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This is the end of the road for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class coupe. Following the 2020 model year, Mercedes made a huge decision on pulling the plug for the S-Class Coupe and Cabriolet model, which have been around in one way or another since the W142 chassis that debuted in 1937. The reason given was to cut down the massive line-up of cars to make it a little easier on dealers as well as shift focus to electric offerings. Crazy how we can go from twin-turbocharged V12s making 620 horsepower to all-electric cars basically overnight. Mercedes is telling its customers to go buy the new R232 SL if they want a grand tourer coupe, but that is clearly not the same as the king of the hill S-Class. What will all that mean? I think the current C217 and A217 are going to be very collectible.
There is certainly something about the early pre-merger Mercedes-Benz AMG cars, even if they were converted after the final assembly and they left the factory. Today’s car, a very rare 1993 600SEL, was done by AMG Japan with an increase in displacement to 7.0 liters, some special bodywork, 18″ O.Z. wheels, and the signature wood trim as many places they could find. Even better, this car was optioned with the individual reclining rear seats that of course are heated too. How much? Well, they aren’t getting any cheaper.
A few weeks ago I took a look at the former king of the Mercedes-Benz chauffer cars, the Maybach 62S. Back when it hit the scene in the early 2000s, it rivaled everything on the road of terms of executive ground transpiration and certainly had the price tag to match. However, now that 20 years have passed, it isn’t so impressive anymore other than it being a look back into the time and doing the math at how much value they have lost. When Mercedes brought back the Maybach name as a sub-brand in 2015, it certainly made more sense to have them positioned as a trim level of the S-Class, rather than trying to pitch them as an entirely new brand. Wouldn’t you know, it fared much better and certainly kept production costs down as the majority of the changes were just to the rear seating and some various trim pieces. In typical S-Class fashion, it followed a heavy depreciation after the first few years but still offers great value if you want to go that route. This 2019 up for sale in Texas offers you a $50,000 discount if you’d like roll around in a previous generation car. Would anyone even notice?
This is it. This is the big one – literally. The Maybach 62 rings in with a 150-inch wheelbase and a total length of over 242 inches. Single parking spaces need not apply. Starting price? Over $400,000. You can see where I am going with this one. This was a car bought by those who would never drive it. Still, today if you buy one of these to actually drive, you are out of your mind. However, now that these are old enough to legally buy cigarettes? It might not be a bad idea. Well, maybe it’s not a bad idea…
If you are feeling déjà vu, you are on to something. Last month I checked out a 1998 Mercedes-Benz S600 7.0 AMG and now a month later, we have the brother 1998 CL600 7.0 AMG. It is probably safe to assume these both came out of the same collection, and believe it or not, this one checks in with over 100,000 kilometers on the odometer. Long live the M120!
