Every classic Mercedes-Benz has a story. Every car show queen and concourse celebrity was once the pride and joy of its first owner. Every old clapped-out wreck sitting in a junkyard was once just another car among many back in its day. Sometimes, we get the chance to save a car from an otherwise inglorious fate. We can give it a new lease on life so that another can take our place. It’s been said that we don’t own our cars, in the end, we just take care of them. This is the story of one such car, The Red Lady.

According to his son Richard, Mr. Stanley had always wanted a Mercedes so he saved his money to buy one. When he retired in 1966, he purchased this Coupe for cash. Every weekend when the sun was out, Mr. Stanley would roll down all the windows, light his cigar, and cruise his neighborhood. When Mr. Stanley passed away in 1971, Richard inherited the car and brought it to San Diego.

After 29 years and 176,308 miles of faithful service, the oil pump drive gears had stripped and the engine seized. Richard then parked it in his driveway for several years before he could bring himself to let it go. In the past he had purchased parts for it from my shop, Onager Corporation, so he gave me a call.

In the end, he sold it to me for less than he had been offered for it by a neighbor. He told me the reason he sold it to me for less was because he felt his father would approve of the restoration job we would do and that we would keep the car in our collection. I made Richard a promise that I would keep the car and I have kept my word. Richard was in tears when he handed me the title. When the restoration was completed I sent him photos.

This 250SE Coupe was delivered in white with a black leather interior. The factory equipment included the following options: Tinted glass, an automatic transmission, power steering, front and rear bumper guards, and white wall tires.

In 1966 air conditioning was not a factory installed option. All of the air conditioning systems were installed either at the vehicle preparation center or at dealerships. Likewise, most of the vehicles shipped to the US didn’t come with radios. They too were installed at the dealerships.

The window sticker price including the options and the distribution and delivery cost came to $9,598.44

With air conditioning and a “New Yorker” Blaupunkt radio installed, the final sticker price was $10,400.00.

The W111 250SE Coupe was an upgraded version of the 220SE Coupe that entered production in September 1960. The upgrades to the 250SE Coupe included a larger displacement engine, a better fuel injection system that improved the engine performance while getting better mileage, 4-wheel disc brakes, and 14 inch wheels. The production of the 250SE Coupe started September 1965 and ended December 1967. A total of 1,205 coupes and convertibles were produced by Mercedes-Benz in 1965. The total number of 250SE coupes and convertibles produced over the three year period was 6,231.

The 250SE Coupe was in better shape than it appears in the photos. The car had excellent bones. There was no rust anywhere on the body or chassis. This confirmed that Mr. Stanley had never driven it in the snow and probably not even in the rain.

The cosmetic portion of the restoration was fairly straightforward. There had never been any major body damage, it just had the normal parking lot dings. Even the paint was original. This is very unusual especially for a car that was 30 years old. All the chrome-plated parts were rust free; they just needed to be rechromed.

As for the interior, only the front seat leather covers were cracked. We replaced the front seat covers with new leather ones. The rest of the interior was in remarkably good condition. All the rest of the leather only needed a good cleaning and to be dyed. The headliner was still intact but it was badly stained and extremely brittle. It would not have survived being taken down for the car repaint so it was replaced during the restoration. The carpets were okay, although they were showing their age. So I eventually had them replaced in 2015.

The dash pad and most of the wood had been removed so the dash could be painted the new red color. While the wood was out I reconditioned it myself with the exception of the instrument binnacle. The binnacle needed to be veneered and that was beyond my capabilities, so I had it professionally reconditioned.

In March 1995, the engine had been rebuilt and was ready to be installed in the car.

In October 1996, the car was repainted and the chrome was ready to install. The color I chose was one that was offered for this model in 1965 and 1966, called Brilliant Red.

Finally, in 1997, the car that would be known as “Rot Frau” (Red Woman/Lady) was born. The W111 250SE Coupe quickly became a favorite of my wife, Terry.

After the restoration was complete, the car’s first show was the 1997 Deer Park Concourse show, where she took first place in her class.

After a few more shows spanning 1998-2000, I was invited by Mercedes-Benz of San Diego to display the Red Lady in their showroom.

San Diego's Auto Museum had set up an area for members of different clubs to display their cars. The Mercedes-Benz Owners Club was one of the first to get this honor. You can see Terry with her 250SE Coupe in the picture above.

In April of 2005 the car participated in the Coronado Motor Cars On Main Street show.

In 2008, Terry and her W108 Coupe won first prize at the National City Heritage Day Show.

Terry and I went to a Mercedes-Benz Club event at Big Bear Lake. On the way up the mountains we discovered that we had a badly clogged radiator and the engine overheated several times. It took some creative planning to get to Big Bear but we made it. At the awards dinner we were presented with a “Desert'' water container for the trip down the mountains. Sadly, this would be my and Terry’s last club event together.

I made my second pilgrimage in August of 2013 to Monterey CA for Pebble Beach Car Week and Legends of the Autobahn. I caravanned with Steve Roos in his 560SL and Brain Kruse in his red 190SL. The photo you see above was taken on Highway One.

Seen above is an ad from The Star magazine for the 2014 Legends Of The Autobahn Show.

I kept my promise made to Richard all those years ago. While this Mercedes-Benz restoration process was somewhat easier than some of my other projects, it still stands out as one of the most beautiful cars in my collection. We love the things we love because of the memories they hold. Cars become vessels for laughter, heartache, learning, and times gone by. When a car changes hands, it carries with it the lives of those who owned it before you. No matter what you drive, no matter how new or old, your car is worth taking care of. You never know what it will mean to the next person to get the keys. 

This was the dealership the car was originally purchased from.