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Merc = Mercedes. For a classic Mercury, I'd want a Ford powertrain, of course. If I had the garage space, wouldn't mind something like this for summer weekend 'tooling around' (as my Dad used to say)...

I question whether many people would be happy dumping major coin into a car as crappily built as a 70s-80s mercedes.

Good 'ole Canuck rock. CANUCK ROCK RULES! Now...if Im restomodding a 1970s or 1980s Mercedes, Id be a freakin' lunatic to do so. Especially with a price tag of 179 000-200 000 American freakin' dollars. But if I was on the fringe to do so, Id think long and hard about electrification, but really, Id HEMI those bitches JUST to stick it to Mercedes! Id take the AMG HAMMER And DEMONIZE it! Take that grille, Dodge-ify it by making it it a Dodge Crosshair look-alike. Rip those silly headlight washers out, take the left side headlight, modify it so I got one functional headlight and one functional air duct feeding the Hellcat crate motor under the hood that I will modify to have huge air scoops to feed that huge Kompressor... Take that small and silly 3 pointed star at the front on top of the grill and throw it out in the trash. Put Hellcat logos on the left and right side front fenders and Im ready to go to Mercedes gatherings to show off my new MOPAR ride! If I had money to burn, Id get my hands on this nice electric blue, hybrid SLS Rip out all the drivetrain in it, trash that 3 pointed star. Modify the grill for it to be a Dodge Crosshair grill and stick any generation Viper V10 I could get my hands on in it. You guessed it. To STICK it to Mercedes!

Huge difference between ‘scrapes’ and ‘scraps’. ?

Why would want a mercedes engine in a classic Mercury? ?

Really nothing 'interesting' going on at Nissan for many years...

^ yeah- its a hilarious proposition. Take a $5K car, pay $175K and make it slower with a fraction of the range. Meanwhile you still (assumedly) have the same vinyl sticker ‘wood’ and shoddy, cheap engineering. would anyone do this to a Pinto?

Getting closer in pricing

Rarely, do I get the chance to drive different versions of the same model. The fleet companies I work with scheduling vehicles do their best to serve up a smorgasbord of vehicles for me to experience. But from time to time, things happen where one vehicle in a run has to be swapped because it needs to go home or is required for an important event. It happened to be that the stars aligned in such a way that two Volvo 60 series models would be swapped for various vehicles in this go around. So I found myself with an S60 Momentum one week and a V60 Cross Country another week. A prime opportunity to experience two different takes on the same model. Design: Same and Different Both of the 60 models continue Volvo’s design of simple elegance. The smooth boxy shape is contrasted by the “Thor’s Hammer” lighting element in the headlights and a sloping beltline along the side. Compared to the larger S90, the S60 looks cleaner. This can be attributed to the rear where the license plate has been moved from the bumper to the trunk and a raised lip on the trunk lid. The optional 19-inch wheels fitted on my tester look somewhat out of place as it removes some of the understated look the sedan is trying to present. The V60 Cross Country certainly looks the part of an off-road wagon with a three-inch lift to the suspension, body cladding along the side, different grille color, and new wheel choices. Around back, Volvo takes some ideas from their crossovers with the tailgate being similar in design to XC40 and XC60, and the tall L-shaped headlights. Out of the two, I found myself liking the V60 Cross Country more than the S60. Inside Story The simple elegance philosophy continues inside for both the S60 and V60. The dash features a simplistic design with clean lines and minimal brightwork. Both vehicles feature some surprising interior touches such as wood trim and machined metal pieces. The S60 does falter slightly as some interior pieces are hard plastics with some texturing. This is due to the S60 being the base Momentum trim, higher trims swap this for soft-touch material. Both the S60 and V60 feature front seats that provide an excellent balance of support and comfort. Ten-way power adjustments allow any person to find a setting that fits them. I also like both models coming with the optional power thigh extender to make long drives more bearable. Rear seat space is a mixed bag as there is plenty of legroom in both models, but headroom is constrained in the S60 due to the sloping roofline. In terms of cargo, the V60 Cross Country is the champ. Open the power liftgate and you’re greeted with 23.2 cubic feet. This can be expanded to 50.9 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. The S60 trunk space is slightly disappointing, only offering 11.6 cubic feet. At least the rear seats can be folded down to increase load capacity. Non-Sensus-ical Infotainment All S60 and V60s come with a nine-inch screen featuring Volvo’s Sensus infotainment system. A large screen oriented like a tablet to control most of the functions fits in line with the company’s minimalist approach. But using this system becomes quite infuriating. To start, Sensus takes over a minute to boot up whenever the vehicle is started. You’ll be able to tell since the system will not respond or respond slowly whenever an input is made during this. Thankfully, the system responds quickly once it fully boots up. This brings us to another problem with Sensus, its confounding menu system. Trying to do something simple such as increase fan speed or turn on/off a safety system means swiping into various screens and menus to find that button or slider. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is standard and does make Sensus slightly easier to use. But I think some real improvements will come when the next version of Sensus comes out that will be based on Google’s Android platform. I’m also hoping for some more redundant controls such as a fan knob or temperature buttons. When Five equals Four Both models come equipped with the T5 engine. Before you start thinking that this means a turbocharged five-cylinder, T5 in current Volvos means a turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 248 horsepower and 258 pound-feet. An eight-speed automatic is the only transmission choice. Opting for the T5 on the S60 means you only get front-wheel drive - you’ll need to step to the twin-charged T6 or PHEV T8 for all-wheel drive. As for the Cross Country, it gets all-wheel drive as standard. The T5 is a very potent engine as I found in my review of the XC40 last year and that still holds true for both 60 series models. No matter the situation such as needing to pass a slower truck or leave a stoplight, the turbo-four is eager to move the vehicle at an astonishing rate. The eight-speed automatic is smooth and delivers prompt shifts. On the Cross Country, Volvo has an Off-Road mode that turns on a low-speed function, hill descent control, and optimizes the steering to keep the vehicle moving through whatever muck. For most buyers, this mode will never be touched at all. But I found it to be very handy driving through unplowed roads. EPA fuel economy figures stand at 23 City/34 Highway/27 Combined for the S60 and 22/31/25 for the V60 Cross Country. I got an average of 24.7 for the S60 and 23.1 in the Cross Country on a 60/40 mix of highway and city driving. A Smooth Ride Is Here, Provided You Have the Right Wheels As I mentioned earlier, the S60 I had came with a set of optional 19-inch wheels. This introduces a problem as the ride feels choppy. Over various bumps and imperfections, the S60 wasn’t able to smooth over a fair number of them. I assume going with the standard 18-inch wheels solves this issue somewhat, although some people report the ride is still rough on the smaller wheels. The V60 Cross Country also has a set of 19-inch wheels, but it is noticeably smoother over rough surfaces. Credit must be given to the higher ride height and softer suspension tuning. Wind and road noise are almost non-existent, making both perfect long-distance travelers. Handling is where the S60 redeems itself somewhat. The sedan shows little body and impressive grip when driven through a winding road. I do wish the steering had a little bit more weight, but that may be solved by moving to the R-Design or Polestar models. The Cross Country is a vehicle you want to push due to its softer suspension tuning. Two Good Models, But One Stands Tall The new 60 models are worthy successors to the models before it. An elegant design and mostly roomy interior pair nicely with the strong performance from the T5 engine. Sensus is the biggest stumbling block for both models, but a new version is around the corner which may solve some of the issues. Between the two, I found myself being more impressed with the V60 Cross Country. It has more character in its design compared to the S60 and the ride is much more comfortable. The almost $57,000 price-tag is a bit much, but with some smart optioning, you can make it much more reasonable. As for the S60, I did find it to be quite a decent steer. But the ride does need some work when on the larger wheels. Also, the Momentum can get quite expensive if you go overboard with options. My tester carried a nearly $46,000 price tag, three-grand more than the T5 versions of the R-Design and Inscription which come with some of the optional features as standard. The S60 and V60 Cross Country are excellent alternatives to the usual suspects, just be careful on the options. How I would configure them: There are two different ways I would go configuring an S60. Value: Start with the Momentum T5 at $36,050 and add Heated Front Seats & Steering Wheel ($750) and Premium Package ($2,050) to end up with a nicely equipped S60 at $39,845. You will miss out on some items such as the 360’ camera system, pilot assist, and Harman Kardon audio system, but that pushes the price to over $44,000. Sport: An R-Design T6 fits the bill here and comes with all-wheel drive as standard for a price of $48,045. Decide which metallic paint you would like ($645) or stick with the basic black. Add on the Advanced Package and Heated Rear Seats and Steering Wheel to end up with a final price tag of $51,645 for black or $52,290 for any of the metallic colors. For the V60 Cross Country, it would be similar to my test vehicle with most of the option packages and adding the Harman Kardon Premium Sound system ($800) to bring the final price to $52,795. Disclaimer: Volvo Provided the S60 and V60; Insurance, and One Tank of Gas Year: 2020 Make: Volvo Model: S60 Trim: T5 Momentum Engine: 2.0L Turbocharged DOHC Inline-Four Driveline: Eight-Speed Automatic, Front-Wheel Drive Horsepower @ RPM: 250 @ 5,500 Torque @ RPM: 258 @ 1,500 Fuel Economy: City/Highway/Combined - 23/34/27 Curb Weight: 3,657 lbs Location of Manufacture: Ridgeville, SC Base Price: $36,050 As Tested Price: $46,249 (Includes $995.00 Destination Charge) Options: Advanced Package - $2,500.00 Premium Package - $2,050.00 Multimedia Package - $1,850.00 19" 5-Spoke Cut Wheels - $800.00 Heated Front Seats & Heated Steering Wheel Package - $750.00 Pebble Grey Metallic - $645.00 Linear Lime Deco Inlay and Interior High Level Illumination - $600.00 Year: 2020 Make: Volvo Model: V60 Trim: Cross Country Engine: 2.0L Turbocharged DOHC Inline-Four Driveline: Eight-Speed Automatic, All-Wheel Drive Horsepower @ RPM: 250 @ 5,500 Torque @ RPM: 258 @ 1,500 Fuel Economy: City/Highway/Combined - 22/31/25 Curb Weight: 4,202 lbs Location of Manufacture: Gothenburg, Sweden Base Price: $45,100 As Tested Price: $56,990 (Includes $995.00 Destination Charge) Options: Bowers and Wilkins Premium Sound - $4,000.00 Cross Country Pro Package - $2,800.00 Advanced Package - $2,500.00 Heated Front Seats & Heated Steering Wheel Package - $750.00 Birch Light Metallic - $645.00 Park Assist Pilot - $200.00 View full article

Yuma AZ 1937 :

Bench seats ROCK

Canadian Parliament

I saw a couple of Mechatronik's cars on display at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale a few years ago, they look well-built and well detailed...very pricy but very neat also. Similarly, I love the resto mod Singer Porsches..

Finally found my damned ashtray after looking for like 45 mins. Was on the roof of the '64 under some stuff. That was the last piece in the dash so I can be sure what area I need to prep/paint so's I can bolt the dash structure in permanently; a contained area around the ashtray & glovebox; the dash top & other exposed bits will get professionally painted down the road. With a front bench seat hip room measurement of 66.1", the B-59 provides a very comfy nap spot (I'm only 68" tall), either laying down or just leaning back. One of the reasons I didn't go bucket/console like everyone else building a period resto-mod car always does.

Seriously, it would be better to restore a true classic, like the Invicta project elsewhere in these forums. I doubt any Germans would restore a 40-50 year-old Mercedes Benz.

Maybe there’s not much of a story there to be ‘interesting’.

Im sorry. This is an alternate fuels and propulsion thread. Sorry I derailed it with MOPAR propelled German cars. The thing is, I wouldn't spend a dime restoring 70's and '80s Mercedes cars. Not worth my time or money.

Amazed after all these years (but shouldn't be I guess) that there are people who didn't have a clue about the Nissan Frontier's story. Also, the 2021 Suburban Z71 was shown months ago.

1970's and 1980's era Mercedes-Benz are best used for what? Electrification according to a Belgium company that restores them to like new off the assembly line with an electric power train. From $179,000 to $200,000 depending on model, you can have your dearly loved 70's or 80's MB restored to factory fresh with a high output EV system. https://www.thedrive.com/news/33731/electric-conversions-dont-get-much-better-than-70s-and-80s-mercedes-benz-classics