Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
At the other end of the gray market scale from the 500SL we featured a few days ago sits this car, the 280SL. For most of its lifespan, European customers were able to specify a six cylinder variant of the popular R107 roadster, the first examples having the engine we see here, the twin cam M110 inline-6. This example for sale in Wisconsin has remarkably low mileage and features a few nice options like alloy wheels, heated seats and the rear “kinder†seat.
Beginning in the 1970s, the split between US and Euro market vehicles of foreign manufacturers became more pronounced, leading some US customers to import more and more non-US market vehicles. Oftentimes these imports would be more powerful, have features unavailable on US models or, in an era of changing safety rules, have slimmer, lighter bumpers. Such was the case with the R107 Mercedes-Benz SL. Before the 560SL arrived on the scene for the 1986 model year, the holy grail of forbidden SL fruit was the 500SL, with the 240 horsepower V8. This was considerably more than the 155 horsepower offered from the 3.8 liter V8 in the 380SL sold in the US at the time. This 500SL for sale in New York offers the SL enthusiast a chance at an R107 in one of its ultimate forms.
I feel as if time hasn’t been all that kind to the W210 Mercedes-Benz E class. We’re almost 20 years out since this car appeared on the scene and with it, a new styling language to take Mercedes-Benz into the 21st century. Under that fresh face was a good old standby in the form of the diesel engine. While most manufacturers had abandoned oil burners in the 1990s, Mercedes stayed on a few years longer in the US and offered the new W210 E class with the 3.0 liter inline-6 diesel that produced 174 horsepower and 244 lb ft of torque. There weren’t a whole lot of takers for this car in comparison to the petrol powered E320, but those who gave it a shot would be won over by the renowned Mercedes diesel durability. This E300 for sale in California has a remarkably low 70,000 miles on the clock, unusual for a diesel Mercedes.
In the realm of German motorcars, it seems within each marque, a favorite has emerged as the standard bearer of each manufacturers’ virtues. The air-cooled Porsche 911s appeal to those hardcore P-car nuts who deem rear-engine sports cars as the only acceptable vehicle to don the Stuttgart crest. The BMW E30 has become a symbol of greatness and what initially drew thousands to the company in the first place: the ultimate driving experience. And for Mercedes, few classics capture the imagination more than the W123. Perhaps the most durable Mercedes-Benz ever, this car combines restrained good looks with over the top engineering that had customers coming back into showrooms for more. Admittedly, this wasn’t very often when you built a car that could easily cover half a million miles at a clip.
While the 300CE we featured the other day exemplifies the kinder, gentler side of the W124 equation, the 500E/E500 was anything but. If you looked at the performance figures of this super sedan, you would think this might be a car for lunatics in a hurry. But it was so much more than a tool for speed freaks. Few cars before had so seamlessly blended brute performance with refined luxury, save for some Maseratis and Mercedes own creations such as the 300SEL 6.3 and 450SEL 6.9. The 500E kicked up the luxury sports sedan game a bit more. In collaboration with Porsche, the W124 was thoroughly worked over from engine to brakes to suspension to create the ultimate sleeper. This 500E for sale in New York does its best to blend into the woodwork with its Smoke Silver paintwork.