both man and beast
As noted in a previous issue of The Star, I am a firm believer in the idea of sorting out an older Mercedes-Benz automobile rather than buying a new car. I saw this 1972 280SE 4.5 for sale in the November-December 2009 Star Trading Post and thought it could continue to be a real driver. When I contacted the seller, Bob Cottam, I learned that he was an active MBCA member, and had driven this particular car on the club’s 2006 Route 66 Chicago to Los Angeles trip in celebration of the MBCA’s 50th anniversary. That certainly indicated its reliability and lent credibility to the information he provided.
To Bill Walsh, the lines of the W108 chassis built from 1965 to 1972, highlighted here by the dormant orchard trees, are a great combination of timeless elegance and period appearance.
Most people think of a “driver” as a second-rate show car that is still in adequate condition to drive occasionally as a cool-looking classic car. That’s not my idea. Instead, I believe in buying a car in good condition that has been recently used, then refurbishing it to drive in every respect as it did when new – bumper to bumper, with everything in original Mercedes-spec operating condition.
The 280SEs were known to be very nice and powerful, smooth-driving cars, and with its history, I knew it would meet my standards of being ready for long-distance traveling as well as local use on a daily basis. I also liked the dual-headlight styling that was fashionable when the car was new. Agreeing on the telephone to buy the car, I purchased it from Cottam in March 2010 and without qualms drove it home to Vail, Colorado, from his home in St. George, Utah.
Bill Walsh thinks himself privileged to live in the mountains of Colorado, where the scenery is striking in both winter and summer. On this particular day, with no destination in mind, he just drove for the pleasure of enjoying the landscape, covering more than 450 miles by the time he returned home.
The car had been in California all of its life and had no rust anywhere. The paint – 726H Beige-grey, I’m told – is all-original. Inside, the durable chocolate-colored MB-Tex still looks new.
With assistance from Pierre Hedary, I brought the car back to its original mechanical condition, sorting out all the mechanical and operating functions, rebuilding the driveshaft and tuning the engine fuel system and ignition. We also replaced all front and rear suspension rubber components underneath and replaced the door-lock actuators, including the trunk and fuel filler door.
I had the dash and windshield-bow wood restored at Heritage Woodworks in North Carolina, refurbished the seats with new horsehair cushions, and replaced a bumper overrider with a clean, used part. The paint was simply buffed and polished. I think the colors give it an understated, elegant look.
Walsh says he gets equal pleasure when looking at the dashboard below the windshield, with its classic and timeless appearance.
The day after we completed the suspension work, we drove it from Edwards, Colorado, to StarTech 2011 in Milwaukee. It drives like a dream, so smooth and powerful. I can cruise at 90 mph if I don’t mind making friends more frequently with gasoline pumps along the way. If I keep the speed around 70 mph, I can get 16 miles per gallon. Now everything works as it should – no rattles, no almost-okay anything. Seasoned Mercedes mechanics tell me they haven’t driven one as good since back when those cars were new at the dealership.
In January, on one of those gorgeous sunny days that can dawn in the Colorado mountains after a fresh snowfall, my faithful dog Jack and I took the car out for a long day’s drive, covering 450 miles before I finally drove it into the garage at home. That’s what I believe these Mercedes cars are all about, and if they’re maintained and exercised often, the pleasure never gets old.
A Carhartt jacket on the passenger seat makes Walsh’s constant companion Jack, a hound-mix Walsh found at Animal Rescue in 2007, comfortable, and the smooth suspension allows the faithful friend to nap comfortably between stops.
Nothing brings a man more in touch with nature than watching a dog like Jack, a 25-pound hound mix with greyhound blood who runs like the wind, range across an open field.
The dam on the Colorado River provides a perspective to the classic grille and period fog lights.
On the secondary roads, the driver, the road, and the geography are intimately connected.
Specifications – 1972 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 4.5 (W108)
TYPE: Four-door, four-passenger sedan
ENGINE: Overhead cam 4,520cc V-8
TRANSMISSION: 3-speed automatic
HORSEPOWER: 230 at 5,000 rpm TORQUE: 278 lb-ft at 3,200 rpm
WHEELBASE: 108.3 in LENGTH: 184.3 in
CURB WEIGHT: 3,549 lb
ACCELERATION: 0-60 mph: 12 sec
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 16 mpg
