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Walk around any new car lot these days and one thing seems to be lacking: color. Even scanning the Porsche lot I visited a few days ago, there was not much on hand outside of silver, white and black. Sure, these colors are good for resale, but where’s everyone’s imagination these days? What ever happened to some of the bright colors of yore that graced some of the cars we know and love? Signal Red might not be your typical S-class hue, but it sure makes a statement on this 1989 560SEC. After all, this was a car devised as a personal luxury coupe. Why not personalize it? This 560SEC for sale in Seattle is closing in on 100,000 miles, has been garaged since new and comes replete with service records from the Mercedes-Benz dealer.
Mercedes’s C126 coupe first appeared in 1981 and remained in production until 1991. Derived from the W126 platform SE/SEL, the SEC combines the stately grace of the S-class sedan with the sportiness and elegance of a long, pillar-less coupe. These cars still look special today, especially with all the windows down, looking low and mean. The examples that usually catch my eye are either bone stock and completely original, or outrageously modified cars like the AMG wide-bodies which, when they do come to market, are usually priced at a couple of hundred grand. Today’s car, which is mostly stock but has been gently modified with some Euro and Lorinser accessories, represents a nice balance between the two.
While 1990 ushered in a new SL roadster, the S-class sedan and SEC coupe would hang on for another two years before their replacements arrived. Considering all generations of S-class over the last 40 years, the W126/C126 is perhaps one of the most timeless. As with every new generation of Mercedes-Benz, new technologies became available and integrated bumpers eliminated the bad proportions which we saw during the crash bumper era of the 1970s. Toward the end, these cars were still a formidable opponent in the luxury class war, standing up in performance and luxury even against some new competition from Japan. This 560SEC for sale in California looks smart in black over palomino livery and has covered less than 80,000 miles in its lifetime.
When it comes to cars of the 1980s, some may drool over the side strakes of the Ferrari Testatossa or the scissor doors of the Lamborghini Countach, but one of my favorite styling themes to emerge from this decade was the widebody look. Popularized on cars such as the Porsche 911 Turbo, other vehicles adapted this design cue to mixed reviews. One of my favorites though was the widebody Mercedes-Benz C126 AMG coupe. This 1990 560SEC AMG Widebody for sale in San Diego is the stuff dreams are made of for me, looking mean as ever on those color matched AMG Monoblock alloy wheels. The wheels aren’t the only thing that is mean, though, as the asking price is sure to scare off the casual punter.
I’m always a fan of the showdown posts; no surprise, since I think I’m the only one who does them here! While it’s nice to highlight one car at a time, I’m just a fan of the opportunity costs; considering what my money could go towards otherwise. Plus, though we see comparisons of new cars in magazines and online fora, it’s not often that we have comparos including nearly 40 year old cars. While I usually highlight this type of comparison in my 10K Friday posts, today is a bit different and I believe the first time I have a showdown on Tuner Tuesday. I’ve rounded up a quintet of neat cars that are all modified from stock by some of the most famous tuners of the 1980s; which is the winner?
