A CLASSIC ‘rust bucket’ Mercedes that was found abandoned in a barn is now worth over £300,000 after a “perfect” restoration.
Alex Hirschi, a.k.a Supercar Blondie, travelled to Hungary to give her YouTube viewers a glimpse inside the process that brought the retro motor back to life.
YouTube / Supercar BlondieThe rusted old Merc was found in a barn in Hungary[/caption]
YouTube / Supercar BlondieIt was saved by Alex Hirschi, a.k.a Supercar Blondie[/caption]
YouTube / Supercar BlondieThe W111 model was made between 1959 and 1971[/caption]
In a video uploaded to her channel, Alex said she had been “tipped off” that some of the vehicles stashed in a remote barn in the Hungarian countryside could be worth top dollar.
Among the retro rides she found there was a Daimler that, she claimed, was used by the Royal Family and a Mercedes Pullman limo that was part of a special batch sent to Abu Dhabi.
However, the one she decided to save was a W111 model, which was produced between 1959 and 1971.
The car was loaded up onto a trailer to be taken to the workshop of restoration company Motor Classic, who specialise in saving wrecked and abandoned vehicles.
The whole thing was deep-cleaned and disassembled, with each individual part sent of to an in-house specialist team to be revived.
There’s even a special chroming pool, where old parts can be brought back to a good-as-new condition and refitted exactly onto the chassis.
The Merc was then hand-painted after a preparation process that can take up to 300 hours.
Inside, the entire cabin was refitted and the seats reupholstered in hand-stitched leather covering a coconut shell base frame – yes it’s actually made of coconut shells.
And of course the engine was thoroughly cleaned and re-engineered to get it running like a dream.
At the end of the process, Alex said: “It’s time to see the final result.
“This is how you added hundreds of thousands…to a barn find rust bucket.
“I cannot believe the before and after…this is gorgeous.”
She really wasn’t wrong, wit the rusted, broken down old banger turned into a luxury saloon that wouldn’t look out of place in a Bond film.
Best of all, Alex revealed that the car’s value had now shot up to over £200,000.
Social media commenters loved the stunning transformation.
Top 10 most expensive cars ever sold
Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé (1955) – £114.4 million
Ferrari 250 GTO (1962) – £52.3 million
Ferrari 250 GTO Tipo (1963) £41.4 million
Ferrari 250 GTO (1962) – £30.7 million
Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti (1957) – £28.8 million
Mercedes-Benz W196 (1954) – £23.8 million
Ferrari 290M (1956) – £22.6 million
Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S NART Spider (1967) – £27.5 million
Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale (1964) – £21.2 million
Aston Martin DBR 1 (1956) – £17.7 million
One wrote: “One of your best videos, these people are true craftsmen.”
Another added: “Hard work and the finish is amazing.”
And a third chipped in: “I love watching a diamond in the rough turn into a million-dollar gem.”
It comes after an expert revealed four of the cheapest-to-run cars out there, including an EV that can do 150 miles on just £10 of charge.
Meanwhile, a driver shared how he transformed his car into a Rolls Royce lookalike using a £7 can and a screwdriver.
YouTube / Supercar BlondieIt was loaded up and taken to a workshop for a lengthy restoration process[/caption]
YouTube / Supercar BlondieThe classic motor was left looking as good as new[/caption]
YouTube / Supercar BlondieEvery inch of it was painstakingly revived over months[/caption]
YouTube / Supercar BlondieAlex dubbed the restoration ‘perfect’[/caption]