I'm sure he'll write a long blog post once he's back from Cuba, but Miguel (Delibes on the forum) is doing a panamerican expedition from Kansas to Argentina in a 1981 300TD that I found at auction for him for $1500.

I don't think anyone else can top his black Friday find. He flew to Cuba looking for a rumored 300SL Gullwing left behind and forgotten, and struck gold... well struck rust!

Amazing there are still finds like this out there.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

How in god's name did he find it. The way Cubans keep up old cars, you'd think Castro would be driving it.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

He knew the general area that it was rumored to be and was going to ask around. I really don't know the details. All he did with the limited internet access was announce he found it and that its not for sale.

I couldn't have left without at least knowing the crazy number on it, but the guy may be a hoarder.

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

I would think even in that condition if it has a motor and most of the mechanical pieces it would be worth maybe 200K.

There may be other issues with getting it out of cuba.

I read an article recently in Classic and sportscars about bringing some silver arrow Auto Union race cars out of the old soviet union back when it was still the USSR. The guy who was successful kept digging around and finally found it after maybe ten years of going over and poking around.

In the end they took a van with an old Peugot frame in it into russia with the proper papers, junked it there and brought back the silver arrow chassis in its place. Many bribes were paid all around.

Kudos to Miguel!

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I don't know how he found it - but I've known about his planned trip to Cuba for some time and he was going to check out the old American rides of the 1950s.... but thought it best not to say anything..

But this .... is like finding the "Ark of the Covenant", Cuban style..

It needs to be told in his own words, in the MBCA glossy magazine, or the "Mercedes Enthusiast"..

This is simply amazing.

As far as *I* am concerned he is now a legend in his own time.

Given his fluency in Spanish and English coupled with his respectful and engaging manner, I bet he could successfully broker a clean sale. Everything has its price.

Is there something he can do to copyright his story to protect himself and perhaps to create some revenue for himself to further fund his travels?


I'll bet that car has an amazing story to tell.

If the VIN# can be pulled off of the car, there is a good chance the Mercedes Benz historical archives in Stuttgart can retrieve the factory build sheet.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Well this will get alot of publicity for sure. If he could get a number out of the guy, even a crazy one, it would make a much more interesting story. Not for sale and rotting into the ground is just sad.

If it gets attention from the right people who knows.

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

see also:It could even have been left behind on december 31, 1958 when the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, and other rich Cubans ran away.

Fidel Castro and his army of revolutionaries marched victoriously into Havana the very next day - January 1, 1959.

It was speculated that perhaps Batista himself owned the car.

If so, even in this sorry shape it is probably worth a fortune.

Lost & Found: 300 SL Gullwing Barn Find In Cuba – Tom Sweetser’s Collector Car News & Perspective - ConcoursBlog


see also:
http://caristas.blogspot.com/2009/12/discovered-in-cuba-rare-mercedes-bird.html

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Cool!

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

That car is worth a million bucks restored, hopefully they can talk whoever has it into selling it.

You should email this to Jay Leno, this sounds like a job for Leno.

For $250k or so you could ship that car to Pur Sang and they will "restore" it, and you will have a million dollar car with a killer story behind it. More so if you get the vin and it was owned by someone of interest in Cuba. Mercedes probably has in their records who the original owner was.

I hope he is at lest able to write down the vin!

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

iirc the car was featured in Grassroots Motorsports magazine a few years back, pretty cool find nonetheless.

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'07 Yukon 2500
'13 Subaru Outback 3.6R
'13 Orbea Carpe 9-speed

Currently Benzless
Formerly: 300TD, S600, E55, 560SEL

---= The forest breathes, listen.
-Native American elder

How do you restore a car that rough. Build one up around the vin plate? Suprised to see as much rust on that island.

Doors, hood and trunk are aluminum. Maybe the rear suspension, running gear and the firewall could be used?

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

In the Bugatti world all you need is a vin plate...

You can make exact replica's from scratch for $250k-$700k of just about any car, so if you have a vin plate and some real sheet metal left you can "restore" a real one and have something worth millions depending on what your "restoring".

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

The classic center rebuilt one that had been in a fire. They have all of the mechanical drawings, it helps having the largest archive of parts and mechanical systems at their disposal.

This should be a good story.

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Jim