Yahoo Autos 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300TE on BaT Has Hollywood and Diplomatic History
Here's a useful and well-engineered Mercedes-Benz wagon with an interesting history.
Child star Shirley Temple in her later years was a U.S. Ambassador, and this car was her official vehicle when stationed in Czechoslovakia.
She brought this Euro-spec wagon home with her to the U.S. and owned it until she died.
Shirley Temple, the iconic child actress of the 1930s and 1940s, is famous for many things. The song On the Good Ship Lollipop. Tap-dancing with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. The teeth-crackingly sweet non-alcoholic drink that bore her name—a limited-edition commercial version of which has just been launched under the 7Up brand. But perhaps you didn't know that Shirley was the U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and you may be surprised to see what she brought back with her from that work.
It's this 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300TE wagon, which is now up for auction on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of the Hearst Autos). Built at a time when Mercedes cars were famously over-engineered, the W124 series (wagon models carry the S124 codename) is a masterpiece. This example is a utilitarian spec not offered in the United States, with crank windows, manual seats, and cloth upholstery. The smooth and durable inline-six is paired with a four-speed automatic transmission. Finished in light ivory, it could have been a taxicab in Europe (many were), but the U.S. diplomatic flag on the right front fender tells a different story.
Married in 1950 and thus now Shirley Temple Black, this was Shirley's personal vehicle right through her three years as U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia.
Her path to politics started with Henry Kissinger, who ended up convincing Richard Nixon to appoint her as a delegate to the UN in 1969. Later, George H.W. Bush appointed her Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, a position she may have sought because she happened to be in Prague in 1968 when the Soviet tanks came rolling in to crush dissent. While Ambassador, Temple Black championed anti-communist activists and was part of establishing formal diplomatic relations with the democratically elected government of Václev Havel. She personally accompanied Havel to the U.S. for his first visit.
The 300TE was brought into the States in the early 1990s and federalized at what must have been considerable expense. Shirley owned this car until she died in 2014, so she clearly had some affection for it. After a young life spent in the very public spotlight, the 300TE's subtlety must have let her pass unnoticed, besides being associated with her foreign service days.
Celebrity cars are a funny business, as simply being owned by a famous person can add tremendously to a car's value—or not at all. There's no reserve on the auction, so the market will decide whether the Shirley Temple ownership bring a premium, but regardless, someone is going to go home with a Mercedes that has a great story attached to it.
And once they do, they can load the cargo area with a crate of 7 Up's new Shirley Temple softdrink. Here's to you, Shirley.
The auction ends on October 23.
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