Restoration R107 - The Color Scheme

As we get closer to the 1975 Mercedes-Benz 450SL heading into the bodyshop the first week of September, several key questions have to be addressed now.

A brief review: I found the car more or less abandoned in the desert southwest of the United States. The car had been sitting in a lot for a minimum of 5-8 years baking in the sun with the windows down. Not sure if having the windows down was a help or a hinderance, but the interior took a pretty good beating from the average 296 days a year of  sun and the four months each year of summer time temperatures in the 110°F/ 43°C to 120°F/48°C. 

Original MBTex interior from 1975

Bad paint and bad masking job.  

All extremes considered, Mercedes can be quite satisfied with the materials they utilized for their cars. While the upholstery is needing to be replaced, it is in absolutely amazing condition as seen in the photos. 

While there is no seat bottom or back coconut fiber cushions left to speak of, the MB-Tex is one remarkable product;  still soft and showing only light deterioration. 

Before we go too much further, it should be noted that the car came from the factory in 1975, navy blue on navy blue. Have to admit, I personally find that combination quite dismal, and a bit of contrast from the interior to exterior would make for a more sophisticated appearance. It should be noted the factory exterior blue was very sloppily painted over in white as currently seen, but it will be returned to its original 904 midnight blue.

With the option now available to consider an interior color change from the original navy, I inquired with several manufacturers on interior kit prices. The shop I decided on was German Auto Tops in California. The prices were unmatched and the owner was very knowledgable, and has been in the business for many years. I inquired as to where he sourced his MB-Tex and carpeting and feel extremely satisfied German Auto Tops will provide me with exactly what I am looking for.

MBTex Colors from 1972-1980

Now for the actual color. Thankfully Mercedes did not offer a million interior colors, making the task a slight bit easier, but not easy enough. From 1972-1980 Mercedes offered the MBTex in Black, Wheat, Blue, Parchment, Bamboo, Avocado, Tobacco, Red, Mahogany and Antique Bamboo. While all of the color choices could work with the midnight blue exterior, yes, even the avocado, it would take a strong stomach to pull that one off.  So, I have pulled the plug on black, blue, avocado, and red. The two bamboo options are hard to run with because I already have a Mercedes with that color interior and don't know that I can handle two in that color. What's left? tobacco, mahogany and parchment. I have been comparing these three colors over the past month to the original 904 paint that remains under the hood at different times of the day to see which color offers the most luxurious visual appeal and the verdict is in — Tobacco wins. 

Now for the carpet which is thankfully a much simpler choice, and it will be Brown loop.

Left to Right: Final color scheme. Carpet, seating and dash, body

One could absolutely change to other color options from other years, but I am a stickler for originality and want to commit to what would have been available in 1975 as if I were purchasing the car new today. 

One other factor has also played into my decision to go with a darker interior and that is wanting to keep the dashboard darker. For many years Mercedes and most manufacturers color keyed the dash to the interior and as a personal preference, a light dash color is not nearly as attractive as a darker color. In 1980 Mercedes converted to using a black dash top across the board, which I feel looks much more sophisticated.  Again, since the black dash was not yet available in 1975, I decided to take care of the "problem" naturally. 


UP NEXT: A trip to the body shop that will be doing the work where I will be getting a detailed accounting of what will take place, and the estimate.