Rare Find: Mercedes-Benz (W202) C43 AMG

We track down an enthusiast who, after literally having to run after this C43 AMG, had to take a long and patient journey before he could fully enjoy one of only two W202 C43 AMGs in South Africa.  

Words: Wilhelm Lutjeharms 

It is evident that Hanjo Stier is quite happy and content with his C43 AMG. However, it has been a long journey, not only to acquire this rare AMG, but to get it to its current, beautiful condition.

“I first saw it on New Year’s Day nine years ago in Windhoek, Namibia. We used to get a lookalike body kit that could be fitted to the W202 C280, but I must have spotted the light-grey inserts on the seats and upon further inspection saw that this was a genuine C43 – which I had never seen before. To this day it is the only one I’ve ever seen, including during my travels through Europe!

• Find a new or classic AMG Mercedes for yourself here.

“I managed to find the owner inside a shop, but he wasn’t ready to sell the car. I left my number and I took his. A couple of years went by and I kept asking. Then one day he told me he had sold it to a friend in Johannesburg – I was devastated. Sometime later, in 2017, I was again in Windhoek on business, and this very car came past me, with a “For Sale” sign on the back. So, I ran after it, which is rather out of character, because I don’t run for anything! The passenger eventually told the driver that there was a guy running after them and maybe he should stop. We exchanged details, and it turned out that the owner had indeed bought it from our mutual acquaintance.”

Finally!

“He told me that it had been on the market for half a year and no one wanted to buy it! Of course, the decision to make it mine had been made years ago, so there was no way I was leaving without it. The mileage was high and it was in a terrible condition, so I used one of my clients in Windhoek, Christiaan Bauer at Bauer's Autowerkstatt, to take a look at the car. We put it on a lift only to find more issues and more rust, also spotting control arms and bushes that were in need of replacement. He is Mercedes-Benz-trained and worked for the local dealer at one point, so his advice and trained eye were very useful. I also phoned Robert van Alphen, my Mercedes-Benz specialist in Cape Town. On a video call he went with me while the car was on the lift and gave me good advice in terms of how much I should pay for the car considering the condition.

“I actually used a professional guy from WeBuyCars in Namibia to broker the deal, as both individuals in the transaction were private. Once the deal was done, the car was sent straight to Bauer's Autowerkstatt to have it checked over, serviced and the necessary work done so it could pass its roadworthy test. Then I drove the car for about a year during my regular visits to Namibia.

“I decided then to have the car fully refurbished but to have that done closer to home, in Cape Town. I drove it down for the 1 500 km from Namibia to Cape Town and it didn’t give any issues. Back home, at one stage it was the only running car in the family; even my pregnant wife was driving it.”

Restoration

Next up was the process of having the bodywork done, which took by far the longest time, but for good reason. “I decided to have all the bodywork done by Mark Coetzee at Coetzees Auto Coachworks, a company well known in the Mercedes-Benz Club of South Africa. He came highly recommended. His company is quite busy, so I had to get in the queue. I made a deal with him based on that wonderful triangle of speed, quality and cost. I wanted good quality at a reasonable cost, so he told me, “Don’t rush me”. The car was delivered to him in January 2020 and I got the car back midway through 2023. It took this long for the bodywork to be done, because the more they dug, the more rust they found. It was mainly around the bottom of the car. There was, for example, a huge hole under the driver’s footwell. The sills were a bit rotten and so was one door. They stripped body panels and did well to get rid of all the rust over the following months. As agreed, I didn’t rush them – it was for me an exercise in patience. I visited the car a number of times during the course of the project, with them also moving premises as their business was expanding.

“The interior was original, but pretty worn out. I used Color Glo in Cape Town. He had done a very sympathetic restoration on another 50-year-old car of mine and he had done it so well, I turned to him for the C43. He had to replace two panels in the seats, but the grain of the leather and the colour match was done expertly while the rest of the leather also received some care. As for the rest, I wanted some patina. After all, the car has done just over 256 000 km.

“More mechanical work was done by Robert in Cape Town once the body was done. This was necessary as the car had basically stood still for three years. These included new shocks, pipes and hoses, rubbers and the fuel system were attended to. Thankfully the brakes were still in a good condition. I told a fellow enthusiast the other day that, when I eventually got the car back, it felt like a new purchase. I had sort of forgotten what it felt like to drive and what it smelt like.”

One of the things on Hanjo’s to-do list is finding a set of mono-block C43 AMG wheels. Finding the perfect wheels is a tough job, requiring patience, luckily something Hanjo has been proven to possess. In the meantime, fortunately the current set is period correct. One aftermarket and quite popular modification that is also on the list is to upgrade the open differential to a limited-slip type. Thankfully an original Becker radio was found on eBay. 

Apart from that, there are still a few final cosmetic and electronic gremlins Hanjo will attend to in the coming months. But for now, after more than three years, it is clear he simply wants to enjoy his car, one of the rarest Mercedes-Benzes, and cars in general, in South Africa. 

Behind the wheel

Strolling around the car with the key in hand, it is the subtle exterior upgrades that catches one’s eye. Impressive in the sense that they are there, but they are almost only visible to the trained eye – so very typical of the understated 90s. As Hanjo explains to me, now and then he will find an enthusiast walking over to him, usually an elderly gentleman. They would stop, point at the car and ask: “Is this a real one?”. 

The exterior updates include the front bumper, the wheels, the side sills and the rear bumper. Of course, also the chrome-tipped double exhaust pipe. It is very subtle, but if you are a Mercedes-Benz enthusiast you will notice it from a distance.

It is refreshing that the car, unlike modern AMGs, doesn’t scream performance with a large wing, front winglets, air in- and outlets, stripes, and coloured beading. The AMG approach was quite different two-and-a-half decades ago.

The cabin has been given the same treatment: noticeable, yet very subtle. The leather seats offer a combination of side bolstering for support as well as comfort and being visually appealing thanks to the use of black and light-grey leather. The thick steering wheel has been given the same two-tone treatment. There is the gear-lever with the “Sport” inscription on the top and, as expected, the dials are white.

Under the bonnet is the 4.3-litre V8 engine, and as I turn the key the deeper burble instantly, yet understatedly, takes centre stage. Some might say I’m starting my W202 C-Class journey at the wrong end though, as this is the first W202 model I’ve ever experienced. 

The cabin is relatively small, and so is the car's footprint. It is refreshing though, especially as the length of the bonnet feels rather short with the perched tri-star emblem visible at the end.

Once on the twisty high-way, the C43 rides like I expected. Comfort is still the main characteristic, but I enjoy the slight firmness that this AMG model offers. The torque allows you to travel at low engine speeds, but press the throttle deeper towards the floor and the gearbox shifts down, the car picking up speed quite impressively. It is not quick in a modern way, but it is quick enough to be exciting and enjoyable. The brake pedal travel is also rather long, but it does its job well while the relatively small (for a performance sedan) footprint makes it easy to place on the road and through corners.

As I pull into the lookout point for the final sunset pictures, I have a new level of appreciation for these early AMG cars. Their subtle approach to performance and the “if you know you know” style makes them quite alluring. Hanjo had to wait long to finally fully enjoy this rare Mercedes-Benz, but it is safe to say that the Western Cape’s roads will now be seeing much more of this car.

Specifications:

Model: Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG (W202) 

Engine: 4,3-litre, V8

Power: 228 kW at 5 850 rpm

Torque: 410 N.m at 3 250 – 5 000 rpm

Transmission: 5-speed automatic, RWD

Weight: 1 570 kg

0-100 km/h: 6.5 seconds 

Top speed: 250 km/h 

Years produced: 1997 – 2000