1975 Mercedes 280 Endurance Rally Car

The Mercedes W114 and W115 models were heralded by the German marque as being a ‘new generation’ when they were introduced in 1968. Beneath the Paul Bracq-designed bodywork, there were numerous improvements over the previous W110, including the adoption of semi-trailing arms for the rear suspension in place of the previous swing axles.

 

There was a long list of engines on offer, in both petrol and diesel form, and with four, five or six cylinders. The biggest of the petrol engines was the 2.8-litre, six-cylinder 280 – which featured Bosch fuel injection on the range-topping, 126mph 280E.

 

Produced in an era when Mercedes-Benz set the standard in terms of build quality, the W114/W115 range was a success all over the world during its 1968-1976 lifespan. Almost two million of them were built at factories in Germany, South Africa, Portugal and South America, in saloon, coupé and even limousine form. Their robust nature is legendary – in 2004, a Greek taxi driver donated his 240D to the Mercedes-Benz Museum with almost three million kilometres on the clock…

 

The 1975 W114 280 being offered for sale is a late-production model that benefits from the facelift that was applied to the range in 1973. The car was previously owned by Sir John Aird, who – along with his wife, Lady Fen – was an experienced competitor on endurance rallies. In 2022, they tackled the Imperial Rally in their Suffolk SS100, travelling from Oslo to the northern tip of Norway, then down through Finland, the Baltic states and eastern Europe before ending up in Portofino in Italy.

 

In 2019, Sir John and Lady Fen had taken their trusted Mercedes on the 23-day, 5229km Mekong Rally, which started in Denang in Vietnam and travelled north through Laos and into China to Shangri-La, before turning south again and finishing at Halong Bay.

 

Following that adventure, in April 2020 the car was given a comprehensive service by A/C Engineering in Surrey, with extra work including new subframe bushes, new upper wishbone bushes, and a new timing chain and tensioner.

 

In 2022, the Mercedes was once again shipped out to Asia for the East Himalayan Rally, which ran from Kolkata in India up to Pelling and then east into Bhutan. From there, competitors went down into India again, through Bangladesh and finally back to the finish in Kolkata.

 

On one of his insurance forms, Sir John noted that, over the course of the previous 12 months, ‘3500 of the 5247 miles recorded as driven were in south-east Asia’.

 

This well-prepared car has proved itself on numerous endurance events and is fitted with modern sports seats and a Brantz Tripmeter. With its matt black bonnet and spotlights, it looks the part and would be a rugged, comfortable companion for the sort of long-distance events on which it has excelled in the past few years.

 

The car is currently with RPS’ sister company, the SASCo storage facility and available for inspection.

 

All viewings and test drives welcomed by appointment at Rally Preparation Services.

 

All enquiries please contact us on mail@rpsrally.com or telephone +44(0)1993 358009

 

Specifications

• Date of original registration 01/01/1975

• Automatic gearbox

• GPS Brantz

• Auxiliary Power Sockets

• Sports seats

• Fire Extinguisher

• Battery Isolator

• Co-Driver Storage

• Jerry can storage in boot area

• Camera operated rear view mirror

• Carpeted storage compartment

• Comprehensive spares kit

• Air conditioning

• Nudge Bar

• Driving lights

• Fog Lights

• Commercial tyres

• Remote Fuel Filter

• 2x Spare wheels

• Underbody protection