It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find a W126 era Mercedes 500 without a galactic mileage in the right spec and a nice colour. The reason why is simple: Of the 818,000 W126 models manufactured, only 200,000 were 5 litre V8s, and a mere 33,000 of them were the more desirable Series 2 model (1986-91).  About a third of these were long wheelbase versions.  This one has all the boxes ticked and nice examples like this are rare so perhaps now’s the time to bag a classic Mercedes Autobahnfresser!

The 500 class was renowned for its luxury market leading interior and it’s easy to see where that reputation comes from.  The inside of the Mercedes is a very pleasant place to be.  Ordered new with option 262 Blue leather trim the seats have worn well and are very comfortable.  There is age related creasing on all the seats as one would expect, but a little more on the driver’s seat.  

There are also some scratch marks on the backrest of the driver’s seat but the leather is intact throughout with no rips or holes.  The matching dark blue carpets are clean and fit well.  The instruments are all clear and during our time we fiddled with most of the buttons and window switches and can report that all appeared to work correctly.  There is a PURE CD/radio fitted with USB and Bluetooth facility, and the operating manual is in the history folder. There is also a mobile phone holder attached to the wood of the centre console, hopefully this could be removed without damage if desired. 

The wood trim inserts on the dash and the console are all in good condition-not perfect, but impressive for a car of this age. The door panels are undamaged with just a few marks.  The front doors have the seat controls that all appeared to work correctly.  The roof lining is light grey, complete with sliding sunroof that operates flawlessly and the blind on the rear shelf pulls up perfectly providing some privacy for the rear seat passengers. 

The blue carpeted boot area is tidy and free from damp.  There is some discolouration on the carpet that would probably respond well to some carpet shampoo. The spare wheel is present fitted with a Falken tyre, along with the jack and brace.

We were blessed with bright sunshine on the day of our visit and the Diamond Blue Metallic paint was shining brightly, a colour that suits the Mercedes. In general the paintwork is in exceptionally good condition for a 100,000+ mile car that is over 30 years old!  There are a few small scratches here and there, a few chips mainly on the frontal area.  

Some paint has flaked away from the jacking point covers, and there is a touched-in scuff on the rear bumper on the passenger side.  The brightwork is all straight and would shine up well with a little further effort.  The glass is all free of chips and misting, and the vulnerable headlights are intact, as are the plastic tail lamps.

The wheels are the standard Gullydeckfelge (Manhole cover) 15 inch alloys.  All are in good condition with no marks to the centres, but some curb damage to all four rims. The tyres are Dunlop Sports on three wheels, plus a Michelin Energy on the fourth, all have plenty of life remaining.

As with the interior, the outside of the Mercedes is in good condition, but with the possibility of improvement should the new owner wish.

Compared to most other second series Mercedes 500s this example has relatively low miles.  It appears that a couple of previous owners have had a “no expense spared” attitude to maintenance, as evidenced in the history folder where you will find invoices for £1000s.  It appears that over £12,000 was spent on the 2013/14 engine rebuild alone, plus dozens of visits to Main Dealers and marque specialists.  With frequent oil and fluid changes, timing belts and lots of services in the book it is understandable why the Mercedes remains in such excellent condition. 

Under the bonnet we find a stock engine bay with the wear you’d expect to see on a car of this age and miles.  There is a bit of flaky paint here and there, and a little corrosion on exposed metal surfaces, but nothing of concern. The underside has factory underseal and road dirt, but no signs of damage or corrosion; it all appears to be completely solid.

This exceptional 500SE is quite a rare car.  We don’t see these 500s in such a nice spec with the full 5 litre V8 very often, especially with so much work competed at massive expense, and with such a large history file. Extremely comfortable and well equipped, it’s a lovely example of what has to be the ultimate classic built for long distance luxury travel!