All Entries Tagged With: "W126"
eBay Find: 1991 Mercedes 300SE
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img via eBay ::: 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SE
W126 aficionados be prepared to cut a cheque for $4,750. That’s the buy-it-now price an eBay seller from Cali wants for this magnificent black-on-cream 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SE. The standard wheelbase Sonderklasse has led a pretty quiet life since 2006 (only driven 5K miles or so). Granted, a car that sits is prone to as much trouble as a car that’s overworked – but aesthetically this big Benz is still in its Helmut Kohl prime. Purists note the original (and ergonomically confounding) Becker radio unit – though – conversely it appears as though the original paint has been scrubbed from the rims.
Sorely tempted…
[eBay]
Dictator’s Choice: 1985 Euro Spec Mercedes-Benz 500SE
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: 1985 W126 Mercedes-Benz 500SE
WHAT better ride (aside from the W100 gen. 600 Pullman, of course) to ruthlessly rule the highway like some third world despot? The above grey market 1985 W126 generation 500SE is advertized as an S-Class that both time and the original owner forgot (to drive). Just 43K on the clock. Mixed emotions on the Euro lights / bumpers but check those period sporting rims – OEM? Resident W126 experts please confirm…
Thanks, Jim!
[BaT]
eBay: Mercedes-Benz 560SEL
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img via eBay ::: 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL
IF circa 1985 you had asked Porsche to conceive and build a Rolls-Royce, the Mercedes-Benz 560SEL would have been Zuffenhausen’s answer. Power without temperament. Imperial but measured. Over-engineered and nothing wasted. Germanic to a fault but also elegant in ways that neither its forebear (450SEL 6.9) nor successor (S600) could manage.The 560SEL represents the best of a platinum era in Stuttgart.
The 560SEL pictured silver over grey (so-so color combo) appears to be a kindly preserved example with just over 70,000 miles on the clock. The seller, in particular, seems wistful about letting his big Benz go. Who can blame him.
[eBay]
Elephants Can Dance: Autocrossing With 420SEL
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: YouTube ::: Mercedes-Benz 420SEL
FANS of the W126 vintage S-Class should get a kick out of this short clip. Makeshift autocross courses can be cramped affairs in the best of circumstances and this particular example seems staged in some back lot with cones aligned tight enough to make turning on a dime less a bragging right and more an imperative. Needless to say, it’s amazing just how well this 420SEL Benz throws its weight around.
eBay Watch: 1990 Mercedes-Benz 300SE
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img via eBay ::: 1990 Mercedes 300SE for sale
BRILLIANT. Hard to know how else to describe the stunning overall aesthetic condition of this nearly spotless 1990 Mercedes-Benz 300SE in that most luscious of color combinations – jet black over black.
And that leather… dyed true black long before Mercedes soft-soaped us into accepting “Ash” as the next-best hue. There is, however, one truly terrible flaw (sadly endemic to W126 S-Classes) to this 300SE’s otherwise sterling facade. Might even be a deal breaker. See if you can spot it in the listing’s pictures.
[eBay]
Bullet Proof W126 In Institute’s Music Video
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: YouTube ::: Institute – Bullet Proof Skin with W126 Benz
MUSIC videos are a particularly good platform for das auto. One keen reader and W126 fan recently alerted yours to a W126 S-Class that takes a leading role in a music flick by the rock bang “Institute”. Fittingly, the song’s called “Bullet Proof Skin”.
In the short film we see the lead vocalist pilot the black S-Class with aftermarket rims and (sadly) clear side indicators drive through the mist and fog that seldom happen in sunny Los Angeles. Angelinos do love their W126 Benzes! Great song, btw.
Thanks, Pedro!
S350 BlueTEC 4-Matic: Having & Eating Your Cake Year-Round
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img MBUSA ::: 2012 Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTEC 4-MATIC
MY good friend Hugh Whittle once owned two Mercedes-Benz W126 300SDs. He boasted that in his diesel S-Class, he could get more than 600 miles on a single tank. Then, I remember that as a kid the first W140 generation S-Class I rode in was an S350. Us New English like our luxury mixed with practicality. Only trouble was neither Benz was much good in the snow.
eBay Watch! 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300SDL
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: img via eBay ::: 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300SDL
DIESEL W126 Mercedes Sonderklassen are the stuff of legend. Anyone looking for a modern-classic Benz that averages more than 30 mpg highway and cruises comfortably at 110 mph, need look no further than a well maintained 300SDL. These are exemplary, over-engineered MBs. Well maintained examples are diamonds in the automotive rough. Not crazy about smoke silver exterior but “Brazil Brown” interior matched with Zebrano trim is a handsome pairing. This 300SDL Benz has seen a scant 88K miles. Rare for long-lived W126 diesels, the interior and exterior appear near factory fresh. [eBay]
