Description
MERCEDES-BENZ E 200 CABRIOLET – 1996
124, 000 ORIGINAL KM · 3 OWNERS · ORIGINAL REGISTRATION PLATE · ASI GOLD PLATE
A rare and prestigious Mercedes-Benz E 200 Cabriolet A124, preserved over time with extraordinary care
We present a Mercedes-Benz E 200 Cabriolet from the 124 series, year 1996, a vehicle of particular historical and collectible interest, characterised by 124, 000 original kilometres, only 3 owners, original registration plate and original registration document from first registration and complete with all original handbooks for use, maintenance and service.
The vehicle also possesses the prestigious ASI Gold Plate certification, obtained in 2019, an important recognition of its significance in the Italian historic vehicle landscape.
IDENTIFICATION DATA
• Make: Mercedes-Benz
• Model: E 200 Cabriolet W124C / A124
• Year: 1996
• Chassis number: WDB1240601C236882
• Engine number: 111940-10-069554
• Displacement: 1, 998 cc
• Certification: ASI Gold Plate Certification
• Body: Cabriolet, 2 doors, 4 seats
• Exterior colour: Metallic blue
• Interior: Blue leather
• Soft top: Blue
• Accessories: Full specification
HISTORY AND PROVENANCE
The vehicle was first registered on lease in Milan on 14 May 1996 and still retains its original registration plate and original registration document from first registration, elements of particular interest to the collector seeking an example with documented history and strong continuity of identity.
In 1998 the vehicle was purchased from the leasing company.
In 2016 it entered an important automobile collection, where it has always been kept with the utmost care. Since then its preservation has been conducted according to particularly careful criteria, consistent with the historical value of the model.
The vehicle has also always been subjected to all mandatory periodic inspections and is currently in order, with inspection valid until September 2028.
In 2019 it obtained the prestigious ASI Gold Plate certification, a certification that today constitutes one of the qualifying elements of its historical-collectible presentation.
The condition is described as impeccable. Particularly significant is the engine bay, where the engine bay and rocker cover still retain the original protective wax, a detail of great interest for those seeking a vehicle preserved with attention even in normally less visible areas.
THE 124 SERIES CABRIOLET: A HISTORIC MODEL
The Mercedes-Benz 124 series represents one of the most important chapters in the history of the Stuttgart house. Presented in 1984 and produced overall until 1997, the series was designed under the styling direction of Bruno Sacco, becoming one of the most recognisable models of modern Mercedes-Benz.
From 1993 the series officially assumed the designation E-Class.
The A124 Cabriolet, presented in 1991, represented Mercedes-Benz's return to the prestigious segment of four-seat cabriolets after a long absence.
The transformation from coupé to open-top vehicle involved significant structural redesign, with over 1, 000 components modified, reinforced or added to compensate for the absence of a rigid roof and maintain high levels of rigidity and safety.
Production of the A124 ended in July 1997, making it the last variant of the 124 family to remain in production. Overall, 33, 952 cabriolets were built, of which 15, 380 with four-cylinder engines and 18, 572 with six-cylinder engines.
Within this already limited production, the E 200 Cabriolet constitutes a particularly interesting version: a total of 6, 922 examples were produced. The 2. 0-litre engine was initially intended for the Italian, Greek and Portuguese markets, a characteristic that gives the E 200 a particular historical relationship with the Italian market.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The E 200 Cabriolet uses the refined Mercedes-Benz M111. 940 engine, a four-cylinder in-line unit, mounted longitudinally at the front.
The engine features:
• 1, 998 cm³
• 4 cylinders in-line
• 16 valves
• dual overhead camshaft
• electronic fuel injection
• three-way catalytic converter
• 136 bhp (100 kW) at 5, 500 rpm
• 190 Nm at 4, 000 rpm
• rear-wheel drive
• 5-speed manual gearbox, with 4-speed automatic gearbox available as an alternative. The main dimensions are approximately 4. 655 metres in length, 1. 740 metres in width and 1. 391 metres in height, with a wheelbase of 2. 715 metres. The vehicle has four seats and is equipped with a 70-litre fuel tank.
The declared maximum speed for the manual gearbox version is approximately 200 km/ h, against acceleration of 0-100 km/ h in the region of 13 seconds, figures that emphasise how the E 200 Cabriolet was conceived primarily as a refined touring car, rather than as an extreme sports car.
ENGINEERING AND REFINEMENT OF THE A124 CABRIOLET
One of the most fascinating aspects of the A124 is the level of engineering required to transform the solid architecture of the 124 series into a four-seat cabriolet.
The absence of a rigid roof made it necessary to intervene deeply on the bodywork, introducing specific reinforcements and dedicated safety solutions. The vehicle also adopted a sophisticated rollover protection system, with elements integrated into the rear headrests capable of rising automatically.
The soft top, completely retractable, was fitted with a glass rear window, a particularly refined solution for the time and advantageous both for visibility and for durability over time. The structure comprised 27 elements and 34 articulations; the electro-hydraulic system used six hydraulic cylinders, a pump and an articulated system of valves and switches to manage opening, closing and correct locking of the soft top.
The 124 series was also a pioneering vehicle for numerous safety and comfort solutions. Mercedes-Benz recalls, among the innovations of the family, the panoramic windscreen wiper with large cleaning surface and the adoption of front airbags as standard equipment in the more mature phases of production.
EQUIPMENT AND PRESENTATION
The example presented here has full specification trim, combined with a particularly elegant and classic configuration:
metallic blue bodywork · blue soft top · blue leather interior.
The colour combination gives the vehicle an elegant identity, typically Mercedes-Benz, enhancing both the closed line and the open-air configuration.
WHY IT IS A COLLECTIBLE EXAMPLE
The historical value of this E 200 Cabriolet does not reside solely in the numerical rarity of the model, but above all in the continuity of its history.
It is indeed a 1996 vehicle with:
• 124, 000 original kilometres
• only 3 owners
• original registration plate
• original registration document from first registration
• Original handbooks for use, maintenance and warranty
• first registration in Milan on 14 May 1996
• documented leasing history with subsequent purchase in 1998
• entry in 2016 into an important automobile collection
• particularly scrupulous preservation
• periodic inspections always carried out
• inspection currently valid until September 2028
• ASI Gold Plate certification obtained in 2019
• condition described as impeccable
• preservation of original protective wax in the engine bay and on the rocker cover.
It is therefore an example that combines production rarity, documentary authenticity, low number of owners, Italian history, historical certification and preservation, characteristics particularly sought after in the classic Mercedes-Benz market.
The E 200 Cabriolet A124 today represents one of the most authentic ways to experience the Mercedes-Benz philosophy of the 1990s: timeless elegance, refined engineering, grand touring comfort and construction designed to last over time.
