• Barn find from long term storage

• Genuine low mileage and interesting history

• Starts, runs and drives

• Solid floors and complete condition

What have James Hunt, Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna got in common?

The obvious answer, of course, is that they were all Formula One drivers but, in addition to that, the three of them all owned the same type of road car. That car was the Mercedes-Benz SEC, or C126 to give it its code name – the most upmarket and desirable sporting Merc of its era. 

In the 1980s, nothing came close to the SEC for its combination of performance and luxury, making it a highly desirable status symbol that was one of the most cherished cars of the decade that also gave us shoulder pads, yuppies, mobile phones, Dallas and Dynasty.

Today, the C126 is an increasingly popular icon of the Eighties – suave, elegant and sophisticated. The collector market is going mad for classic Mercedes models of all shapes and sizes, with the SEC one of the most popular Eighties models. 

This one isn’t going to win any prizes as it is, and it needs a fair chunk of work to make it great again, but it’s a complete and honest survivor. After sitting for over a decade, it fired up first time with a fresh battery… it wants to live again, and with some TLC it most probably will. 

Registered on the 1st of August 1986, this is one of the very first cars to be given a ‘D’ registration by the DVLA. Back in the day, a first-of-August example was a desirable thing and if you’re of a certain age, you’ll understand…

It has had just six owners in 35 years, the last of whom rescued the car from its long-term storage late last year to give it a chance to live again. 

Amazingly, with a new battery and some gentle coaxing, the 5.0-litre V8 fired into life after 10 years standing idle and once warmed up was running like clockwork. We’ll come to that…

Whilst the service history is by no means full, there's a fair bit of paperwork available to back up the Mercedes-Benz’s pedigree. These include a full V5C in the name of the vendor and some fascinating bits of paperwork from early in its life. 

There’s an instruction book for a brick-like car phone, for example, along with a letter form the company car department of the original owner’s business, explaining the insurance claim process. Little snippets of social history that underscore what old car ownership is all about.

There’s also the original handbook, along with a service book stamped for the first few years of its life, and backed up with a few other bits of official paperwork. 

Right – let’s be upfront here. This is a restoration project and the vendor isn’t representing it as anything else. He’s rescued the car, got it up and running and is now looking for a new home for it with someone who’ll give it the love and attention it deserves. 

It’s scruffy, and almost every panel will need some kind of work, but it’s also not a complete basket case. The worst part is the nearside rear corner, where a hole at the bottom of the screen surround will need a specialist repair, either with a repair section or lead loading. There’s also a hole in the nearside boot floor behind the rear wheelarch that will require a welded repair, though this is out of eyesight so can be sorted more easily. 

The SEC will also need at least one new front wing as the driver’s side one is completely shot. The nearside one has a hole but is nowhere near as bad, though as they bolt on and panels are available at a sensible cost, you might as well replace both. The inner door frames are rusty, too, and there are various areas of surface rust on the boot lid, though none of this seems structural. 

The front and rear bumpers will need replacing, too, but the rest of the trim appears to be salvageable. The new owner will need to also factor in a respray for the entire car. 

The good news? If you roll around underneath you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Apart from the aforementioned boot floor, it’s solid under there. Remarkably so. So yes, it’s a project. But far from a basket case. 

Despite its tired appearance, the electrically powered ‘arms’ that offer the seatbelts to the driver and passenger when you close the door are still in good working order. That’s cute – and cool. 

It also gives the car a certain character. Much like the engine, it wants to live again and most of the cabin is in decent order. The leather is certainly saveable and the seat facings, door trims and carpets are all functional, decent and tidy, the only real faults being non-functional electric seat tilts and a centre console trim that doesn’t want to stay in place – it’ll need securing back into place, though such a job is unlikely to be at the front of the restoration queue. 

Overall, apart from a good clean and a few small bits of cosmetic fettling, the interior is decent enough. 

The 4,973cc V8 Is a Mercedes-Benz stalwart found in many models of the era including the S-Class saloon and the SL sports car.

It's an old school and traditional unit that can trace its roots back to the Sixties, but that's no bad thing. the Mercedes V8 is renowned for its longevity and reliability.

It’s no exaggeration to say it fired up straightaway after a 10-year lay-up, and after some minor fettling now runs as sweetly as it always has. It was trailered to a private car park for our photographs, but while there it was capable of being driven around in forward and reverse gears with no problems, the brakes held good pressure, the steering felt fine and it ran up to a steady temperature with no leaks, rattles or excessive smoke. 

This is a complete and viable project, and when finished will be a fine example of one of the best and most luxurious big GTs of its era. 

It’ll need a good chunk of work to get to that stage, but if you look at it with even the most critical eye it’s impossible to deny the fact it has loads of potential. It has a pretty significant value to a breaker given its completeness and rarity, but to break it up would arguably be a disservice. It’s a car that wants and deserves to live.