1964 W111 220 Coupe - 5.0L V8 (M117) UPGRADE - built by John Tsolakis - $135,000

For sale to a discerning collector: 1964 Mercedes-Benz W111 220 SE Coupe, factory body, M117 5.0L V8 upgrade by John Tsolakis Restorations (Bankstown), 2009-2011 build.

$135,000. Inspection by appointment.

This car was originally delivered new to the first owner in Stuttgart in October 1963, imported privately to Australia by the second owner (an architect, retired) in 1979 and converted to right-hand drive by Tsolakis Restorations at that time. The car remained with that owner until 2007, accumulating 178,000 km on the original 220 SE inline-six.

In 2009 the car was returned to Tsolakis Restorations for what was originally specified as a sympathetic mechanical refresh. During disassembly it was determined that the original M127 inline-six was at the end of its serviceable life and the decision was made, with the owner's full agreement, to perform a period-correct engine upgrade to the M117 5.0L V8 (sourced from a 1983 R107 500SL donor car, also held by Tsolakis Restorations).

The build took 18 months. The work was documented photographically through every stage and the photographs are included with the sale.

Specification (as built 2009-2011, Tsolakis Restorations):

• Engine: M117.963 5.0L V8 (1983 R107 500SL donor), rebuilt to factory spec, K-Jetronic, electronic ignition
• Transmission: 4-speed automatic (722.3, R107-spec)
• Differential: 3.27 final drive (correct for the M117 application)
• Brakes: 4-wheel disc, ventilated front, R107-derived booster (chassis-correct period upgrade)
• Suspension: refreshed factory specification, period-correct Bilstein gas, Mercedes-Benz original-equipment
• Wiring: complete loom replacement, factory-spec coil insulation, no aftermarket relays
• Cooling: enlarged radiator, twin thermo-fans (essential for Australian summer with the M117)
• Bodywork: original panels throughout, refinished in original DB706 Anthracite Grey
• Interior: original-spec MB-Tex (216, Beige), reupholstered to factory pattern, original carpets

Full Tsolakis Restorations invoice stack on file: total documented expenditure on build $187,400 (including donor car). Owner's personal records since 1979 also included. Heritage Vehicle Scheme (HVS) registration eligible.

Photo documentation (over 400 photographs covering the build) on a hard drive that comes with the car. The original 220 SE M127 engine is also included, palletised, available for transfer to the buyer or retained by Tsolakis Restorations as the buyer prefers.

More build photos by PM only. not putting the whole folder online. Privacy thing.

$135,000 firm. Inspection by appointment at Darlinghurst, with proof of funds. Serious enquiries only. PM me.

Hugo. This is the Tsolakis car. The Anthracite one. I saw it at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance preview at Bowral in 2012 with John himself standing next to it. He talked me thru the engine bay for 45 minutes. I have not stopped thinking about that car since.

For anyone reading this thread who doesn't know - John Tsolakis is THE classic Mercedes restorer in Australia. The shop has been in Bankstown since the late 70s. They built three of these W111 V8 conversions over the years. Two are in private collections in Melbourne (one is locked away and will never be sold), and this one. This is the third.

$135k for a Tsolakis W111 V8 is not expensive. The build value alone is $187k as Hugo has documented. You are buying $187k of labour and parts for $135k because Hugo is selling, not parting. To the right buyer this car is investment grade with documentation that would make any auction house comfortable.

I am not in the market at $135k. I wish I was. The right buyer for this car is in Toorak or Vaucluse and will pay every cent.

Real question - not a price challenge. Does the M117 fitment retain the original W111 firewall and bulkhead, or is there a Tsolakis modification to the firewall to clear the heads? I have heard both stories.

If the firewall is original-spec the car retains chassis-correct stamping at the VIN plate and the W111 unibody is structurally as Stuttgart left it. If the firewall has been cut, even tidily, the car becomes a restomod for any purist enquiry.

I ask only because the price difference between these two interpretations is, in my view, about $30,000.

Kosta_K.

The firewall is original. The bulkhead is original. The VIN plate is original and unmolested. The chassis-correct stamping is intact.

The Tsolakis modification to clear the M117 heads is to the engine mount towers, not the firewall. The towers were re-engineered to relocate the engine 38mm forward of the original M127 mounting position. This allowed the V8 to clear the firewall without modification to the unibody, at the cost of some inlet-air-box rerouting that is reversible.

I would describe the car as "factory-bodied restomod with reversible drivetrain swap" rather then "matching numbers." It is not numbers-matching. The original engine is included with the sale for any future owner who wishes to return it to original specification.

This was the most expensive and most technically demanding decision in the build. John Tsolakis was emphatic about the firewall remaining intact, and he was right.

This is the cleanest description of an engine swap I have read on this forum in five years. Hugo, well done on the disclosure.

The 38mm forward relocation explains why the car sits the way it does at the front. I saw it at Bowral with Chris and assumed the suspension had been lowered. It hasn't - it's the geometry change from the engine being moved forward, which loads the front Bilsteins slightly.

The original M127 inline-six being included with the car is the right call. It preserves the option of reversibility and protects the matching-numbers status if any future owner wants to invest in returning it to factory.

$135k is fair. Some buyer in Melbourne is going to be very lucky.

I have.I built a w111 220sb with a 5.6 M117 from a w126 in 2008.I cut the firewall and the unibody at the strut tower and welded new fabricated plates.it took 11 months.I work at Geo and Jim's restorations as a kid we did this on a fintail with a 6.9 once but the trans tunnel was too small.

If hugo's car at 135 doesn't sell i'm in Doonside i can offer 90 cash and i'll do the heritage transfer myself.

I am looking for a build.westsydneyrestorationsbuilds.on facebook

Update.

The car is sold. Buyer is the Melbourne collector that several of you correctly predicted would surface. Sale price is not disclosed, but I will say it was not less than the asking. Funds cleared this afternoon. Transport is arranged for next Tuesday.

To everyone who engaged constructively, thank you. To Chris, in particular, for the Pebble-Beach-at-Bowral context. To Billy for the engine-geometry observation. To John Tsolakis personally - you built a masterpiece, and I hope it travels well.

This will not be the last W111 V8 I list. The next one is two years away. Watch this space.

Hugo.