[Chadahar]

Last week I got an email from Bondavi, asking if I were up to helping rescue a 500SEC. I jumped at the chance to have another SEC. This car was on Ebay at an auction house in Orange CA. for a charity. When I looked at the add I was dumbstruck. I wanted to bid against Bondavi for this car, but abstained to help secure it.

Gen II 500SEC in Pagittrot(SIC) (Pagett Red) Mettalic with Amaretta Med. Red Interior. Straight car, needing TLC, but the hook was it is a Euro Gen II 500 ECE SEC!

I have named her The Rose, after Bette Midler's song of the same name.

Today I went and retrieved the Rose, not without some diffiulty. but "the Rose" is safe in my driveway as I type this.
We think there is lifetime SO Cal. History, due to importer name and location the car has been in all her life.

She is far from a Cream puff, but she has a lot of potential.

Lot guy helped me and my friend Ray, load her. He told me she would start with Starting fluid, but not keep running leading him to believe it is the fuel pump. Bondavi and I think maybe FPR or EZL, but the EZL looks new, or at least newer. FPR is a 6000 rpm MB part number. I have a great used fuel pump and filter(almost new) and these will go on ASAP.

Pictures you say, I gots your pictures.
You have seen one in The 560 SEl AMG post of Cascades adventure and Bondavi's and my teaser posts.
More to come shortly.

 

[bondavi]

Congrats Charlie for getting the car back home safely!

The car is a 1986 500SEC with the 117.965 10:1 265hp motor and tri-Y's, which was Mercedes' response to the 276hp AMG solid-lifter cars of the grey market era.

gen2 Euro bumpers still intact, headlights/taillights US spec, which is no biggie.

Imported by J. Baldwin - not sure if it is the late Jason Baldwin of off-road racing fame who died in a Cessna crash in late 2005, who was also from Dana Point. The car had extensive history from the Dana Point/San Juan Capistrano/Mission Viejo area.

Charlie, I knew, as the "w126 horse whisperer" of the group, you'd make her shine once again! :thumbsup:

 

[Chadahar]

Pictures? You asked for pictures? i gots the pictures...so far anyway.

 

[Chadahar]

More.

Trunk was full of junk and the drivers side door card and arm rest.

I'll let Bondavi chime in.

 

[Chadahar]

I hope to have her running by Friday. I am busy tomorrow with that nice 450SL I'm getting back on the road for my friend. But....just as soon as I can get the time, I'll jump on it. There are some scratches on the driver's side that may only be in the clear coat, the back Glass needs to be replaced...KARMA! I have the rear glass that I was going to give to Bondavi and a new seal in storage!.
BTW NO rust under the back glass or up insde where water can and does collect with a bad seal. the rear glass , besides being spider cracked in two places, is also fogged on the right lower corner
Clear coat is gone from the top and top of hood and going in other places, but I think my detailer can really make her shine anyway for now. A trip to Mauricio's Body Shop for paint/clear coat touch up for sure in the future.
This IS the original Paint on the car.
Interior is passable in the front and all the interior parts are in the trunk. Back seat backs are toast on the tops,, but she is very clean inside, except that she has been sitting. No rodent infestation and I have found only one little tiny spot of rust, a bubble at the lower edge of the body at the bumper just under the left corner of the license plate. BTW the Plate frames are from Rubens Imports of....Dana Point, I will research this to find out if I can ascertain the Original owner and if it Baldwin SR, or Jr.
This car has few options and the build tag corresponds to the EPC list of options.

The "Horse Whisperer?" how about the "SEC Whisperer."
I never realized just how much I missed BB until today. This is gonna ROCK!

 

[bondavi]

I came across an eBay auction last Saturday for a 500SEC ending within 24 hours. Instantly recognized the Euro bumpers, and upon closer inspection, it was a Gen2 5.0 ECE model.

I was about to post on the board, but then it occurred to me that my 1984 500SEC has still not received its tri-Y's, due to the 3/4 set I have, and the difficulty of finding the remaining part.

Knowing that Charlie has sang and danced around Bluebird and the 5.0, even more so than the 5.6, and this being an rare later version Gen2 Euro in the hottest iteration, I knew the car would go to a good home.

I made arrangements with Charlie that he would take ownership of the car, and I would take a "few" parts, including the tri-Y's and Euro bumpers, and he could have the rest.

So I won the auction and bought the car. One person tried to snipe, but my bid held.

Four hundred sixty dollars.

 

[cascade]

Ahhh a rare bgeauty in my all time favorite color too.

I never even kjnew that an ECE 500 existed but this one is proof they did, and probably Mercedes benz built a handful of them to compete with that upstart little tuner called AMG.

Good caztch.

If anyone can build it to coax it through California smog and get her legal it is you.

the bluebird gavve you a doctorate in this kind of project. YAY!!!!

 

[Chadahar]

I met one of the other bidders at the auction house today. He was a bit bummed out, but he bought something else. In the lot 3 rows away was a 420 SEL in the exact same color! You don't see this color much at all and to have two cars in the same auction lot of the same color was mind blowing to me. It was a nice looking 420 SEL too.

looks like I'll be looking for a set of Tri-Y's or maybe a piece or two....depending on what Bondavi takes, and Gen II SEC bumpers, but I have an AMG skirted rear Gen I Euro bumper waiting on me at Kalifornia's place and might go with Gen I bumpers.

This might be the time to try and fit Mustang 5.0 headers. The tube placement is correct, but the flanges are 180 degrees off from MB flanges. Hmmmm!
Don't want to choke it off with Euro Logs, but that might be viable in the short term.

This car is way to straight and nice to part out and scrap what could not be sold, as was going to be the arrangement . But that idea quickly was replaced with Bondavi taking the parts he needs. I'll pull the parts.

 

[cascade]

add to sig: 1986 EEuro 500SEC ECE "The Rose" - get the recoprds!!!

The smog test history indicates that the car seems to have resided in the Dana Point/San Juan Capistrano area for most of its life. Even the auction house is not too far away from there.

A successful trip in person to the shops whose licensc plate frames adorn the car can probably yield a huge sheaf of useful history.

I would go there in person but if you cant make it, for sure write them a letter requesting zll the repair records.

In asking for all the records (and I am sure they weill remember the car), be SURE and ensure your success in obtaining them by either handing them to you in person be surte in your request in person or byletter to present a a nice fresh $20 bill for "Photocopying costs".

This has worked for me every single time

Good luck.

As you recall I took that bluebird for a spin near your house a week before you sod it, and it ran 125 mph along the I 14 with no problems.

This one will surely top that easily being a well tuned ECE after it gets a thorough massage with your magic hands!!

btw the 5.0 Mustang O 2 sensors are reputed to fit these, and they are a lkot cheaper than the Mercedes benz ones so you may wish to try that if you do the Mustang headers route.

Cant wait to hhear more!!,

 

[Teutone]

Nice score, congrats.

 

[420 SE]

looks nice!

Interesting you say that red was rare there, it was one of the more common 126 colours over here. Just goes to show - different markets...

 

[ianrandom]

Liking the colour. And matching interior, unusual.

 

[450sl_in_MN]

Charlie,
Congrats! Made my day to read this. Bondavi you are a gentleman and a scholar and no that is not an insult. Many great reads ahead I know and I always learn from them. Rose great name you certainly have a talent there as well.

 

[Chadahar]

The difficulty I spoke of happened just before Huntington on the 210. My friend Ray's truck had tranny troubles and had to be towed. His brother came to our rescue, but AAA would only take the truck. So I and The Rose on the trailer waited on the side of the 210. After about an hour, the Metro rescue tow truck came by and towed The Rose off the freeway. just so happens that where they drop cars on the street was on Monterrey, just around the corner from where Ray and his truck were dropped by AAA.

Ray's Brother Joe, showed up about 20 minutes after The Rose and I were dropped off. We hooked up The Rose and headed for Acton. After which Joe and Ray returned for Ray's truck. I have a few pictures of The Rose on the trailer beside the freeway and hooked up the the Metro Tow.

And a couple of the guys bringing The Rose up the hill to the shop. My 240D's in the pictures too.

 

[RJMBurgess]

Nice one Charlie! good on ya David too!

Glad this ended up at the right home. Looking for some updates as it progresses. :thumbsup:

 

[MB_Mike]

Congrats fellas! But I am so pissed I can't see the pics from work...I have to wait till I get home to check out this color combo

 

[Chadahar]

OK guys and gals. Bondavi told me to put a feeler out here and I figure this thread, as the feeler pertains to The Rose, is the first place to start.

Looking for Gen II SEC Euro Bumpers. I believe that the rears are the same as sedans like the Gen I's. Also looking for tri-y's and down pipes.

This feeler is to allow me to keep The Rose as intact and original as possible and allow Bondavi to still get the parts he wanted from The Rose.

Thanks for your support to get The Rose on the road.

 

[48hp]

What a wonderfully rare color combo. Congrats on the find!

Keep it together and collectively we will find the bits for bondavi.

Already see it, the OE steering wheel wrapped in color coded leather and rollin' on color coded AMG/OZ 3pcs. Done.

All the best on bringing it back!

 

[tusabes]

Already see it, the OE steering wheel wrapped in color coded leather and rollin' on color coded AMG/OZ 3pcs. !

+1, that's the perfect look for this car

 

[bondavi]

Having Chadahar be able to keep the Rose 100% intact and original has been my primary objective here, a realization made post-purchase. The car's just too unique to not keep 100% original. We'll see how things unfold as time goes... hopefully both my AMG and the Rose can go side by side together with tri-Y's!

+2 on color coded OZ 3pc's!