A Jukebox Made From a Mercedes-Benz 220SE Is for Sale
Phonographs are too mainstream, we only play our vinyl under the hoods of old Benzes.
If you own a collection of vinyl records, chances are pretty good that you are already into the alt. You may have psychedelic art hanging above your bed, a Ouija board in your bathroom, or strong opinions about the latest AJJ album. Merely owning, using, and polishing a phonograph isn't enough to stand out in hipster circles today—you need to involve a grander ceremony in your enjoyment of music to be culturally cutting-edge.
Why not use a vintage phonograph jammed under the hood of a Mercedes-Benz 220SE, then? Such a device surfaced Friday on vintage car auction site Bring A Trailer, complete with a summary of the contraption's origins.
This 45 rpm phonograph was reportedly built by a British performance art group Mutoid Waste Company during its peak in the 1980s, and is housed in the front end of a mid-1960s Mercedes-Benz believed to be a 220SE. At some point in its life, the phonograph was shipped to Los Angeles, California, where it resides now. The phonograph itself is nonfunctional, and in need of both a restoration and some 220-volt power to operate again.
One auction commenter claims to have seen the phonograph in action, and says that the car's headlights would flash and the engine compartment would light in various colors as music played. The rest of the comments are full of car and audiophile humor, and are worth a read.
Though the auction for this phonograph has no reserve, the high bid sits at $1,000 as of the time of this article. Should vintage audio or old Mercedes enthusiasts spot rare parts they need, bids could continue to escalate by the time the hammer falls at 6:40 p.m. EST, this Friday.
