Mercedes w202 c280 manual - drift/track spec
Discussion
Purists, please look away now, and no doubt they'll be the usual PH deathly comments...
I bought this w202 c280 in January. It's actually a rather rare car - there are only 12 m104 powered c280's left according to that website, but it doesn't state how many are manual - very few I would guess.
It was originally put together by a Welsh mate (bigperm) about 7 years ago. It's got an S320 bottom end - all the top bits are original, stripped inside, welded diff and later c-class 330mm front brakes.
He sold it to another friend in NL who exported it, then realised it would be far too expensive to register it there, so just stuck it in his barn and forgot about it for 6 years. I gave him €1000, started it up and drove it home (via an MOT station of course).
I bought it as a cheap drift/track day weapon, but the trouble is that I've totally fallen in love with the thing, and have used it as a daily since. I wasn't convinced about the welded diff at first, but now I've got used to it, it's quite easy to live with. It's not stupid fast, but the straight 6 gives enough to keep up with modern stuff. It's just so much fun to drive, and does over 30 to the gallon. I have an E63 AMG as a daily, but that car has done less than 500 miles in the last 4 months - and most of those miles have been from the commute when I've broken something on the c280 and awaiting parts. The only thing I don't like is the noise - mostly, I think because I am getting old. Really need to put more silencers back in the exhaust.
The only thing I've done to it is to put new brake bits on the back, and weld in a harness bar between the c-pillars.
How it looked the day I drove it home:
Harness bar (since bought new harnesses):
Having fun at the King Lynn Arena drift day:
Because of the diff, it tends to push on if driving with any gusto. I did the Marham trackday a couple of weeks ago. PH's very own B'stard Child was kind enough to lend me a set of slicks. I had the daft idea of just using them on the front to try and balance up the understeer (and also because I think I may have broken the diff/drive shafts if I'd run them all round).
The result was surprisingly brilliant! The car dug into the corners, and was amusingly tail happy on the way out. 144mph GPS down the straight. Unfortunately a coil went pop half way through the day, so we had to limp home.
Thanks to JSNPhotgraphy for the last pic.
I know some folk on here will disapprove strongly to such a car (or it's mods) even existing, but this thing is absolutely the best £800 or so that I've ever spent on a car.
From what I've read about the M104 engine, it's very underrated. There are folk strapping dirty great turbos to them and extracting 500bhp+ reliably on stock internals. I can see a winter project coming along...
I bought this w202 c280 in January. It's actually a rather rare car - there are only 12 m104 powered c280's left according to that website, but it doesn't state how many are manual - very few I would guess.
It was originally put together by a Welsh mate (bigperm) about 7 years ago. It's got an S320 bottom end - all the top bits are original, stripped inside, welded diff and later c-class 330mm front brakes.
He sold it to another friend in NL who exported it, then realised it would be far too expensive to register it there, so just stuck it in his barn and forgot about it for 6 years. I gave him €1000, started it up and drove it home (via an MOT station of course).
I bought it as a cheap drift/track day weapon, but the trouble is that I've totally fallen in love with the thing, and have used it as a daily since. I wasn't convinced about the welded diff at first, but now I've got used to it, it's quite easy to live with. It's not stupid fast, but the straight 6 gives enough to keep up with modern stuff. It's just so much fun to drive, and does over 30 to the gallon. I have an E63 AMG as a daily, but that car has done less than 500 miles in the last 4 months - and most of those miles have been from the commute when I've broken something on the c280 and awaiting parts. The only thing I don't like is the noise - mostly, I think because I am getting old. Really need to put more silencers back in the exhaust.
The only thing I've done to it is to put new brake bits on the back, and weld in a harness bar between the c-pillars.
How it looked the day I drove it home:
Harness bar (since bought new harnesses):
Having fun at the King Lynn Arena drift day:
Because of the diff, it tends to push on if driving with any gusto. I did the Marham trackday a couple of weeks ago. PH's very own B'stard Child was kind enough to lend me a set of slicks. I had the daft idea of just using them on the front to try and balance up the understeer (and also because I think I may have broken the diff/drive shafts if I'd run them all round).
The result was surprisingly brilliant! The car dug into the corners, and was amusingly tail happy on the way out. 144mph GPS down the straight. Unfortunately a coil went pop half way through the day, so we had to limp home.
Thanks to JSNPhotgraphy for the last pic.
I know some folk on here will disapprove strongly to such a car (or it's mods) even existing, but this thing is absolutely the best £800 or so that I've ever spent on a car.
From what I've read about the M104 engine, it's very underrated. There are folk strapping dirty great turbos to them and extracting 500bhp+ reliably on stock internals. I can see a winter project coming along...
Edited by Utterpiffle on Tuesday 5th December 11:32
This isn't helping my temptation to keep the rustagon I got off ebay...
S202 (so the estate) C250td with a manual. The OM605s sound surprisingly great for a diesel (5 cylinder) and will take similarly stupid amounts of power on stock internals.
I got it for a stag do that's in a couple of weeks. Used it to commute over the winter and also sort of love the thing. But it ultimately has to go, too many old cars around already
S202 (so the estate) C250td with a manual. The OM605s sound surprisingly great for a diesel (5 cylinder) and will take similarly stupid amounts of power on stock internals.
I got it for a stag do that's in a couple of weeks. Used it to commute over the winter and also sort of love the thing. But it ultimately has to go, too many old cars around already
RC1807 said:
You're effing mental.
Approved.
Carry on!
Thanks! Not overly mental though - I made it very clear I was sensible and wanted a quieter exhaust! Approved.
Carry on!
SturdyHSV said:
This isn't helping my temptation to keep the rustagon I got off ebay...
S202 (so the estate) C250td with a manual. The OM605s sound surprisingly great for a diesel (5 cylinder) and will take similarly stupid amounts of power on stock internals.
I got it for a stag do that's in a couple of weeks. Used it to commute over the winter and also sort of love the thing. But it ultimately has to go, too many old cars around already
Keep the 202! They are worth bugger all, and so long as the rust is kept at bay (more difficult on the later ones), they'll last forever... S202 (so the estate) C250td with a manual. The OM605s sound surprisingly great for a diesel (5 cylinder) and will take similarly stupid amounts of power on stock internals.
I got it for a stag do that's in a couple of weeks. Used it to commute over the winter and also sort of love the thing. But it ultimately has to go, too many old cars around already
KillerHERTZ said:
Looks great! that last shot with the black headlights is so cool 
They arent SL55 Front brakes, Caliper isnt large enough?
You know, I did think that - it's just what I was told. I'm guessing something like an ML. But 17's are the smallest wheel that will go over them, and even then, it's tight. I'll need to go look for some part numbers.They arent SL55 Front brakes, Caliper isnt large enough?
Actually hoping they are not AMG as the discs will need replacing at some point soon and if they have those three letters on them, they are £££!
I will also need new front discs for my e63 soon - they will cost more than I paid for the whole c280!
Edited by Utterpiffle on Tuesday 2nd May 14:11
Fantastic thread OP!
Back in the late 90s I drove a mate's C280 Elegance with a manual box and loved it!
So when I got the chance to buy a 1994 C280 Sport in 1999 I jumped on it - sadly, as it was a POS! Auto so sluggish, crashy suspension, poor build quality - I could go on!
But as a drift banger, why not?!
Back in the late 90s I drove a mate's C280 Elegance with a manual box and loved it!
So when I got the chance to buy a 1994 C280 Sport in 1999 I jumped on it - sadly, as it was a POS! Auto so sluggish, crashy suspension, poor build quality - I could go on!
But as a drift banger, why not?!
Minor update.
The car had a misfire when warm - under load, low revs. I thought it would take some time to diagnose, so allocated time accordingly. It was the plugs. 15 mins later and I had a road tested working car again. Woo.
What to do for the rest of the morning?... Ah yes, paint and polish the engine, because... why not.
In my defense, this had been done before by a previous owner in an early 90's style lurid purple and green splatter paint. It annoyed me every time I lifted the bonnet.
Painted over the bits that were previously painted and polished up the cam cover. Still a few small bits to do, but I think it looks a little better, and no longer irks on bonnet opening... Need to source a new front engine cover - the original one entered the fan as one and came out as many.
Really want to paint the body now - obviously using MTM94 graffiti paint as per previous paint jobs. Bloody brilliant stuff for a cheap respray in a matt finish (160 colours available
). Thinking German taxi beige (but possibly a bit darker) with orange wheels. Yeah, that'll do it...
The car had a misfire when warm - under load, low revs. I thought it would take some time to diagnose, so allocated time accordingly. It was the plugs. 15 mins later and I had a road tested working car again. Woo.
What to do for the rest of the morning?... Ah yes, paint and polish the engine, because... why not.
In my defense, this had been done before by a previous owner in an early 90's style lurid purple and green splatter paint. It annoyed me every time I lifted the bonnet.
Painted over the bits that were previously painted and polished up the cam cover. Still a few small bits to do, but I think it looks a little better, and no longer irks on bonnet opening... Need to source a new front engine cover - the original one entered the fan as one and came out as many.
Really want to paint the body now - obviously using MTM94 graffiti paint as per previous paint jobs. Bloody brilliant stuff for a cheap respray in a matt finish (160 colours available
). Thinking German taxi beige (but possibly a bit darker) with orange wheels. Yeah, that'll do it...Well, the love for this car continues.
It just seems to shrug off all the abuse it gets.
400 miles per week commute, mostly 45mph north Suffolk B-roads, then up to Kings Lynn every other weekend for drifting.
Never cleaned it, but always keep on top of the maintenance.
It's developed a slight leak from the water pump, so it'll get a new one tomorrow along with new front discs and pads.
I am starting to skid closer to other cars on the track now, so the car really needs a hydraulic handbrake to adjust angles in a corner. I wasn't keen to put one in straight away, preferring to learn the car control first.
In other related news. It's my birthday tomorrow. A colleague at work left this on my desk this morning:
Totally made up with it. It's even got the correct numberplate, pink fuel door, mercedes badge. Utterly brilliant! Cheers, Sue!
It just seems to shrug off all the abuse it gets.
400 miles per week commute, mostly 45mph north Suffolk B-roads, then up to Kings Lynn every other weekend for drifting.
Never cleaned it, but always keep on top of the maintenance.
It's developed a slight leak from the water pump, so it'll get a new one tomorrow along with new front discs and pads.
I am starting to skid closer to other cars on the track now, so the car really needs a hydraulic handbrake to adjust angles in a corner. I wasn't keen to put one in straight away, preferring to learn the car control first.
In other related news. It's my birthday tomorrow. A colleague at work left this on my desk this morning:
Totally made up with it. It's even got the correct numberplate, pink fuel door, mercedes badge. Utterly brilliant! Cheers, Sue!
Gooly said:
Proper cool, nice to see someone actually using one of these properly as well. Little touches like the import plates work well too. Would look a treat on some decent wheels, any plans to do rockingham?
Cheers!Would love to do Rockingham, it's about two and a half hours from me. Definitely feel ready to progress to a 'proper' track now. It is rather expensive though @£125. You also have to bring all your tyres. Will have to give it a go one day though.
£40 for the day at King Lynn and £5 each for old tyres supply, fit and disposal. It's grassroots motorsport at it's very cheapest. I go with £100 in my pocket, have a day of smiling so much my face hurts by the end, and I come home with change.
Afternoon all, update time
Well, here we are one year in. I think I've done 17 drift days with the NADT in Kings Lynn so far. What an amazing bunch of people - they've totally taken me under their wing, taught me loads and made me feel very much part of their team. If you are wanting to get in to drifting and live reasonably locally, please please get in touch with the organisers. They'll take you in as a complete noob like me and you'll pick it up in no time.
It wasn't too busy last Saturday (17th March), so got loads of track time in. I 'only' spun out 3 times during the day, so it's coming together. Other drivers have been twinning/tripling etc up behind me for some time, but I'm still a little nervous getting too close to others.
Still got loads to learn, but the thrill is just the same every time as it was on day one.
Some pics (mostly courtesy of Lewis Collard photography)...
I had a minor altercation with the wall in December - didn't look too bad on first look
But after driving 65 miles home with the front wheels pointing in somewhat different directions, it turned out that I'd banana'd the track rod and split the lower wishbone. Oops. Easily fixed though.
Oh yeah, and of course the car is still the daily - 15,000 miles last year commuting to work in it. Got a bit stuck a couple weeks ago...
I absolutely love this sport/hobby/sillyness - wish I'd accessed it years ago, but very much looking forward to the future. Aim this year is to learn to get up close to other cars and hopefully get out to some other tracks.
Well, here we are one year in. I think I've done 17 drift days with the NADT in Kings Lynn so far. What an amazing bunch of people - they've totally taken me under their wing, taught me loads and made me feel very much part of their team. If you are wanting to get in to drifting and live reasonably locally, please please get in touch with the organisers. They'll take you in as a complete noob like me and you'll pick it up in no time.
It wasn't too busy last Saturday (17th March), so got loads of track time in. I 'only' spun out 3 times during the day, so it's coming together. Other drivers have been twinning/tripling etc up behind me for some time, but I'm still a little nervous getting too close to others.
Still got loads to learn, but the thrill is just the same every time as it was on day one.
Some pics (mostly courtesy of Lewis Collard photography)...
I had a minor altercation with the wall in December - didn't look too bad on first look
But after driving 65 miles home with the front wheels pointing in somewhat different directions, it turned out that I'd banana'd the track rod and split the lower wishbone. Oops. Easily fixed though.
Oh yeah, and of course the car is still the daily - 15,000 miles last year commuting to work in it. Got a bit stuck a couple weeks ago...
I absolutely love this sport/hobby/sillyness - wish I'd accessed it years ago, but very much looking forward to the future. Aim this year is to learn to get up close to other cars and hopefully get out to some other tracks.
Edited by Utterpiffle on Monday 19th March 13:29
Jimmy Recard said:
Nice one OP, I love this!
I've been thinking about getting into this sort of thing so it's nice reading this thread for inspiration
Oh do, you'll love it!I've been thinking about getting into this sort of thing so it's nice reading this thread for inspiration
J4CKO said:
Yeah, has a 63 but drives that instead, must be fun !
Ha, indeed!I adore the 63, but it's far better than I'll ever be, and I feel both special and very slightly scared every time I drive it. This feeling is heightened by driving that angry black b
d daily during the week.The e63 was the perfect weapon as a daily when commuting to Germany, but it seems somehow wasteful to use it for the 17 mile daily commute at 45 mph on Norfolk's finest back roads to Gt. Yarmouth! It doesn't really have a purpose any more, but I can't bare to sell it.
It's about to get yet more love next week, this time at the body shop sorting out stone chips and a few minor rust bubbles around the rear arches.
Edited by Utterpiffle on Thursday 22 March 13:00
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