Welcome and that looks like a fun project car. Yes, that is the manual climate control which is a great system in my opinion. The single-stage paint is more or less like leather in that it dries out over the years, requiring some nurturing for it to come back.

Here is a good write-up on this paint:

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-to-articles-by-mike-phillips/25304-secret-removing-oxidation-restoring-show-car-finish-antique-single-stage-paints.html

I have had great results with this process:



Similar paint to yours, give it some love and it will really shine.

I'm pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering so we have a couple of things in common! What field of engineering are you in? And welcome!

__________________

Wow thanks for the advice on the paint, I think it has seen it's share of being parked outside so I'm sure even a little work will go a long way. Thanks for the link, that is a lot of helpful information. Hopefully I can get my paint job looking as good as yours at some point.


I'm an electrical engineer, so different field but we still are both engineers and have that in common.

__________________
1983 240D Manual Transmission
123.123 - 616.912