Highlights

Two private owners from new
Fewer than 50,000 miles covered
Extensive history file
Mercedes’s flagship luxury model with lots of extra-cost options

The Appeal

The Germans have always been the masters of understated luxury. Straightforwardly handsome cars, simply but cleanly styled, were their stock-in-trade during the ’80s and ’90s, and theirs was a winning formula which appealed to a buyer who sought excellent engineering and quality construction without the accompanying flashiness.

Nowhere is that more apparent than in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class on the W140 platform, which offered about as much luxury as could possibly be squeezed into a car in the 1990s. Produced from 1991 to 1998, the W140 S-Class was Mercedes’ flagship saloon line and benefitted from a range of all-new engines, including the dohc five-litre V8 used in the S500, plus various technical and safety innovations.

The S500 was not a light car, with its sturdy construction and cornucopia of luxury features, but, even so, the 315bhp V8 would hustle it along to 60mph in seven seconds and keep it going all the way to an electronically-limited 155mph. With a mid-production basic price of £67,900, some 21,942 500SEs and S500s found buyers over the course of their production, with customers including no less distinguished a figure than Pope John Paul II.

While the near-indestructability of Mercedes’ engineering has helped a lot of its classic models to survive, general use and abuse over the years means that very few have survived in quite the same condition as this extraordinary S500. With just two owners, under 50,000 miles and full history from new, it barely shows its age at all. Rarely is there an opportunity to acquire a 28-year-old car that’s quite as good as this one.

The History and Paperwork

Originally despatched to the Western Automobile Company, a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Edinburgh, it was immediately transferred to and sold new by Bramshaw Garage, an independent garage in Bournemouth
Purchased for £72,298.97 on 2nd January 1996 by Mr. Roger J. Newport of Branksome, near Poole
The Mercedes reportedly spent six years at a BMW dealership near Gatwick from 2011 to 2017, before it was purchased by the present owner, and it is only offered for sale now due to illness
Paperwork includes the current and historic V5s, a collection of recent and historic MoT certificates, the original sales invoice and numerous maintenance invoices dating back to 1997, the original owner’s wallet including the owner’s manual and service book, plus a collection of Mercedes-Benz enthusiast magazines

The Interior

Superb, all-original condition
Numerous special options including memory front seats
Original jack and first aid kit included

To look at, the S500’s interior is exactly what might be expected from a top-of-the-range Mercedes of its period. It’s cleanly and attractively styled, with an æsthetic simplicity which belies its technical sophistication. Tastefully trimmed in Grey leather, the seats have survived extremely well. The driver’s seat has developed a delightful patina over the course of its use and presents in excellent condition, save for a few very tiny marks at the corner near the centre console. The front passenger seat is excellent, having seemingly been very lightly used, while the rear seats are positively immaculate and have evidently barely been used at all.

This high standard of presentation is apparent across the whole interior. The headlining and thick carpets look as clean as on the day the car rolled out of the showroom, and there was almost nothing we could find fault with across the entirety of the dash, centre console and doors. Walnut veneer, so closely associated with Britain’s finest luxury cars, is generously applied across the Mercedes and looks every bit as good as it would in any Jaguar or Bentley. Its condition at 28 years old is remarkable, too. With its deep, dark tones and glossy shine, it seems scarcely to have aged. It has just the lightest patina in places and, unfortunately, a small crack near the window button on the rear offside door.

Of course, certain aspects of the S500’s specification, such as a radio-cassette player, power windows and power seats, can be taken pretty much as a given, but it boasts various other features which came at an extra cost. Memory front seats cost £266.50 each, the rear-centre armrest was £129.90 and the CD changer in the boot added £590.94 to the overall price. From our short drive in the car, we can confirm that it’s every bit as comfortable as it should be.

Opening the boot reveals an extremely clean luggage space, complete with the original jack, first aid kit and warning triangle, plus a spare wheel in good condition.

The Exterior

Original paint in excellent condition
Extra-cost eight-hole alloy wheels
Fitted with a glass sunroof

The rule with any typical car tends to be that the first owner will cherish it and the second owner may well take care of it, too, but as it ages and passes through owners three, four and five, it starts to suffer increasingly from indifference and abuse. Only if it survives long enough is it liable to be hailed as a rare and historic car and cherished once more.

That doesn’t apply in the case of this superb S500, which has only ever had two owners, both of whom have taken extremely good care of it and ensured its survival to the point where it has become a rare and historic car, well deserving of sympathetic use and careful preservation. The general condition of the exterior suggests to us that it has been garaged all its life, and certainly its well-preserved state has been helped by the fact that it reportedly spent six years slumbering quietly in a BMW garage.

Considering the paintwork is all original, it has lasted remarkably well and the Brilliant Silver metallic still displays an enchanting lustre. There are some very minor blemishes which we have endeavoured to highlight in the photographs, but they are hardly noticeable and could probably be remedied with a detailing session. There is one very small instance of bubbling which we found on the offside front wing, just above the bumper, but if that’s the worst that’s happened to the car after 28 years, we’d say it’s doing pretty well.

The eight-hole alloy wheels were an option at a cost of £492 and present very well, albeit with a few slight cosmetic blemishes in keeping with their age. The glass sunroof was also an option at £184.50 and is likewise in very good condition. All over the car, the glass, trim, badges and so on stand out for their wonderful condition. There is some slight fogging of the chrome strips below the windows but, for the most part, all the trim presents faultlessly.

Bidders are advised that the electrics in the driver’s door mirror are not working at present.

The Mechanics

Runs extremely well – quietly and effortlessly
Most recently serviced by a marque specialist in September 2022
Last MoTed August 2022, with no advisories

More than anything else, Mercedes engineering of the ’80s and ’90s is famous for being durable, reliable and generally ‘bulletproof’. Even so, general maintenance is necessary to ensure the mechanics remain in optimum health as the vehicle ages, and the sympathetic approach shown by both of this car’s owners must explain why it still runs and drives like a new car.

It has never been driven excessively, having covered just 49,000 miles from new, 22,000 of which have been acquired since the present owner bought the car in 2017. Remembering that the Mercedes was not used at least between 2011 and 2017, we are impressed to see a record of 10 services 2007 and four since 2018, the most recent ones being undertaken by a Mercedes-Benz specialist.

Although its MoT recently expired, when it was last tested in August 2022, it passed with no advisories, so we feel confident that it will sail through the next test for which it is submitted. The large number of invoices dating back to 1997 show that the car has always been well cared for, with work of late including a new blower motor in January 2023.

We were privileged to drive the car around some quiet roads and were very pleased with what we found. The engine runs almost silently and, in general, the car just glides effortlessly along the road. The brakes will stop it sharply and the power steering is ever so light. It’s as nice on the road as any modern car, if not better.

The Summary

The S500 represented the height of luxury in the 1990s and, even now, you’d be hard pressed to find a new car which can transport four people so comfortably. You may search high and low, but we very much doubt you’ll be able to find another example as original and well-preserved as this. With just two careful owners, it’s truly outstanding cosmetically and mechanically and it deserves who new owner who will look after it and keep it going into the future.

BEFORE YOU BUY

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