Beschreibung
Launched in Seville in November 1984 under the theme 'progress makes the difference', the Mercedes E‑Class W124 quickly became a huge commercial success. It combines the build quality that has earned the brand its reputation with a driving experience and a level of liveliness still unprecedented in Stuttgart saloons. From the taxi driver and his placid 200 D, to the busy business owner cruising in a 300 E, a wide socio‑professional range, but all enthusiasts of very good cars, appreciated their daily life aboard their E‑Class.
But by the late 80s, BMW hit hard with its highly successful 5 Series E34, whose M5 of 315 horsepower crowns the range. The international press lavishes praise on the Munich marque’s sporting saloon, and it is clear that even though the E‑Class still sells well, the most elite customers would have to turn to BMW to drive the best sporting saloon in the world.
Mercedes obviously could not accept this situation, and the answer was unequivocal: in October 1990, at the Paris Motor Show, the 500 E was unveiled.
This model would be designed and built in close collaboration with Porsche, the car being assembled in part on the production lines of the 964. One reason was the widening of the front and rear tracks of the 500 E, which could not fit on the lines of the standard W124 E‑Class. If we go into a bit more detail, Mercedes supplied bodyshells from the 300 E to Porsche, which prepared them and fitted the specific running gear. Then back to Mercedes, which installed the engine and transmission of the new 500 SL roadster, before sending the lot back to Porsche for final assembly… the description would not be complete if we did not mention a final return to Mercedes for quality control and dispatch to the distributor…
All of this was bound to be very expensive and the marketing of the 500 E, despite its very high price, was never profitable for Mercedes, but it allowed it to enter legend once more by building “the most perfect saloon ever built” as journalists specialising in the field nicknamed it from the first tests. Indeed, even today, no better synthesis of comfort and performance has ever been marketed.
It is this version, in its first generation, the most desirable, that we are offering today. Delivered new in Japan in October 1991, its first owner kept it until 2015, when he sold it to a prominent Dutch collector who owned around a hundred Mercedes. He ceded it in 2022 to its current owner, an executive of a major group distributing Mercedes‑Benz in France. His profession allowed him to bring all mechanical and aesthetic attention to restore the 500 E to its original luster, in the strictest respect for Mercedes‑Benz origin, using only Mercedes‑Benz parts. Numerous invoices illustrate these statements.
It is presented in its most classic and desirable configuration: metal black (code 199) with black leather interior. It is optionally equipped with a retractable electric sunroof, heated electric seats, and a driver airbag. It was fully overhauled in 2022 and has covered only a few thousand kilometres since, as it spent an extended period on display in the classic department showroom of the Mercedes distributor. A final inspection will be carried out before delivery. Note that the stated mileage of 151, 900 km is an odometer reading not guaranteed, the buyer not possessing the original service books and invoices to verify it.
Thus it is certainly the most collectible Mercedes we are offering, in an aesthetic and mechanical condition without faults. To quote the conclusion of a journalist who tested it at launch: "a car that ridicules appearances, for it simply is."
