This early 1960s Mercedes-Benz 300D was a Rolls-Royce fighter. For the last 10 years, it’s been forgotten. Now it’s getting the love it deserves.
This old Mercedes-Benz is proof barn finds can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Forgotten at the bottom floor of a warehouse for the past decade, it’s finally getting the love and attention it deserves.
The WD Detailing YouTube channel documents the saga of unearthing this abandoned 300D limousine that, according to them, has been sitting in the corner of this industrial building for the past 10 years untouched. Considering all of the dust sitting on the car, we don’t doubt them. The car doesn’t run, obviously, so the team needed a pair of wheel dollies to get it out and into their trailer.
A full cosmetic restoration is in order for this Rolls-Royce competitor, but first it needs a good rinse. The WD Detailing team gives the exterior and the cabin a thorough cleaning to bring the car back to its glory days. In the process they discover this car has been through some significant paintwork, with some sections coated in newer shades of black than others. Thankfully a skillful polish is able to blend the panels together successfully.
The interior is a bit more difficult to revive, thanks mostly to the carpeting, which has begun to flake away and disintegrate. Cleaning it properly would destroy what’s left, so the WD Detailing team opts for a lighter touch instead, using air and light dabs of cleaning solution to bring the carpet back to life. It’s not perfect — it’ll certainly need to be replaced if a full restoration is the goal — but it’s far better than it was before.
The WD Detailing team wraps up by attempting to start the forlorn 300D. Amazingly, the crew is able to get it running and idling. Even more impressive is the working electric leveling suspension, one of the earliest of its kind. We suspect it wouldn’t take much more to get this Mercedes back on the road and properly moving.
