﹒221bhp 4.2-litre V8

﹒Original and in excellent condition

﹒Peak Mercedes-Benz quality
﹒Opportunity to be the first UK owner

If you want to find the best example of a car manufacturer approaching perfection, Mercedes-Benz of the 1980s must be fairly high up the list. Concentrating its efforts into a relatively small model line and before the recession at the beginning of the 1990s, the brand’s cars were developed in a way that suggests money was little object, and built to exacting standards that are still held up as a beacon of quality more than three decades later.

No better place was this demonstrated too than the very top of the lineup, with the S-class. The W126 generation was the definitive luxury car of the 1980s, offering everything a luxury car buyer could want, but preceding the bulk of the W140 generation that arrived in the early 90s. Like so many of Mercedes’ models, it could also be had in coupe format – the C126, badged in the showroom as the SEC.

Offered with the same technology and many of the same engines as the limousine, the C126 was a substantial two-door pillarless coupe, grand in scale but visually lithe compared to its four-door counterpart. Power came from a series of inline six and V8 engines, with a mid-cycle update in 1985 bringing a subtle facelift, improved technology (including airbags in some models) and extra power from the engines.

This particular 420 SEC is a late facelift car, leaving Mercedes’ Sindelfingen plant in Germany in 1990. As a 420 it uses a 4.2-litre variant of the V8 with a single overhead cam for each bank, good for around 221bhp and 240lb ft of torque, and drives through a four-speed automatic gearbox.

Beyond its date of manufacture, the history of this car is relatively unknown. The current owner acquired the car around three months ago as part payment on a business deal with a friend out in Spain. As a result the car wears a Spanish registration and is being offered in the UK as potential buyers who had shown an interest here were unable to view the car when it was located in Spain.

There is minimal recent paperwork with the car, and given the car’s Spanish registration, the car would need to be registered, taxed and MOTd in the UK.

The seller says that several items of work were carried out in the car’s previous ownership, including tracking, cam chains and guides, and a gearbox service. Once again there is no paperwork for this work, but the seller says it has been carried out in the last twelve months or so.

Despite the lack of recent paperwork, one interesting item included with the car is the original Mercedes folder with a series of German documents from early in the car’s life. This includes a workshop directory from 1990, a manual for the S-class range, service books, plus some early TUV and insurance documents dating from 1994.

Open the door, then close it again. That immaculately-engineered thunk, accompanied by tactile clack from the Fort Knox latch, is a microcosm of the SEC’s appeal, and if you can stop opening and closing the door just for the hell of it you’ll discover on this car an interior that’s every bit as immaculately constructed as the doors that grant you access.

You’d be forgiven for thinking it had rolled freshly out of the showroom. Only a sheen on the wheel’s leather and the 221,000km registered on the odometer betray its age, because everywhere else you look the SEC is effectively immaculate. The leather trim has just a hint of ageing but no cracks, splits, tears or sagging, the seat cushions are plump and well shaped, as is the trim on the central armrest and the door cards. The wood trim, so often crazed and cracked, is also in perfect shape and as glossy as ever.

There are no cracks in the dashboard, nor any other piece of plastic trim, while the carpets and their protective mats are both in great shape, the pile of the material deep and unmarked. The roof lining too is in excellent condition, as are the sun visors and roof console, the latter with a neat warning light for unbelted occupants.

Much like the interior, this car’s exterior is a window into Mercedes’ golden era – handsome, restrained lines, simple and unfussy details, and a sense that everywhere you look it’s been constructed with the utmost care. This car’s metallic grey paintwork might not be wild but it could be the perfect shade for making the most of the SEC’s styling.

And again, much like the interior, it’s in excellent condition. With little history on the car it’s difficult to say whether its condition is as a result of a previous restoration or whether it’s simply enjoyed careful ownership since 1990, but either way the bodywork really is in fantastic shape. The car has clearly benefited from spending time in warmer climates than the UK too, as beyond the lightest dusting of surface corrosion on a few of the suspension components, the chassis and underbody looks almost as tidy as the topside.

The brightwork is still suitably shiny too, and the exterior glass and lighting elements are all in very good condition. The only apparent flaw in the lights is a stone chip to the passenger-side front foglight, and very close inspection reveals a handful of stone chips to the paintwork and bumpers that have been touched up.

The classic 15-inch alloy wheels each look great. There’s a pair of Michelin Primacy tyres on the front axle and Nexen N Blue Eco on the rear axle, each in the same 205/65 R15. The Nexens still have plenty of tread, the Michelins less so, but the buyer may wish to fit a matching set. Alternatively, the seller also has a set of Brabus wheels and lowered suspension for the car, available separately should the buyer be interested.

A large air filter housing dominates the engine bay, so you won’t quite get the eyeful of the V8’s twin banks you might have hoped for, but the good news is everything within the engine bay appears to be in fine condition, with evidence of the car’s age and mileage but nothing out of the ordinary. The same is true under the car – the sump shows signs of having occasionally contacted the road surface (these cars are set up more for comfort than rock-solid control, of course) but there are no leaks apparent. The suspension and steering components also look in good shape – you’ll note fairly new springs, which replaced the lowered setup previously on the car.

We did not experience the car in action owing to its absence of UK registration documents, but the recent work noted by the seller suggests several important jobs have recently been taken care of – and of course, the car made it up from Spain. No problems were noted by the facility at which the car is currently stored.

The buyer of this car will no doubt be seeking that elusive quality that only Mercedes-Benz of this vintage – and especially high-end models like the SEC – can offer. There really is nothing quite like a Mercedes from this period, and the SEC’s relative rarity makes seeing such a tidy example a real pleasure. From the way the doors open and close to the integrity of the cabin and the tasteful exterior styling, it’s an experience just being around this car.

While left-hand drive may deter some buyers too, for others it could be ideal. This is clearly a car designed for covering large distances in maximum comfort, and once the world opens back up a big continental road trip surely beckons.