Crayford Register
Before Mercedes-Benz started production of the W123 series wagon in 1977 if you wanted a wagon you had to buy a sedan and have it converted by a coach builder.
One such Coach Builder was the UK based Crayford Auto Developments Ltd and this registry is for their cars. They did wagon versions of both the W114/115 and W116 chassis. They also did a few very rare W123 coupe conversions to cabriolet and some one off conversions to a 600 Pullman and 450SLC.
If you own one of these vehicles and would like it recorded on this registry then you need to become a member of our site. This is a very quick process and is required to stop spammers from hitting on us. After you have registered please just click on the link below.
For more interesting reading from a Crayford collector in Germnay click here.
108 0?? 2?
With the exception of this picture we know nothing about this car. It has a vinyl top and appears to have the front and rear slightly different shades?
108 014 12 052174
According to the current owner: I acquired the car: in 1981 my wife was going through the car adverts in the Los Angeles Times and said there was a 1968 Mercedes station wagon (estate) for sale. Well, being the car expert…
108 057 22 011202
In September 1994 Christies of London listed a 280SE Crayford wagon in there auction catalogue. The blurb in the auction listing claims the following: - Converted by Crayford Auto Developments in 1972 and displayed on their…
109 018 22 003081
Known history: - Ordered new by British F1 driver Kennith Alpine, it was converted to an estate in 1976 by Crayford at a cost of 3555 Pounds Sterling. - Advertised in "Our Car" magazine in January 1980. It claims to be 140MPH…
109 056 22 ??????
I had heard about this conversion for some time, but have only recently found some pictures of it in a German Mercedes-Benz Club magazine. The article was about all of the various custom conversions done from the mid 50's thru…
116 024 12 ??????
Yet another Red one, but this time a 280SE. These pictures were taken in a yard for what looks like a Mercedes-Benz workshop in January 2008. Nothing else is known about this car. If it is yours we would love to hear from you.
116 024 12 Canoe
This vehicle surfaced after being discussed on various Mercedes-Benz forums in Fenruary 2013. The pictures show it located in a salvage yard in Matthews North Carolina in the USA. It was picked up on a Youtube video, the…
116 025 10 078758
The only other 280SEL known to exist was posted for sale on eBay in Germany in March 2021. The text for the eBay listing was as follows (note it has been translated): Up for auction today is a very rare vehicle, Mercedes W116…
116 033 12 ??????
This Crayford wagon was photographed in 2007 at the Berlin Meilenwerk and then appeared for sale on www.mobile.de in 2013. The description, which was in German translated as follows: Extremelyrare MercedesBenz 450SELCombined…
116 033 12 another red one
It would appear that red was a popular colour foe the Crayford conversions done by Hoopers in the USA. Little is known about this car. The pictures shown here were taken in October 2005 out the back of the Berlin Meileinwerks.…
116 033 2 079242
Just purchased out of Colorado - Will update when I complete investigation.
426467583622
RHD 1971 W108 280SE Crayford Estate. Owned by my father as a family car for years in the UK, at one point being swapped to a diesel engine. After my father's death, the car left the family and, via a number of subsequent…
David McMullan
In November 2010 one of the founders of Crayford called into visit me and look at my two Crayford models. Crayford Auto Developments Ltd was an English coachbuilding operation based in Westerham, Kent, England, and was founded…
Factory pictures.
In February 2008 I was in the UK and met with the President of the Crayford Convertible Car Club Mr Barry Priestman. He very kindly scanned these original black and white pictures that he has as part of a large archive of…
100 014 12 002035
Crayford also did one 600 Pullman conversion (see final picture). Details can be found on this Auction House's website: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/8040557- Believed to be the only 600 Pullman converted to Landaulet…
107 024 12 016369
After chasing all over the globe looking for information on this car we received this surprise e-mail in December 2013 from the current owner of the Condor. The story goes like this: One of the stars of the 1980 Motor Show at…
114 011 22 ??????
This wagon started life as a Factory Long Wheel Base 230.6 sedan. Quite a rare car even before it was converted to a station wagon (or "Estate" as the British refer to them). It was named the Dachshund for reasons that I are…
114 011 22 100082
The only known example of the standard wheel base W114/115 conversion known to be currenly in use. According to various word of mouth records this body shape was the most commonly converted and yet only this example survives? …
115 110 20 299911
Now here is a great story. This is a W115 220D Crayford wagon, the first picture as taken by John Green (webmaster of this site) in a shopping center car park in Sailbury in the UK some time in 1999..... We posted this picture…
116 024 22
Ex Crayford demonstrator. For some time it was owner by Stuart Imber in the UK. Was sold to a collector in France in 2013 the shot on the trail is of it being delivered. (date on picture is wrong) The other shots are from the…
116 024 22 016959
This information supply by Gordon Balfour-Haynes in 2010 This vehicle was purchased by myself in 2007 without engine or transmission. It has had a hard life - and shows it! The original engine was replaced with another M110 in…
116 024 22 027952
This one popped up on ebay a few years back, but has been unheard of since. Would be great to find out where it went.... Update August 2011. Is on ebay again, going very cheap this time, but does look like it has been left out…
116 024 22 051616
Text supplied by Chris Martin who owned it from 2007-09 Bought 2007 it was registered and running but with several issues to deal with. The interior responded well to a good clean, but it still needs the headlining replaced. I…
116 025 22 062189
The only known 280SEL wagon in existence. Very well optioned with electric widows, sunroof, etc. Owned by M.B Spares an used as a breakdown vehicle for Mercedes-Benz club rallys. There is an interesting chance of history with…
116 028 22 026029
A rare 350SE version of the W16 Crayford wagon, was owned by the President of the Crayford Convertable Car Club for many years before being laid up. Has been off the road for some time and needs to be restored. We visited in…
116 033 ?? ??????
Details of this car found here: http://s495.photobucket.com/albums/rr314/heckflosse2/VdHAnzeigen/14-1976450SELCrayford/ No pictures that I can post yet on this one, but is a US spec car with the safety bumpers and climate…
116 033 12 051032
Update October 2013 The current owner has posted up a very detailed website for the car. You can see it here: http://www.mercedes-crayford.de/ . Shots of this 450SEL were listed on this forum:…
116 033 12 067542
Pictures here were taken from an ebay add in September 2008. The description was included with the auction details. This one was sold on July 12 1977 by Chariot Motors in Poughkeepsie, NY. It was prepared by Harpers of Detroit…
116 033 12 075079
Another red USA specification 450SEL showed up on ebay in May 2011. Listed by the then owner, vehicle was located in Texas USA, with the auction listing claiming that it had been a local car for many years. When it went to form…
116 033 12 Sophia Loren
Very few details on this one, but we do know it was specially built for Sophia Loren. Not many pictures around but it is thought to be the car in the back ground of this shot taken at the factory showing a production kit. …
116 033 22 044964
Not much known about this one's early history. MB Spares purchased the vehicle in 2007 on eBay from a chap in Melbourne. The speedo reads 106678kms and based on the condition of the leather and paint work this may well be…
116 120 12 013305
This is the only 300SD conversion that I have come across. I would presume it has been sold new in the USA and then sent to the UK for conversion. It has now found its way to Austria! Build date on the chassis plate is 01/79…
