Midnight Express RUF 560SEL

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Well I thought IÂ’d already posted about this one but after several fruitless searches it would appear not....

I bought this car several years ago from Dandenong and rescued it from being a donor for a very sad Aussie 560. I seriously doubt the owner knew what he had despite clearly being a Benz fan. ItÂ’s in my fav colour combo of black (sort of) with a black interior. Heated seats front & rear which I think is pretty rare in Australia. It has the 10,0 engine with 300hp, plus knock sensors indicating its the RUF version & not ECE.

Sadly some nut put it on LPG and removed the SLS. And tried to repaint the car outside in the weather!! All that is about to change...

Obviously she needs a repaint (which will happen after other mods), but as a temporary measure IÂ’ll eliminate the surface rust & add a coat of paint in various areas to stop it getting any worse.

I have some 17” AMG wheels to fit plus enough spares to refit the SLS. Then things get interesting as this one will be my test mule for the new EFI system plus a whole new exhaust.

I’ve named her ‘Midnight Express’...

 

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Well I thought IÂ’d already posted about this one but after several fruitless searches it would appear not....

I bought this car several years ago from Dandenong and rescued it from being a donor for a very sad Aussie 560. I seriously doubt the owner knew what he had despite clearly being a Benz fan. ItÂ’s in my fav colour combo of black (sort of) with a black interior. Heated seats front & rear which I think is pretty rare in Australia. It has the 10,0 engine with 300hp, plus knock sensors indicating its the RUF version & not ECE.

Sadly some nut put it on LPG and removed the SLS. And tried to repaint the car outside in the weather!! All that is about to change...

Obviously she needs a repaint (which will happen after other mods), but as a temporary measure IÂ’ll eliminate the surface rust & add a coat of paint in various areas to stop it getting any worse.

I have some 17” AMG wheels to fit plus enough spares to refit the SLS. Then things get interesting as this one will be my test mule for the new EFI system plus a whole new exhaust.

I’ve named her ‘Midnight Express’...

Looks like this car has some promise. I assume the custom EFI means ditching the LPG? it’s a shame that the SLS struts for the 560 are now NLA, at least you have some spares.

199 Blue-black I assume? Good colour, I had a rough 560SEC in it. Mine had the blue/grey interior though. No idea why it is called blue/black as it is really a dark grey metallic. I think it works better with the black interior.

What country was car originally delivered?

 

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This one is a first for me, in Australia. A car from Barbados!

FIN WDB1260392A458785
Model 560 SEL
Engine 117968 22 062675
Transmission 722350 03 173939
Order Number 0 8 751 10075
Order Location BARBADOS
Interior LEATHER BLACK (261)
Paint 1 BLUE-BLACK - METALLIC PAINT (199U)
Delivery Date 1989-01-27
Approx. Build Date 1989-01
Code Description
251 BECKER RADIO MEXICO CASSETTE, FULL STEREO, ELECTRONIC
461 INSTRUMENT WITH MILES IND. AND ENGLISH LEGEND
581 AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL
604 OIL FOR REAR AXLE WITH LIMITED-SLIP DIFFERENTIAL, IN CANISTERS AND CONTAINERS AND MOUTING FOR CUSTOMS LICENSE PLATE
613 HEADLAMP LEFT-HAND TRAFFIC
682 FIRE EXTINGUISHER
872 SEAT HEATER FOR LEFT AND RIGHT REAR SEATS
873 SEAT HEATER FOR LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT SEATS

Mercedes Benz VIN decoded at https://www.lastvin.com/vin/xNb8kEQDPXadRZ4yo

Looks like you've got the later and better transmission too.
The sooner you can get that LPG system off, the better. The interior looks in excellent shape, makes the car look even better. I think the Soft leather started in late 88 which is a nice improvement as well.

Interesting the timing difference ECE vs RUF given the same output, here is my car's sticker.

Do you mind if I use your image on my 560 article?

http://www.classicjalopy.com/2019/02/the-m117-968-560-engine/

 

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I’m not sure where she’s from Bryce but I’ll look it up via the VIN. Yes EFI to replace the LPG which was a terrible conversion. Very low on power, sucking hot air through a tiny airfilter, cruise disconnected & PCV not plumbed up correctly! The sooner I ditch the whole system the better!

 

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Funny we must’ve posted around the same time but yours logged first! Totally bizarre that a car can originate somewhere totally random & end up in my shed!!

No worries Bryce use the pix as you like.

PS why the hell are weird characters appearing in sections of my text??

 

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Oh forgot to mention I’m not convinced it has the original timing sticker....

 

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Oh forgot to mention I’m not convinced it has the original timing sticker....

Thanks - I will look into this.

 

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Recommended so I’ll have to check them out.,..

https://www.hitechexhaust.com.au/

 

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Current updates… I changed the coolant before putting her to bed for now..

 

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I will be throwing a few of my period correct AMG goodies at this car, plus some later performance items. I will definitely retain the original engine but could look at a M119 if time, funds and space allow…