Flickr Treat: MBeige's W123

I spend a lot of time on flickr looking at cars and car crashes. Most of the time it is a total waste, but every now and then I come across cars or crashes that just have to be shared. Case in point: This 1983 Mercedes is the cleanest most beautiful W123 I've ever seen.

Look up "MBeige" on flickr for more!

I wasn't always a fan of the W123. Back in the 80's when I was a kid in Sweden, most of these were usually high mileage taxis/ex-taxis, ie. 200 diesels. Slow, loud and smoky. I didn't care for them at all. My first positive experience with a W123 was during a ski trip for spring break in the mid-nineties when I was a junior in high school. Three buddies and I took my buddy's dad's 300TDT on the road trip, complete with a ski box, lamb skin seat covers, and studded winter tires. Since I was the only one with a driver's license at the time, I got to drive. Can you say SOLID?! Aside from a co-ed sauna at the ski resort, that car was the most memorable thing about the trip. It did 160 km/h according to the speedometer!

Fast forward to today. I love seeing these in any shape or condition. I feel compelled to whip out my iPhone and take a picture every time I see one. It's a rare sight to see one as nice as MBeige's. (The "Manila Beige" color of it is the same as the 300T driven by the butler in "Hart to Hart", another 80's gem.)