Olya's 300CE |
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 Olya's car is a
rather different approach to the luxo-sport design. Hers
is a 1988 Mercedes Benz 300 CE. This car was bought when
it became time to replace the old VW Rabbit, and she
wanted "another small car with 2 doors". Quite
how a Merc with a 3 liter inline six, weighing the better
part of 2 tons can be described as "small" is a
mystery. It does, at leat, have 2 doors. It's an
automatic, which is a shame for both of us, but most US-spec
Merc's have been auto for the last decade (with the
honorable exception of some 190's). When we bought it,
nine years out, it had a mere 50,000 miles on it. Now, a
year and a bit later, it has closing on 70k under the
hood. While it can't run with the S4, it's still a big,
fast car, and pulls strongly right off the line. Its
forte, nonetheless, is effortlessly cruising at speed.
The inline 6 is phenomenally smooth, and famously durable,
so it probably has many more years of service to offer. The only modifications from stock are the fitment of Dunlop SP 4000s, in 205/60 VR15, and 1992 style MB wheels (visible below). With these tires, its handling is much improved, although still as tail happy as any powerful RWD car built before the age of traction control. While a generation older than the Audi (though any 1998 Mercedes buyer would recognize the cockpit entirely), it does have its share of neat toys and features too:
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