Highlights
- High specification 320CE once owned by Queen’s bodyguard
- Very well maintained car with extensive history file
- Finished in Bornite (blackberry) with beige leather
- Bodywork repairs in 2024 and last serviced September 2025
- Recent £2,800 engine, suspension, and gearbox work
- Featured in Classic Mercedes magazine
- Current MOT to September 2026 with no advisories
The Appeal
The world of robust, dependable four-seat classic GT coupes is a small one, but king of it is the Mercedes C124. Based on the exquisitely engineered W124 saloon, the coupe version makes an excellent weekend treat or even, thanks to all that over-development, a dependable daily driver.
This much-historied 320CE is one of the nicest we’ve seen in a long while. Finished in Bornite - aka Blackberry - with a beige leather cabin, it has been maintained to a very high standard throughout its life. Highlights include bodywork repairs in 2024, a recent service and £2,800 repairs to the engine, suspension and gearbox. The current MOT runs to September 2026 with no advisories.
A useful multi-page feature in Classic Mercedes provides background on the car, including that it was previously owned by one of Queen Elizabeth II’s bodyguards. This is a really tidy, carefully-maintained C124 with the right engine, provenance and specification to appeal to enthusiasts.
The vendor says:
“It drives really lovely, only thing I did find out the rear heated screen doesn’t work. That’s the only thing I that doesn’t work. I’m only selling this car because I’ve lost the use of a garage at the end of December and I don’t like it being out in all weathers.”
History & Paperwork
- First registered 18th January 1994
- Factory built in December 1993
- Original UK market car
- Eight registered keepers in 30 years
- Previous keeper acquired car in September 2018
- Current keeper acquired car in September 2024
- Factory handbooks and wallet in good condition
- 2 keys
- V5C
- Documented history of all the repairs and service from the day it left the factory
- Recent maintenance highlights summarised below
- Over £7,000 invested in car since 2021
- Handwritten correspondence from previous keepers in file
- Typed list of service history showing 25 visits to 1st May 2024 and 129,028 miles
- Stamped service book supports the above
- Regular brake fluid and coolant changes stamped in service book
- Current keeper has contacted previous keepers to trace history
- Detailed multi-page article on the car in Classic Mercedes August 2018 issue shown in photographs
- Photographic prints of the car and old MOTs included in file
- Previously sold by specialists Charles Ironside and SS Motors
- A previous keeper was a senior bodyguard to the Queen
- MOT runs to 13th September 2026 with no advisories and 131,600 miles in test
- Currently owner is selling the car due to losing storage
Notable recent maintenance:
- 04/09/25: oil and filter service
- 20/05/24 - servicing to engine and gearbox, suspension and steering repairs totalling £2,799
- 26/04/23 - air mass unit replaced and gearbox ECU cleaned
- 11/04/24 - bodywork repairs totalling £2,241
- 02/02/24 - battery replaced, alarm repaired and other work
- 23/03/23 - service
- 31/01/22 - engine work totalling £3,189
- 08/09/22 - four new tyres
- 10/09/21 - suspension work totalling £1,425
The Condition
- Original factory Bornite ‘blackberry’ (481U) metallic paintwork
- Recent professional paintwork and bodywork refurbishment
- Bodywork presents well with well kept panels which can be checked in photos
- Vendor reports light scratches to paintwork but nothing unsightly
- Sills, arches, panels, and underside present well with no MOT structural advisories
- Straight bodywork with no accident damage reported
- Minor signs of age to paintwork such as light scuffs visible in photos
- Retains factory-correct eight-hole alloy wheels in good general order with matching spare
- Fitted with four new tyres in September 2022
- Well-kept beige leather interior showing only light signs of age and use
- Light creasing to driver’s seat but not unsightly
- Well-specified car including sunroof and dark walnut veneers
- Cabin fittings well kept including headlining, carpets, and trim
- Retains original factory radio cassette unit
- Tidy boot area with tools and spare wheel with Hankook tyre
The Mechanics
- M104 3.2-litre straight six 215bhp 24V engine
- Five-speed automatic gearbox, preferred to the earlier four-speed
- Covered less than 500 miles since the last service
- £7,000 invested across mechanical and running gear since 2021
- Very well maintained with regular servicing to September 2025
- Vast history file available for inspection
- No mechanical or running gear advisories on current MOT
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