During a recent trip to Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to visit the Mercedes Classic Center down in Irvine.  The Classic Center is tucked away in a small industrial complex, but for Mercedes owners, enthusiasts, and car people of all stripes it’s a must-see.  This unassuming building is like Mary Poppins’ bag for Mercedes-Benz vehicles.  If you’ve got a Mercedes of any vintage, you can get any factory part you need from the Classic Center–literally.  They’ll even restore your old Benz to its original specifications.  Since we’ve got a classic Mercedes in storage back in Michigan, this place was of great interest to us.

The Classic Center acts much like a dealer with an unusually extensive service department.  They’ll do everything from routine maintenance to ground-up rebuilds.

Parts for anything Mercedes has ever built can be found, and those that aren’t on hand either in the Classic Center’s massive parts department or in Germany can be reproduced, as the Classic Center has access to the original designs and specifications for all of Mercedes’ cars.  “We can get anything for anything,” says Mike Kunz, manager of the Classic Center.

The focus is on authenticity, and the Classic Center keeps massive stores of OEM hose clamps and bolts on hand, never making do with off-the-shelf parts from an auto parts store.  Some parts have been upgraded–old horsehair seat cushions, for instance, are now made with a material that looks and feels the same but is produced from ground coconut shells for a more durable and environmentally-friendly product.  Parts can be had in one day from the Classic Center, and three days in the rare event that they have to be ordered from Germany.

The Classic Center’s activities are split mainly between parts sales and restoration, but there’s also a mini-museum out front, and there are a few cars on sale as well.

A garage off of the main showroom features cars representing most of the marque’s history, displayed on two-tier vehicle lifts.  Some of the cars for sale have been restored by the Classic Center, and others are consignment vehicles; either way, it makes for an interesting showroom.  Vehicles are also provided for concours events.

We lucked into a quick tour of the facilities, where several restoration and repair projects were ongoing.  The Classic Center has about nine “restoration specialists” on staff, and we saw a variety of vehicles getting the treatment, from a 600 Pullman in for extensive hydraulic repairs to a 1961 330D Adenauer in the midst of a two-year full restoration.

Not far from it was a Pontoon sedan that was also getting the same treatment; the Classic Center will do a back-to-original restoration on any Mercedes, not just the rare or special vehicles.   It’s not inexpensive, of course:  a ground-up restoration from the Classic Center carries a six-figure price tag.

Most of the center’s “patients” are Mercedes products from the 1950s and ’60s, but we saw everything from a 190 convertible to a fully restored 280SE 3.5 on the shop floor.


The yellow SLK/G-Class hybrid that circumnavigated the globe almost a decade ago was even hiding in a corner (it’s been there since at least 2006 in fact), awaiting repairs before joining the Classic Center’s museum.

The Mercedes Classic Center is a worthwhile stop, whether you’ve got a Mercedes in your garage or not.  It’s located on Whatney Street in Irvine, and the showroom is open to the public.

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