Expert Buyer

Mercedes-Benz W114 & W115

Unmistakably the work of design legend, Paul Bracq, – who also penned the W113 SL and W108 S-Class – the ‘stroke eights’ offer all the elegance, build quality and ride sophistication you’d expect from the forerunner of the modern E-Class. Mash the throttle of one of the larger-engined, six-pot ( W115) models and you’ll discover satisfying reserves of power, too. Despite swelling values in the last few years they remain far behind the prices being paid for ‘Pagoda’ and R107 SLs.

Buyers have several options – petrol and diesel, manual and auto. The fruitiest UK offering, the fuel-injected, twin-cam 280E (M110), is among the most desirable today. However, you’ll find more choice among the more common four-cylinder cars, while the most numerous of the six-pots was the smallest displacement, the 230 (M180). A few non-UK spec cars arrived as later imports, among them the characterful if slightly agricultural five-cylinder 300D (OM617) diesel.

Few other cars endure like a W114. Many were run into the ground as indestructible taxis in developing nations; insane mileages are well documented, so low-mileage cars are like gold dust. Rust is an eternal bugbear, so make determining the quality of any restorative work a priority. Plenty have missed out on crucial maintenance, too.

The best examples often appear at auction and on specialist forecourts, but can also be found in private ads.

Slightly painful fuel economy is the only reason they’re seldom used as daily drivers. But as a niche alternative to their more glamorous cousins, the impressively engineered stroke-eights are as sensible today as they’ve ever been.