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Edit 6/13/2017: the ABC Exclusive replica 560 SEC is back on a no reserve auction for a $15,000 starting bid. Click HERE!
Coupe versions of the Mercedes-Benz W126 chassis are popular fodder for these pages, and in particular we love to look at some period modified versions. Just last week Craig looked at a 1989 560SEC with period AMG bits, though that car was not an originally modified car. Today I have a comparison of two different directions modifications took in the 1980s on the C126, and in many ways it is a commentary on both how to properly present a car and…well, how not to. Whether these cars are to your taste is another matter, but we can certainly see the divergence in style pretty quickly. Which one is the winner? Let’s take a look at the European specification AMG model first:
Last week, we featured a rather remarkable 1992 Mercedes-Benz 500SEL with just over 16,000 miles on the odometer. Only two model years separate that car and this 1990 560SEL for sale in Illinois, however, they are a world apart in terms of the executive car formula. The W140 that replaced this W126 S-class was large and in charge. Perhaps too large, given its reception at the Geneva Motor Show in 1991. While it was a technical tour de force, many were lamenting the passing of the W126. The 560SEL was the standard bearer for German luxury for many years, that is to say a car that was elegantly styled with bulletproof build quality. To this day, these are cars that blend in nicely into the automotive landscape. It’s hard to explain how they can pull off both the classic and modern look at the same time, but they do. Like the 500SEL from last week, this 560SEL is another low mileage piece, with just under 10,000 miles on the clock.
A couple of years ago this video of a murdered-out 560SEC AMG surfaced on Jalopnik and I fell in love. Not only did the car have tremendous, old-school presence, the film showed an owner who wasn’t afraid to smoke the back tires while driving it quickly and aggressively. Hooning the large, pillar-less brute looked like tremendous fun. Unfortunately, authentic AMG cars from the pre-merger period don’t come to market very frequently. And when they do, they are usually priced well beyond the means of mere mortals like myself (you can see examples we’ve featured before here, here and here). A cheaper alternative would be to find a regular SEC that has had some AMG exterior parts installed, like this one.
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.
A W126 diesel provides all the comfort, style and luxury of the legendary S-class while giving your wallet less of a pounding at the pump. There were three diesel engines available for this platform: one five cylinder unit (a 3.0 liter offered in the 300SD between 1980 and 1985) and two six cylinder units (a 3.0 liter offered in the 300SDL between 1986 and 1987, and a 3.5 liter offered in the 350SD/SDL between 1990 and 1991). These later engines were afflicted by a number of reliability problems, quite out of character for a Mercedes diesel product. So if you really want an oil-burning W126, the safest bet is to stick with one of the earlier cars, like this one. Not only does this ’82 300SD have the more reliable five cylinder engine, it’s presented in a particularly fetching and suitably classy shade of green.
