This C 280 at the Mercedes-Benz Museum may well be one of the most interesting C-Class models ever made.
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class isn’t a particularly collectible vehicle from the brand, though some of its derivatives with AMG DNA or coupé styling do retain value well. The earlier years of the C-Class weren’t particularly interesting, particularly in Malaysia where a majority of the W202 models came with four cylinder petrol engines and in the 4-door sedan format.
However, at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, there’s one particular model from 1996 that seems fairly interesting. Yes, it’s still a four door model, but this one is powered by a 2.8L six cylinder engine which is probably a lot of fun in a small package like the C-Class. This generation debuted in 1993 with the C 280 as the flagship model generating 193hp. The C 36 AMG took ‘hero model’ status later on in the year and remains the most collectable variant of this generation.
However, the real reason why this C-Class is worthy of a spot in Collection Room 5 of the Mercedes-Benz Museum is because of its paint job.
This vehicle is a museum piece in the ‘Gallery of Everyday Heroes’ is because its exterior is finished in Mercedes-Benz Colour Code 252, or intense designo green metallic. This includes all body surfaces, front and rear aprons, trim strips and exterior mirrors. What’s so important about a paint job? Well, it was only a year before this model was produced that Mercedes-Benz opened its first designo consulting centre at the customer centre of their plant in Sindelfingen.
This makes this particular unit one of the earliest examples of a customised paintjob on a fairly standard Mercedes-Benz vehicle. In the early 1950s, Mercedes-Benz only offered 5 paint finishes as standard, but expanded this dramatically later that decade to something like 50 colour options. The 1990s represented yet another explosion in colour choices for the brand with more dramatic shades such as intense yellow and bright blue metallic.
The interior of this car continues the green theme with both the seats and door cards featuring green elements and contrasting black elements too.
This C 280 in particular is equipped with the “Sport” trim package, which has the suspension stiffened and lowered by 25 mm. It also features light alloy AMG-designed wheels wrapped in wider-than-standard tyres. In Malaysia, we’re more likely to see these cars offered in ‘Classic’ or ‘Elegance’ trim.
