The Old Black Mercedes Benz W123

By sheer luck, i happened to become the unique owner of a 1977 Mercedes Benz 200 on W123 chassis in extremely pristine condition. It all happened one normal day whilst surfing the wide Lagos web.

The Mercedes is a W123 with 1977 being its model year. It's a base 200 model but with enough aura to make you fall in love with it.

The Specs:

• Built in 1977


• 94 HP


• 4 Cylinder M115 Straight Engine


• 4 disc brakes (Yes. 4 Disc Brakes on such an old car...hello Toyota)

Vehicle has been with me for almost a year and i have been extremely impressed with the quality of German engineering which existed in the seventies.

The car handles well in corners and stops with prescision. The take-off speed is a bit slow when compared with today's standards but it racks up speed with time and cruises at 140km/h if encouraged.

The 4 speed manual transmission seems not enough as the car sings aloud at high speed as if wishing for a cup of relief served in fifth gear.

The independent suspension wafts you over road irregularities and treats you like royal. The seats are spring-loaded and actually cushions your torsos. Seats have gone stiffer in newer cars; as if in a competition to become wooden benches.

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Vehicle is also air-conditioned; not so from factory, but via the ingenuity of our local fabricators. A Peugeot Compressor and some other tid-bits ensure you don't cook under the heat of the African Sun. (is there a different sun in Europe?)



Above all, vehicle has been kept in good condition and maintained. All the bells and whistles work.

This vehicle featured in the premier edition of Cars and Stars  TV show and was one of the vehicles driven by the host, Taiwo Onalaja.