Gamdad’s Mercedes Benz W123 was first owned by a prince

The first time I saw Khalid Gamdad’s Mercedes Benz W123 was during the Coronation drive on July 23, 2022, at the Uganda museum, which was the starting point. At the time, it was white and well maintained. Most of its parts were still intact, including the Mercedes logo that visibly sits on the edge of the bonnet. 

The original car card shows that when the 45-year old German brand was imported into Uganda in 1986, the 1979 model was first owned by Edward Mawanda Chwa, a Prince in the Buganda Kingdom then. The second owner was David Namugala Mawanda, Prince Chwa’s son.

There is, however, missing documentation as to how John Burrows Lumu, a former rally driver got the car before he eventually sold it to Gamdad, the fourth owner. When Gamdad acquired the car in early 2022, it had been parked for a while and was in poor mechanical condition. Its original white colour was not only fading but the interior had also been eaten away by rats, on top of the floor that had undergone severe rusting and become hollow.

“It could not be driven because every part of the car was rotting away. Mechanically, most parts were not functional. I carried out full body restoration, engine overhaul, replacing chrome accessories, wheel caps and many other parts that were imported from Turkey. I refurbished the entire car interior because it had completely rotten. The interior leather seats were recently restored. The restoration process took me approximately six months. I also repainted it from white to blue,” Gamdad recalls.

Restoration cost

He adds that restoring a classic vintage car is an unending process whose cost is difficult to compute or keep track of. This is because it goes beyond the money spent during the restoration process, acquiring the car, transporting it to the garage, getting the right mechanics to carry out the work, supervision and research and a number of other costly stages.  

“We usually carry out a number of trials to determine the functionality of different parts. Sometimes, you import a part and later realise it cannot serve the purpose for which it was intended. Car restoration calls for continuously improving the car. For example, at the moment, mine has a shattered windscreen that needs to be replaced. Generally, the inner restoration is complete but maintenance continues,” Gamdad adds.

Features

A left hand drive by design, the Mercedes Benz W123 was engineered with a 2000cc automatic transmission petrol engine. It is also a rear wheel drive, meaning it generates its wheel power from the rear tyres. What makes it unique is that it was the bridge between the old and the new Mercedes Benz models.

What this means is that it has the comfort of the new Mercedes Benzes models but a vintage look. Performance-wise, it is typically an on-road car with a maximum speed of 220km/hr. It has rugged rear or brake lights that are still manufactured in countries such as Turkey.   

Due to some carburetor issues, a litre of fuel does not cover a big distance, like you would, for instance, say a Toyota Premio with a 2000cc engine covers 16km per litre. On average, 10 litres in the Mercedes Benz W123 covers approximately 55km, which is an average of 5.5km per litre. For it to perform economically and optimally, it needs a new carburetor.

Gamdad says it will take time to replace the carburetor in his Benz since he has to source for and import it from Europe. Besides, it is not urgent since he does not drive the W123 daily.

“I only drive it when there is less traffic on the road and on special occasions such as weddings because driving in Kampala traffic can be chaotic. You cannot be seen arguing or fighting with a taxi driver or motorcyclist who has broken your light yet they do not know what you go through to maintain such a car,” Gamdad explains.

You will not easily find a W123 that is roadworthy and so, the only way Gamdad can let go of the car is if he finds a buyer with the right offer.

How often he goes to the garage for service is dependent on mileage and the oil type. Gamdad’s Benz uses black bull oil that gives him longer mileage and consumes six litres of oil, with each litre costing Shs38,000.

On average, he spends Shs220,000 on service for engine oil, hydraulic and filters.

About
The Mercedes-Benz W123 was launched in 1976 and sales quickly surpassed those of its predecessor, the W114. The W123 went on to become the most successful Mercedes, selling 2.7 million cars.