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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.
I remember vividly when the Mercedes-Benz W140 debuted. It seemed such a big departure from the W126 S-class, both in physical size and technology. Pouring over the pages of a brochure sent to my father from Mercedes-Benz North America, I marveled at this car’s features, such as the small chrome posts that would emerge from the rear fenders to help guide in parking and the new 6.0 liter V12 that found its way under the hood of the 600SEL, a car which could be optioned with four-place seating. If that wasn’t enough, the W140 could quite possibly be one of the few vehicles to feature an electrically adjustable rear view mirror. If that isn’t over the top, I’m not sure what is. Some folks liked this car for its technical prowess, others derided it for its size and excess in a worldwide recession. It’s hard to think, though, that a quarter century has passed since this car’s introduction, giving way to successors it bore little resemblance to. This 1992 500SEL for sale in South Dakota is a like new example with less than 20,000 miles on the clock.
What would you do with over 700 ft lb of torque? Well, if it were me, I’d make sure to unnerve the neighbors a bit as I started out my morning commute. Fortunately, for them, I work from home. Yes, that’s just how much power these CL65 AMG coupes pack under the hood, with a healthy 604 horsepower to go along with those torques. If the CL55 AMG with its 5.5 liter supercharged V8 was not enough, Mercedes decided to go one step further and strap two turbochargers on a 6.0 liter V12 and unleash what has to be one of the most serious luxury coupes to ever hit the market. Set apart by those gun metal gray alloy wheels, this 2006 CL65 AMG for sale in North Carolina has yet to cross the 40,000 mile mark and gives those power hungry enthusiasts among us a crack at a barely broken in über-coupe.
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.
As my family moves on to its ninth Mercedes-Benz, I was reminded the other day of my grandfather’s 1972 280SE. This was a rather unusual car for the day in Philadelphia, but reflected a bit of his taste as a diplomat for the Portuguese government. These were stately cars that compromised little. I’ve always preferred the look of the W108/W109 as opposed to the befinned W111 that preceded it and this late model 280SE 4.5 is no different. The W108 would only be sold in the US market for 1973, as the rest of the world had already moved on to the W116 S-class. For sale in New York, this isn’t the most perfect W108, but it certainly holds a lot of promise.
