24 cars blue sky: Junkyard Find: 1973 Mercedes-Benz 220

09 - 1973 Mercedes-Benz 220 Down On The Junkyard - Picture courtesy of Murilee Martin Most of the time, I don't photograph junkyard-dwelling Mercedes-Benzes unless they're coupes, SLs, or really old, but today's W115 sedan was just so complete that I had to shoot it.
02 - 1973 Mercedes-Benz 220 Down On The Junkyard - Picture courtesy of Murilee Martin A car like this just isn't worth enough to warrant restoration, especially when the interior smells like a genetically-engineered mildew experiment gone terribly awry (it takes a serious strain of mildew to thrive in Denver's single-digit humidity).
16 - 1973 Mercedes-Benz 220 Down On The Junkyard - Picture courtesy of Murilee Martin It's not very rusty, although the wheelwells probably have a bit of an oxidation party going on.
05 - 1973 Mercedes-Benz 220 Down On The Junkyard - Picture courtesy of Murilee Martin With just 103 horses from the 2.2-liter four-cylinder, this fairly substantial car wasn't going to be quick.
06 - 1973 Mercedes-Benz 220 Down On The Junkyard - Picture courtesy of Murilee Martin Especially once the York air conditioning kicked in.
08 - 1973 Mercedes-Benz 220 Down On The Junkyard - Picture courtesy of Murilee Martin Still, these cars were built when Mercedes-Benz obliterated all comers in the build-quality competition, and they deserve our respect.