The Mercedes-Benz 280SE (w108) pictured below is sitting on the side of a small business on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, Utah.

The sticker on the rear license plate indicates that the SE hasn’t been registered since 2001, meaning it has theoretically been off the road for at least 13 years. It’s difficult to tell what the story behind it is. It could be awaiting a restoration, it could be an aborted project or it could have simply been parked there following a mechanical issue and forgotten about. Personally, we’re leaning towards the third option.

Regardless, this SE is in a sad state. The driver’s side doors have been graffitied, the windshield has been smashed in and two of the windows are broken, leaving the interior exposed to the heavy snow that plummets down on Utah every winter. The interior is home to a large amount of garbage including old shoes, miscellaneous plastic bags and – oddly enough – over a dozen stacks of Post-It notes. Thousands of glass shards and leaves add insult to injury.

The w108 was worth relatively little in the early 2000s when the example pictured below was last registered. However, prices are steadily going up so hopefully this one will find a new home and see the open road once again in the near future. It’s an ambitious project but it’s mostly complete and the body is fairly straight – we’ve seen a lot worse rust on these, especially in the Salt Lake Valley where the Department of Transportation relies on salt to keep the roads clear.