Introducing a well-engineered Mercedes-Benz wagon that comes with an intriguing history. Shirley Temple, the former child star, served as a U.S. Ambassador in her later years, and this car was her official vehicle while stationed in Czechoslovakia. She brought this Euro-spec wagon home to the U.S. and owned it until her passing. Shirley Temple was a famous child star in the 1930s and 1940s. She had many different parts. Lil’ Pop’s song “On the Good Ship.” Tap dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson does it. The unbelievably sweet, non-alcoholic drink was named after her. It was just released in restricted quantities under the 7Up brand. You might not have known that Shirley was the American ambassador to Czechoslovakia when the Berlin Wall came down. You might also be surprised by the things she brought back from her time there. On Bring a Trailer right now, the 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300TE wagon is up for sale. The W124 series (wagon versions are codenamed S124) is a gem that was made at a time when Mercedes cars were known for having too many features. The manual seats, cloth upholstery, and crank windows on this variant make it a useful choice that isn’t offered in the U.S. A strong and smooth inline-six engine and a four-speed automatic drive work together. With its light ivory finish, it might have looked like a taxicab in Europe, where there were lots of them, but the American foreign flag on the right front fender makes it look like it’s not. This was Shirley Temple Black’s car while she was U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia for three years. Shirley got married in 1950 and is now known as Shirley Temple Black. Henry Kissinger set her up for a job in politics by getting Richard Nixon to name her as a U.N. representative in 1969. Even though she may have applied for the job because she was in Prague in 1968 when Soviet tanks came to stop riots, George H.W. Bush later made her ambassador to Czechoslovakia. While he was ambassador, Temple Black backed anti-communist protesters and helped build a relationship with Václev Havel’s freely elected government. Havel went to the United States by herself on her first trip there. The 300TE was brought to the U.S. in the early 1990s and made official by the government, which almost certainly cost a lot of money. Shirley owned this car until she died in 2014, which shows how much she cared about it. The 300TE’s understated style must have helped her stay unknown after a brief moment in the public eye, in addition to being linked to her time in foreign service. One interesting thing about celebrity autos is that the value of a car can go up or down a lot just because a famous person owns it. The market will decide if Shirley Temple’s ownership is worth more than the asking price since there is no reserve. Either way, someone will walk away with an interesting Mercedes. When they’re done, they can put a box of 7-Up’s newest Shirley Temple soft drink in the back. Shirley, I have something to say. On October 23, the sale will end.
