VIDEO: Ultra-Rare ’50s Mercedes Barn Find Gathers Dirt for 60 Years—Watch Its First Pressure Wash

Courtesy of WD Detailing

It’s so satisfying to watch as the detailer pressure washes his rarest Mercedes barn find yet—that sat in a garage for 60 years.

It started with an Ohio packrat who meant to get around to repainting and revamping the German car he bought in the 1960s.

But he never did.

You know how it goes.

The owner got busy with work and family, and the car—a ’55 Mercedes 190SL—got put on the back burner and sat collecting dust in his basement garage.

Then one decade turned into six, and pretty soon the Ohio packrat who said he wouldn’t sell had his car on the market. An offer from local prolific car collector Elliott was already waiting on the table.

Also in Ohio, Brent Didesare, 28, details cars for a living alongside his high school pal RJ, and together they create YouTube videos on their channel, WD Detailing, logging their epic barn finds and detailing exploits.

Brent Didesare, 28, and his partner RJ find a rare 1955 Mercedes 190SL sitting in a garage in southern Ohio. Courtesy of WD Detailing

Mr. Didesare touched base with Elliott, and they learned the Mercedes had been repainted in the ’60s and completely taken apart. The pieces were stowed inside the body in the garage.

“Throughout his whole life, [the owner] said that he was going to restore it and put it back together,” Mr. Didesare told The Epoch Times. “And he never did.”

He finally let it go to somebody who would put it back together and get it on the road again.

“It was extremely dirty, covered with a very thick layer of dirt and dust,” Mr. Didesare said. “We couldn’t even tell the color of the paint.”

Yet, Mr. Didesare and RJ were jubilant, as the serial number indicated this was the 8^th 1955 Mercedes 190SL that had ever rolled off the line.

The detailers behind the YouTube channel WD Detailing begin working on the rare 1955 Mercedes 190SL. Courtesy of WD Detailing

So, they packed her on a trailer and towed her off to the shop for a good power rinse—which they recorded in all its sudsy glory.

They'd ensure the car was handed off to Elliott in shipshape condition for further restoration. Elliott would then need a master mechanic who understood those old, finicky German engines.

The vacuuming always comes before the pressure washing otherwise the ancient dust, debris, and leaves will never come out. Who knew vacuuming could seem so pleasing?

The Ohio detailers record video while pressure washing the 1955 Mercedes 190SL. Courtesy of WD Detailing

The team clean off the remaining grime by hand. Courtesy of WD Detailing

Then, out came the paint-safe degreaser, sprayed on the car’s outside like a pre-rinse, before a 30-second wait. And then the pressure washing began, completely spraying the body and under the hood.

“It’s really satisfying to watch,” Mr. Didesare said.

But, really, you have to watch it for yourself to enjoy it.

Whoever did the repainting way back when did a doggone shoddy job, he added. There was overspray covering the window that had to be scraped off.

Some of the grit on the body was so bad that they applied light sandpaper to it before buffing it out.

And then, out came the polish, making her shine again, bringing the chrome back to life—this step alone took 10 hours. Pledge took care of the red leather interior. The entire job was spread over three days.

The Mercedes rims and hood ornament were the final touches.

Car collector Elliott inspects the 1955 Mercedes 190SL after detailing. Courtesy of WD Detailing

At last, the ’55 Mercedes was fit for the handoff, and Elliot darkened their garage door and peered in. His jaw dropped.

“He couldn’t believe it,” Mr. Didesare said. It looked—not like new but like a whole different car. They discovered that the color of the paint was actually pearl.

“Now it’s back at Elliott’s warehouse, and he’s making plans on what he wants to do with it next,” Mr. Didesare said, adding that Elliot wants to ensure it’s done the right way.

“You can’t skimp out on anything, because if you do, it can be a disaster,” the detailer said. “He’s trying to figure out what exactly he wants to do before he actually goes ahead and restores it.”

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