1981 Mercedes-Benz 300SD Acceleration, Cold Start, Walkaround, and POV Driving w/ Impressions

For the longest time, the OM617A powered W126 S-Class was regarded as a smoky, stinky slab of metal that was birthed in response to the fuel crisis of the ‘70s for the North American market. They were marked as largely worthless – cars that people used as shoe-string commuter vehicles in the mid 2000s during the rising prices of gasoline during the Global War on Terror.

Only recently have these come into vogue with the rise of Saccoism and as retaliation to the proliferation of technological complication in new cars as OEs embed planned obsolescence into every facet of the modern automobiles. Gearheads are now seeing how precious these cars are as everything can be serviced, rebuilt, and kept on the road for not a lot of money.

The cat is finally getting out of the bag on the W126 as good engineering becomes timeless. Timeless items become collectable. Collectable items become valuable. The only device tougher and more reliable than a 300SD is a blacksmith's anvil.

This particular W126 is a unique example in many cases including 41 years of ownership with the torch being passed on to a new steward who was determined to keep the originality of the car but also make this turbodiesel run and operate as it did when new. With records dating back to day one chased with a labor intensive, two year mechanical restoration, this W126 will give the future owners another four decades of service with ease. There’s not a lot of Mercedes-Benzs that are almost 50 years old that can reliably be used as a daily driver. This appears to be one of the few.