Highlights
- Comprehensive service history
- MOT to February 2023
- Just 70,550 miles
- Professional underbody treatment
The Appeal
Based on the same floorplan as the S-Class (W140), the CL coupé is a genuine 4-seater, with generous accommodation, luxurious appointments and fine drivetrains.
This example is wearing relatively low miles, comes with a good history and has recently undergone considerable work.
The History and Paperwork
- Built in November 1996
- First registered in February 1997
- Current owner since May 2020
- Has been under cover on driveway for 2 years
- Specialist service history (8x stamps)
- Previous MOT certificates and maintenance invoices
- Original owner’s manual
- Personal registration included in sale
- Selling as owner is moving abroad
The Interior
- Beige Napa leather
- Parking sensors
- Factory fitted electric sunroof
- Electric windows
- Cruise control
- Electrically folding rear head-rests
- Heated and electrically operated memory seats
As with all Mercedes of this vintage, the interior is liberally swathed in high quality leather and glossy wood veneer. Overall, the interior is in good condition, with the leather presenting well. There is some light wear to the driver’s seat, as you’d expect, but otherwise the leather looks well for its age, with no tears or notable areas of wear.
The same can be said for the other internal fabrics - the beige carpets and genuine Mercedes over-mats are in reasonable condition, while the headliner is secure and smart, with no sign of damage or sagging.
The wood veneer throughout the cabin appears to be in fine fettle, with no evidence we could see of cracking, delamination or UV damage. Likewise the plastic trims, instruments, switchgear and controls have all aged well, with some evidence of wear, but nothing notable.
We’re informed by the owner that there are one or two minor issues in the cabin, with the A/C fan having recently stopped working, the electric mirrors needing to be hand-adjusted and the sound system is missing its code (which the owner has requested from Mercedes but is still waiting for).
Other than this, the cabin presents very well and is in fine condition for a 25 year old car.
At the back, the luggage space in the boot is vast, with the vendor telling us that a spare wheel and toolkit are also present.
The Exterior
- Metallic Azurite Blue paintwork
- Genuine 18” Mercedes alloys
- Professional underbody treatment
- Pillarless coupé styling
With an elegant, pillarless design and minimal surfacing details, the C140 coupé is a striking and handsome vehicle. Finished here in its original metallic Azurite Blue, it’s a colour that suits the car very well, contrasting nicely with the large silver wheels and the beige interior.
The paintwork is in reasonable condition for its age, with a few stone chips, scuff marks and light scratches, but no corrosion or significant damage we could see. There is a little area of lacquer peel to the rear bumper and a large scuff to the near-side rear side skirt, but otherwise all the paint needs is a little touching in and a good polish.
Those 18” alloys present very well, having been resprayed in September 2021. Similarly, the external badging and trim is all present and correct, with no significant damage to note. New tyres were fitted in August 2020 and appear to have good levels of tread.
Underneath, the vendor tells us there has been quite a lot of work carried out. They inform us that they had the underbody professionally media-blasted, cleaned and sealed and have the receipts to back this up. As such, the underside does appear very clean, straight and free from corrosion.
The Mechanics
- 4.2-litre DOHC V8 (M119 E42 engine)
- 5G-Tronic automatic transmission
- Front double wishbones and rear multi-link suspension
- Vented discs front and rear
With that smooth V8 giving you a healthy 275bhp and 400Nm to play with, the CL420 has plenty of go to match its elegant lines. Mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission, it gives the car effortless performance and makes for a soothing driving experience.
The engine bay itself is nice and clean, with no evidence of leaks or damage. A number of maintenance jobs have been carried out during the current owner’s custodianship in 2020, including: new hydraulic tappets, cam gaskets, slide rails, connectors, a new timing chain tensioner, and new brake discs and pads to the front and rear.
To our eyes, the car appears to be riding a little low. However, the vendor tells us that the car drives perfectly, with no smoke, leaks or untoward noises.
Summary
With a comprehensive service history, low mileage for the age, long MOT and some extensive recent maintenance work undertaken, this CL420 is ready to go.
We don’t think it would take too much work to turn this into a very fine machine indeed. Illustrious heritage, smart retro styling and heaps of potential – could this be your new luxury coupé?
We don’t think it would take too much work to turn this into a very fine machine indeed. Illustrious heritage, smart retro styling and heaps of potential – could this be your new luxury coupé?
