The 500E was a project developed by Mercedes-Benz, obviously. What’s less obvious however, is that fact the final assembly was carried out by none other than Porsche. As such, you can imagine that the coming together of these two brands meant there was no danger of releasing a sub-par product.
Mercedes-Benz wanted something powerful, something bespoke, it wanted a car that made a statement without, ironically, shouting about it. This car was to be the epitome of luxury, it was to be the flagship car for the W124 range and it was to be the gatekeeper to ludicrous power. The W124 was the perfect car on which to base this project. Not only did it represent the most modern and technically advanced aspects of Mercedes-Benz design, it had also given its chassis design to the smaller R129. The R129 was of course a small roadster. However, the R129 was powered not just by inline engines, but also by those of a V formation. The most important being the V8.
This meant Mercedes-Benz engineers could fit a V8 into the W124. Hands were gleefully rubbed together, plans were formed and the 5.0 V8 from the SL was plucked. This engine was clever in and of itself. Known as the ‘standard deck’ engine, it utilised the same crankcase as the 4.2 V8. The extra 800cc was made up via shorter con-rods. The result was an engine that sat some 16.5mm shorter than the first-generation 5.0. Early cars had Bosch KE fuel injection (though post ‘93 cars had LH Jetronic fuel injection, again from Bosch). The engine in the early cars, which was naturally-aspirated we should point out, produced some 326hp via a bulletproof four-speed automatic transmission delivering the grunt to the rear wheels. It was, to say the very least, ‘nippy’. 0-62mph was devoured in 6.1 seconds, after which the 500E would go on to a limited top speed of 155mph.
The car we have here is a 1993 E500. By this time, the W124 had been given a face lift, and in doing so it was recognised as the E Class, hence the new position of the E in E500. Amusingly, this E500 actually carries an E200 badge on the boot, the reasons for which we’ll get to later. Before that though, we need to address the elephant in the room, namely the ‘hibernating’ nature of this German brute. It may well have had a top speed limited to 155mph, but it’s been a while since this one has been capable. In fact, the last MOT ran out in 2008 and the car hasn’t been on the road since?
This is where you may expect us to tell you it was parked after some sort of catastrophic mechanical maladie. That’s not the case though. The truth is far more simple. One day, in 2008, this W124 E500 was driven into the garage in which it sits now. It sat for a week, then a month, then a year and then… well, here we are, twelve years on. Carefully covered with sheets, the E500 has been shuttered away in this warm, dry garage and left to sleep. Is the car mint? No, this isn’t one of those barn finds where a wash and a splash of petrol will have it running again. This is more in depth than that. However, while there is indeed work to be done, there is no escaping the fact that this rare find presents an exciting opportunity. The E500 is a car that is rapidly increasing in popularity, and that’s being reflected in the prices. Fifty grand isn’t unheard of.
The owner really doesn’t want to part with this machine. He bought it from Germany and had the car imported in 1999. He’s the only one to have owned this car in the UK. And we believe it was only with a couple of owners in Germany. The current owner, keen to exploit the stealthy looks of the E500 asked the dealer to fit the E200 badge, no doubt chuckling as he did. Look closer though, and the flared arches front and back along with the massive, staggered, 18-inch monoblock AMG alloys give the game away.
This E500 was parked up, and then life happened. The world moved on around it, while the world of the E500, in that garage, stayed the same. Well, some sheets were added at some point, to tuck the old machine in, but that’s it. It hadn’t broken, it hadn’t worn out, it hadn’t failed its owner. It did nothing wrong. It just became a car incompatible with the changing needs of the owner, and thus it was hidden away. Until now.
Very little, in a nutshell. The vendor assures us that there is a book pack, and some service history. There is of course a V5 (the car is currently on SORN). The moment any paperwork is located, we will be sure to update the listing. Until then, we’re afraid you have to treat it as having none.
However, given the static nature of this Mercedes-Benz, what would a fully-stamped service book bring to the table? This car will need to be gone through from top to bottom. It hasn’t moved in twelve years. Works to put it back on the road will in effect reset the service history, what’s been done before, after so long laid up, is moot.
This era of W124 represents a period in time when Mercedes-Benz was getting it right. In fact, to say right is to do the interior a disservice. The W124 was better than that. Even tired, high-mileage examples still feel tight and solid inside. This E500, being a flagship car, is very much the same. The air carries the weight of time, and there is some dust and light dirt to be cleaned away, but that’s it. The black leather is still as tight as a snare, the carpets still deep and free of wear, the dash is arrow straight and free of damage. The door cards are all, as far as we could observe given limitations of photographing the car where it was, in excellent order. The headlining, too.
Sitting in this car, which is left hand-drive (they all were) and looking around, there wasn’t really anything we could fault from a visual standpoint. And this is the thing to consider with this car. We can only report our findings here on a visual basis. The seats, the wood (which is prone to delaminating) and the carpets are all really, really good. You get the impression that a clean and an air freshener are all that’s needed, and that may well be the case.
In the case of the interior’s functionality, we can’t really offer any insight. The car had no power, and it wasn’t our place to hook any up without first having the car inspected. What we can say is that there is zero evidence of damage or excessive wear, which is testament to how well built this car is. It has over 200,000km on the clock, and it doesn’t show at all.
Aside from the unknown mechanicals, which we’ll get to shortly, the exterior of this E500 does need work. The W124 was never a car famous for its resilience in the face of corrosion, and this one is no exception. However, from what we could see, it seems to be a list of visual issues rather than being anything terminal. However, this is just what we have been able to ascertain on our visit - we would encourage you to consider this as a car that will need work.
The front arches have started to corrode, especially the front edges. Of the two, the nearside is the worst and may need complete replacement. The doors all look to be free from corrosion, which is good. However, the front nearside corner of the roof along with the rear corner above the rear screen have started to corrode - a common area on these cars. The rear arches are also suffering from rot, the rear most edges in particular. Looking behind the rear wheels, there doesn’t seem to be any rot there, which again is a common place. The rear boot channel is solid and shows no signs of leaking, and the boot itself is dry. We lifted the boot floor, and apart from some very, very minor surface corrosion, there was nothing we saw of concern. The bootlid, however, has suffered, especially on the lower edge, and also around the lock.
Looking under the car where we could, we saw nothing of major concern other than surface corrosion. That said, do treat this as a project that may reveal more issues once in a workshop.
There are other blemishes here and there, such as the under-light panels at the front from which the headlight washers protrude. There are some chips on the bonnet, but nothing of concern. Under the bonnet, everything is present and correct, and the chassis structure we could see looked to be solid and free of rust. Same for strut tops and under the scuttle. The car struck as being used, but saveable. But, and we hate to drill this point home, but this car is a project and you should bid as such.
As we mentioned earlier, this car, as we are told by the vendor, was driven in here and then simply left. It wasn’t failing, it wasn’t broken, it wasn’t about to break. It was taxed, MOTd and on the road. It’s not our place to go into the particulars, but the seller’s circumstances dictated that this car wasn’t suitable for his needs. As such, it was put away and, well, the rest is history.
On our inspection, there was no charge in the battery, so we can’t really confirm the functionality of the electrics. What we can say is that visually, they looked to be in good order. We inspected them for any damage, any fraying and any sign of overheating and found nothing. No fuses were blown, nothing seemed amiss.
As for the mechanicals, we can only go off the information provided by the vendor. The 5.0 V8 engine was in good health when the car was laid up, as was the transmission, suspension and brakes. It was clearly a cared for car. There are little clues like the premium (albeit now dated) rubber on the AMG monoblock alloys (the original 16-inch eight-hole alloys are supplied, but are in need of complete refurbishment). The general condition is good, and the interior near perfect. And just from speaking to the vendor, we get a sense of what this car means to him. It’s not been forgotten by choice, but by circumstance.
Looking underneath, there is no worrying pool of oil or transmission fluid. The oil itself is oil, but isn’t emulsified or anything. And the engine seems to be present, complete and not messed with. It’s not our place to put a battery on the car, and it’s certainly not our place to try and crank this old beast over. We would like to think the engine hasn’t locked up, but bidders should do with that possibility in mind.
This is it. This is your chance to get a motoring icon, and one that is surging in popularity at the moment. Back in the day, nobody really knew of them, not least because they were left hand-drive only oddities. Now though, the E500 has a passionate and invested following. And the following is willing to pay top dollar for these cars. This one isn’t going to be top dollar though, at least not to buy. The reserve is low, we can confirm that.
It’s a gamble, there is no escaping that. And we’re not here to tell you it isn’t. However, it could be an incredible car, you could be the author of this car’s next chapter. If you have the means; a workshop, a bit of space and some mechanical nous, this E500 could prove to be a wonderful and potentially lucrative project. It looks solid enough from our light inspection, and the garage in which it has been housed for over a decade is dry and solid and warm. This E500 hasn’t been left under a tree at the bottom of the garden.
Best case scenario is that it barks back into life without much fuss. Stick some new rubber on it, put it in for an MOT, go from there. Worst case scenario is that it can’t be saved, but if that is the case, the reserve is low enough to ensure that breaking it for parts would still yield a return. The interior alone is worth most of the reserve. We would of course hope for the former, as this car deserves to live again. But that’s very much down to you, the winning bidder.
Important: Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing.
As is normal for most auctions, this vehicle is sold as seen, and therefore the Sales of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. All bids are legally binding once placed. Any winning bidder who withdraws from a sale, is subject to our bidders fee charge. Please see our FAQs and T&C's for further information. Viewings of vehicles are encouraged, but entirely at the sellers discretion.
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1993 Mercedes-Benz E500
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