1966-1993 Classic Mercedes Cars Under ONE Roof – Garage Tour

Welcome to another episode of Wheels of Pakistan. Today, we will have a look at a collection of Pakistan’s rarest and well maintained Mercedes-Benz cars. We found these cars at Mr Isphanyar Bhandara’s garage in Rawalpindi. Bhandara is the CEO of Murree Beverages and a car enthusiast who loves to collect old Mercedes beauties. He owns a range of classic Mercedes from 1966 to 1993, and we are here to take the garage tour.

Why Old Mercedes?

You must be thinking, why only Mercedes and not a mix of old classic cars? Does the owner have a sweet spot for this German brand or what? Well, the thing is the owner loves all kinds of old and classic cars but owns only Mercedes gems because it’s easier to maintain many cars of one brand rather than many cars of different brands. 

Talking about his collection, the owner said, “These cars are not for racing or speeding; they are for cruising on the city roads and enjoying the feel of a classic ride. In short, they are class!” One look at his Mercedes stunners, and you’ll know what he means. 

Restoration & Maintenance 

The owner very honestly told PakWheels that not all the cars are in totally genuine condition. Since they are three to four decades old, he had to restore some parts such as the engine, paint, and a bit of interior work. However, all the parts used in the restoration process are a hundred percent original.

Just like any other classic car, the maintenance of these Mercedes is troublesome for the owner. Again, the cars are 30 to 40 years old, and their mechanics are either dead or 80+ years of age. Hence, the breed of such mechanics has gotten rare. The modern generation of mechanics is not an expert on these classic cars. If you hand such cars over to these young mechanics, most of them will play tricks (jugaad) to fix things up.

“For the maintenance of my classic cars, I don’t trust the mechanics in Rawalpindi or Islamabad. So, I usually call an expert mechanic from Lahore”, said the owner.

The Secret of Keeping These Old Cars Young and Beautiful

Every true car lover knows that German cars age with time, whereas Japanese cars age with the mileage. Do not preserve a classic car in a safe place and expect it to stay young because it’s quite the opposite. If you want to keep an old and classic German car like Mercedes-Benz, you should drive it as much as possible.

In the words of the owner — “The less you drive these cars, the more they rot. That’s why I try to switch between all my Mercedes classics and drive a different one each day for the sake of keeping them alive.”

Without further ado, let’s get on with the garage tour of the rare classic Mercedes cars owned by Mr Isphanyar Bhandara. 

1992-93 Mercedes R129 500SL

The first one of this collection is the 1992-93 model of the R129 SL Mercedes class. This is an iconic Mercedes-Benz roadster with a convertible soft top. This one is incompletely genuine condition, and the owner has had this beauty for the past four years. 

Mercedes W107 380SL

The next one is also an SL and belongs to the W107 class. The interesting thing about this Mercedes is that, back in the day, it was featured in the Morven Gold ad. It is also a convertible, plus everything in there is manual. However, this one is not entirely genuine. The owner has revived its beauty with a bit of paintwork, which is done so beautifully you cannot tell it’s repainted. 

Mercedes W107 350SLC

This is another model of the same W107 class as above, but it’s a coupe. There’s no such thing as a convertible. However, there’s a hard steel sunroof, which must be new for the youngsters who have only seen glass sunroofs in cars. The owner has had these two W107 Mercedes for 16 years. 

1984 Mercedes W126 500SEC

This is another coupe of our garage tour but of a different class, the W126. It’s a two-door car with a 5000cc engine. It used to be a people’s favourite and now a rare sight to be seen. The owner purchased this one from Islamabad almost six years ago.

1989 Mercedes W126 300SEL

This is a four-door long wheel cousin of the above W126 Mercedes. Its model year is 1989 with a 3000cc engine and a wired phone (Remember those?). The owner has this car in its original sea-green paint and original fabric seats. This, too, has spent almost six years in this garage.

1975 Mercedes W115 280C

This is, hands down, the rarest Mercedes car of this whole collection. A 1970s model of the W115 Mercedes class. This is a left-hand drive with a 2800cc 4-cylinder engine and automatic transmission. It has the most spacious trunk of all. You can pack all your stuff, fit it in the car, and travel across the country with your family.

1968 Mercedes W111 280S

This one is one of the oldest Mercedes of this whole collection, going back to 1968. It has the most beautiful light gold paint, which the owner got redone. The owner has redesigned most parts of this car with the maroon seats, the automatic gearbox, and the newer generation engine.

1993 Mercedes E coupe

This 1993 two-door model of the E coupe Mercedes-Benz is the same as one of the motorcars of General Musharraf. Again, a very rare and unique car in today’s time.

1966 Mercedes W101 280SEL

This last one of this garage tour is the 1966 model long wheel model of the W101 chassis. You must have seen it at one of PakWheels Auto Shows. It’s a left-hand drive with an automatic gearbox. The car is in its best condition with a clean exterior and sparkling chrome strips on the outside and inside.  

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