The recent floods that killed more than 220 people near Valencia, Spain, also caused billions of dollars in property damage. Numerous cars, trucks and motorcycles were destroyed beyond repair by the torrential rain, including hundreds of vehicles ultimately destroyed in multi-car collisions, but a classic Mercedes-Benz 300D proved just how strong the W123 chassis is by pulling out of a flooded parking garage on own strength.
Iván Felisi Rubio left his green 300D in an underground car park in Algemesí, a small town about 45 minutes south of Valencia. In conversation with the Spanish newspaper El Mundohe explained that the parking garage was completely flooded. “The street was one and a half meters deep in water; imagine what the garage looked like,” he said. He was unable to check his car until emergency services had drained most of the water.
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He faced every collector’s worst nightmare: his classic car looked totaled. The roof panel was covered in mud, indicating the car was completely submerged, the interior was a mess and water also got into the engine. While most people would have called their insurance company, Rubio went to an auto parts store. After all, the W123 300D is no ordinary classic: it is one of the coolest cars ever built.
“All I did was replace the battery, drain the water from the engine and check the oil. It started right away,” he said El Mundo.
It helps that not much can go wrong with a classic Mercedes, especially with a diesel engine. Both headlights illuminated the way out of the parking garage as the low rumble of the naturally aspirated 3.0-liter five-cylinder echoed triumphantly off the walls, and the wipers slowly wiped the mud from the windshield like a middle finger to the flooding water trying to drown the car . Even the brakes seemed to work.
The W123 is widely praised as one of the most durable cars, which explains why it remains popular in parts of the world where road conditions are poor at best. I’ve driven 240D taxis in Morocco with over 500,000 miles, and I’ve taken my own W123s on some pretty hellish adventures, including towing another car uphill in the Alps. The only things that can kill these cars are rust and a general lack of maintenance.
As for Rubio’s car, it looks like it will be back on the road relatively soon. ‘I just have to clean it. Take it apart and clean it. The odometer will be the most complicated part, but fortunately it is a car for which there are many spare parts,” he said. El Mundo.
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