5-speed 300e-Collectors Item?

[rstallings]

Hopefully, this is the right forum for this post. Apologies in advance if it is not.

I recently bought a 1986 300e with the 5-speed. It was, IMO, a reasonably priced car. Coming out of the desert SW, there is not a single speck of rust on the car, and it has never been crashed. Just the usual issues related to the sun.

It has 206,000 on the clock, and everything works. With the exception of the Antera rims and the radio, everything is unmolested and OEM. On a overal condition scale, I would rate it a 7 out of 10. As a former pro mechanic, I like cars that have not been given "The Treatment" by less than expert wrench operators and the shade tree set.

I have the money and time to restore the paint and interior to mint condition. If I put mechanical parts in it, I'm inclined to go the OEM mercedes route....if the car will eventually be a desireable unit.

I did a major tune up, CIS work, valve job, and wheel bearings/brakes to date. Amazing what a 18-year old car will still do if treated right. I like working on cars as a pastime, and this thing is as much fun to work on as it is to drive.

If this car is not really worth much (say, less than $4,000), I am interested in stuffing either a 500e or a 560 SEL engine in it. I think really fast and good handling cars that don't fit the camaro/musting/eclipse/etc. stereotype are pretty amusing. Another route might be a t3/t4 turbo on the six.

The major reason I would go this route is because I'm very partial to manual transmissions, and to my knowledge, there are no stick V-8's in sedan form in the last 15 years from M-B. Otherwise, I would just buy a 500e. (I might do that anyways)

It's not like the car is slow or anything like that. In fact, I find that pesky right foot of mine is already creating a cause for concern, even in New Mexico where traffic enforcement in the boonies is pretty lax. I'll bet this thing will do close to 150.

If this car has intrinsic collectors value, I will buy another one, (auto) to hotrod and animalize. I would then assign this one to low-duty use, and restore it.