Joe DiMaggio’s 1991 Mercedes-Benz 420SEL

Baseball season is fast approaching, with Spring Training just a few weeks away. For fans of America’s pastime, this particular 1991 Mercedes-Benz 420SEL is tied to a significant piece of the sport’s history. It was Old Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium in the summer of 1991, and one of the team’s greatest players, Joe DiMaggio, was on hand as it was the 50th anniversary of his 56 game hitting streak. That day, he did something rather out of character and treated the crowd to a speech. Afterwards, DiMaggio was presented this S class as a token of appreciation by the team. Now, almost 15 years after his death, this very car is up for sale in Arizona.

Click for more details: 1991 Mercedes-Benz 420SEL owned by Joe DiMaggio on eBay

Year: 1991
Model: 420SEL
Engine: 4.2 liter V8
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Mileage: 65,290 mi
Price: $17,995 Buy It Now

1991 marked the 50th anniversary of the legendary Joe Dimaggio’s, “The Yankee Clipper” 56 batting streak. The Hall of Famer was present at an Old Timers Day event on July 27th 1991 at the New York Yankee stadium. After his speech, he was presented with a brand new 1991 Mercedes-Benz 420SEL Sedan by the New York Yankee team. They painted the Yankee logo on the back trunk for him to commemorate his success. The car is presented here with a Letter of Provenance signed by Joe Dimaggio’s two granddaughters, photographs of the Old Timers Day ceremony with him and the car, the Mercedes-Benz books with Joe’s name for the ownership and warranty and the catalog where the car was sold by the estate at auction in May of 2006.

European Motor Studio is very proud to offer this exceptional Arctic White over Dove Grey 1991 Mercedes-Benz 420SEL Sedan. This 420SEL left the Mercedes-Benz production line in January of 1991 making this one of the very last W126 S-Class sedans off the production line before production was closed down. Presented to Hall of Famer Joe Dimaggio on July 27th 1991 by the New York Yankees team the car was sent back to Dimaggio’s home in Miami Beach Florida where the he lived until his death in 1999. The car remained in the Dimaggio estate until May of 2006 when Dimaggio’s personal items were auctioned off. The car sold to its second owner and private collector and moved to southern California. The car stayed in the 2nd owners care until European Motor Studio acquired the car and brought it to AZ.

Having only traveled 65,300 miles from brand new, this car comes complete with all of its original books, owners manuals, warranty books, dealer books, service and warranty books, Mercedes-Benz tool kit, jack and spare as well as two keys. Documentation and letter of provenance go with the car verifying it is in fact Joe Dimaggio’s car. The car is in exceptional condition showing very little wear over the years. The paint on the car is in beautiful shape, still retains a deep luster and free from any fade or oxidation (small hairline scrape in the front lower bumper and two hairline scrapes in the back bumper). The body is extremely straight, minus one small ding in the passenger front fender, and completely free from any rust or corrosion.

The interior of the car is near showroom condition. The leather looks stunning and shows almost no wear of any kind. All of the carpets and original Mercedes-Benz floor mats look excellent and free from any tears or stains and the headliner looks perfect free from any damage or stains. All of the chrome, switchgear and plastics looks exceptional and free from wear or damage. The beautiful original wood looks excellent with a few small hairline cracks on the lower console surrounding the window switches. All of the electrical equipment is in working order except the sunroof (you can hear the motor working but the roof does not slide back). All of the windows, door locks, mirror, seats, steering wheel, power antenna, AC/heater and radio are all in working order. All of the interior and exterior lights are in proper working order as well as the reverse lights and turn signal lights.

Mechanically the car is outstanding; it stars right up and idles beautifully. It shifts into gear without any clunking or grinding and shifts effortlessly. The engine does not smoke or leak and it accelerates very smoothly. The brakes feel solid and do not show any signs of fade or pulsating. The steering is very solid and tight as well as the suspension which are all free from any rattling or thumping. This Mercedes has a newer battery, 80% tread life left on the tires, about 50-60% brake life left and has just been completely serviced.

The W126 Mercedes-Benz sedan is one of the best and most successful S-Class sedans Mercedes-Benz has ever produced and some say the last of traditional S-Classes. This 420SEL is one of the very last W126 to come off the production before the 1992 model year W140 S-Class took its place. These are increasingly hard to find in such exceptional condition with such low mileage, and a true collector item with its celebrity provenance that cannot be duplicated.

Please call or email if you have any questions regarding Joe Dimaggio’s own personal 1991 Mercedes-Benz 420SEL Sedan. 480-310-8814

Almost $18,000 is a big ask for a 420SEL with this kind of mileage. We’re probably somewhere around $4,000 to $5,000 over what we would normally see a car like this bring sans celebrity status. If you’re a Yankees fan or enjoy baseball in general, maybe a piece of memorabilia like this makes sense. But the minute you start piling mileage on, the value will start to plummet. In most cases, it would be worth waiting for a clean W126 that could be used, unless you must have Joltin’ Joe’s car in your garage.

-Paul