1983 MERCEDES 280 TE

This car does not have air conditioning

• A very rare and special UK-supplied 280 TE offered by rock legend Jay Kay
• Only 30,000 miles from new backed up by prior MOTs and service records
• Finished in Thistle Green with Olive Green cloth. Electric sunroof
• Maintained regularly by Jay including recently fitting four new dampers
• Factory options include cruise control, alloy wheels, headlamp wash wipe and the important rear-facing seats with seatbelts

Between 1975 and 1986 Mercedes-Benz mainstream range of motor cars were known as the W123 series. They are now regarded as having been the best-built cars of the modern era of Mercedes-Benz and were all heavily over-engineered with outstanding build quality and excellent and exceptional longevity.

The range consisted of two diesel and three petrol engines powering either a four-door saloon, two-door Coupe or a five-door estate, all gaining in specification as the engine size increased. At the top of the range was the 280E saloon, 280CE Coupe and 280TE estate version all featuring the double overhead camshaft, 182 bhp super smooth 6-cylinder engine which was so versatile it was the only engine to feature in the entire range of Mercedes-Benz at the time, including the SL sports car, 4 wheel drive G-Wagen and the sumptuous S-Class limousine.

So this 280TE supplied new by Mitchell Costs Motor Vehicles of Birmingham in August 1983 is a rare and special car. Finished in Thistle Green with Olive Green cloth, it also has several factory-fitted options including an electric sunroof, cruise control, alloy wheels, headlamp wash wipe and the all-important rear-facing seats complete with seatbelts.

It was supplied new to a Mr Showell from Sutton Coldfield and the service book confirms diligent main dealer servicing right up until 2007, although the annual mileage remained very low throughout this period.

Acquired by our vendor, rock legend and Jamiroquai frontman, Jay Kay in 2009, it has been used sparingly by him but maintained well throughout including the fitting of four new dampers as well as regular servicing and MOTs. The very low mileage (for a strong workhorse like this) today of 30,000 is confirmed by prior MOTs and service records and is therefore warranted, although one glance inside the car will also confirm the originality and exceptional condition of this truly lovely Mercedes. There is a strong following for cars of this ilk and from this era and we believe you would be very hard pushed to find a better example today. It's a classic but with all the modern conveniences of ABS, central locking and tinted glass with a timeless and stylish design that has aged very well and still cuts a dash in the car park today.