1966 Mercedes-Benz 250S Ain't No Rolling Stone, Bassist Bill Wyman Bought the Car Twice

This 1966 Mercedes-Benz 250S W108 was Bill Wyman's daily driver for years. He drove it to and from the Olympic Studio in London. Now 86-year old, Wyman must still feel nostalgic about it. It was his first Benz and the only car he bought twice. And sold it twice, too.

He purchased it new for 3,853 pounds in 1966 from a South London dealer. He was then thirty years old, and the Mercedes-Benz 250S was his very first Mercedes from a long list.

Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show that year, the model was penned by the legendary car designer Paul Bracq as a follow-up to the W111 series. But it was lower, wider, taller, kept the elegant lines, and – in terms of comfort – made no compromise. It was often referred to as a more affordable alternative to the Rolls-Royce. So Wyman just had to have one.

Those were the years when Rolling Stones' frontman Mick Jagger was driving a Mini. He had just blacked out the windows on his car. Wyman saw it and liked it. And he did the same on his Mercedes for 350 pounds, around 8,300 pounds ($10,447) in today's money. That was about 10% of the value of the entire car. Mercedes could not offer it, so he commissioned a set of windows from Pilkington. He claimed it was the first Mercedes to have such windows.

The 250S came with a 2.5-liter M108 fuel-injection engine with dual two-barrel carburetors. It generated 129 horsepower (131 PS). It took a lifetime to reach 62 mph (100 kph) from zero: 13 seconds for the version with the manual transmission and 14 seconds for the one with the auto box. Top speed was 113 mph (182 kph) for the manual and 177 kph (110 mph) for the automatic. Bill Wyman's comes with the four-speed automatic.

Mercedes built 364,699 units between 1965 and 1972 in Stuttgart, Germany. Production continued through 1973 in North America. The 250 S was renamed 280 S in November 1967. But not much else was changed.

Bill Wyman knew he was driving one special car. But times were changing, he was traveling the world, he was enjoying fame and fortune. So he had to get another one. So in 1972, he exchanged it for a coupe, also Mercedes-Benz-badged.

Twenty years later, nostalgia hit back. He rediscovered the car in November 1991 and bought it for 1,000 pounds. It looked bad. It drove just as bad. Not much was left of the stylish luxury sedan he used to drive in the 1960s. Not even the black tinted windows.

One of the owners had decided to replace them. It must have been heartbreaking for Wyman. So he took the car straight to specialist Tony Davey for a thorough restoration that was completed in 1998. Then, he drove it home and kept it in his private collection until 2017. The model has reportedly only covered 6,000 miles (9,656 kilometers) since restoration.

Now, the owner is selling it again on Car & Classic. But the bidding does not look good. With three days left until the auction closes, the highest bid is of 2,000 pounds ($2,517), so the reserve has not been met yet. The current owner, who has been pampering the Benz since 2021, was hoping to get between 10 and 15,000 pounds ($12,590 - 18,880) for it.

The car comes with all the evidence of early MOTs, invoices, and press articles documenting Wyman's ownership of the car.

Not much has been changed in terms of mechanics, so the automobile is highly original. But the listing claims that the 2.5-liter inline six-cylinder petrol engine is now in bad need of recommissioning before the car can set wheels on the road again. It is reported that the Benz has been used without sufficient engine oil. It is a non-runner, so the future owner has to come up with a transportation solution.

The body shows some imperfections, with a few dents and bents every here and there, on the bright-looking blue paintwork. However, the panels are still perfectly aligned and symmetrical. The chromed parts look a bit tarnished. The car sports 14-inch wheels shod in Maxxis Victra 510 tires.

The brand's durable MB Tex vinyl does not look bad at all, except for the usual tear and wear on the driver's seat. A patch would probably do the job. There is a Pioneer push-button radio cassette unit on board, while the two-spoke steering wheel with chromed horn bar is evidence of style of times past.

Bill Wyman was afraid of flying. So during European tours, when Mick Jagger and other bandmates were going by plane, he drove his Benz to the hotel. That must explain his preference for luxury comfortable cars. Those were important features for drives of thousands of miles. He also owned a Citroen SM and MG B that were recently auctioned. But the Benz topped them all. In Wyman’s heart as well, since he bought the car not once, but twice.