・One former owner ・Just 41,000 miles ・Desirable colour scheme ・Superb runner, recently recommissioned
The Background
The W124-series, produced by Mercedes-Benz throughout the 1980s and ’90s, represents a real high water mark for the brand: cars that were engineered to be refined, smooth, cosseting and luxurious, with a frisson of sporting intent to back up the elegance of the design. Fusing crisp styling with robust mechanicals and sublimely appointed interiors, these cars tick a whole lot of boxes both for collectors of modern classics, and people who are after a dependable daily driver that’s got a little more class and panache than the everyday modern alternatives.
The best part of all is that, while values of SL cabrios have been consistently strong for as long as any of us can remember, the A124 (that is, the cabriolet variant of the W124) is remarkably well priced alongside its siblings. With a multi-link rear axle and extremely low drag coefficient, these were cars crafted by world-class engineers and clothed in stylish bodies; technological marvels that also happened to be very easy on the eye.
The cabriolet was a masterpiece of packaging – appearing relatively compact and alluringly sporty from the outside, it still retained impressively saloon-like interior space along with, naturally, all the toys you’d expect. An everyday-usable drop-top with nineties style in spades and thoroughly dependable mechanicals.
The thing that puts this exceptional E 220 head-and-shoulders above other A124s is the fact that it’s a one-owner car, with only 41,000 miles on the clock. Not something you come across every day, is it?
Being an E 220, it’s powered by the 2.2-litre M111 four-cylinder engine, a 16-valve unit with an aluminium head, serving up a handy 150bhp; this is mated to a robust automatic transmission that suits the car’s character as a laid-back cruiser. This car has always lived in the South-East; originally supplied by Normand Mercedes of Mayfair, it was a London car before making its way down to Kent – all of which is documented in the history file. It’s a car that’s always been looked after and, in relative terms, barely been used. All original, in excellent running order, and ready to find a happy home with its new keeper.
The life of this E 220 can be traced right back to the very start, with its pre-delivery inspection being carried out at Normand Mercedes of Mayfair on June 9th 1997 – this is documented in the original service book, which can be found in the file. The book features a full suite of service stamps, and we also find all of the original manuals and handbooks here. The correct V5 is present, showing the car to have had one former keeper, and there’s a receipt from September 2020 showing a little recommissioning work adding up to over £1,100 – it’s interesting to note from the MOT history that the previous MOT before the current one was in 2012, so the car has evidently been in storage since.
The work carried out last year involved draining and flushing out the fuel system, fitting a new fuel pump along with a new battery, perfecting the wiring, giving the engine an oil service, and fitting some new tyres.
The car’s low mileage is evident from the condition of the interior, which is in very good and largely unworn condition throughout, with everything being factory standard aside from an aftermarket Sony head unit and CD changer. The seats are all in great condition – the fronts have no tears, discolouration or undue wear, and they tilt forward properly to allow access to the back. The rear seats are in outstanding condition, the carpets are good throughout, and it’s worth noting that the front seats are also heated: we can vouch for the fact that the seat heaters work very well, as we tested the car with the roof down in the snow and we were nice and toasty! The car also boasts the optional air-conditioning.
The dash is in excellent order with no cracks or marks, and all of the correct switchgear and instrumentation in place. The only blemish of note is that the trim has come unstuck around the central storage receptacle between the seats, but this would be easy to reaffix.
Inside the boot it’s all very tidy, with the original warning triangle inside the bootlid and the correct spare wheel under the floor.
If you’ve got your sights set on an A124 Merc, this is the colour scheme you want to go for. The metallic Azurite Blue paintwork really suits the E 220’s sober lines, and has a quasi-magical quality of shapeshifting into a sort of sparkly purple in bright sunlight; it also contrasts really nicely with the interior’s Magnolia hide.
The paintwork is in very good order throughout, with very few blemishes beyond some scuffs on the rear bumper corners and a few other very light bumper scratches. There’s evidence of a little light surface corrosion beneath the paint on the bootlid (just above the horizontal trim line at either end), and a small dent around the size of a ten-pence piece below the passenger-side rear light cluster.
The light lenses and window glass are all free from chips or scratches, and the electric windows work well. The electric roof raises and lowers perfectly, and the roof itself is in superb condition with no holes, tears or creases and is fully water-tight. The original eight-hole alloy wheels are fitted and are in superb and un-kerbed condition; the tyres are budget items, but they’re almost brand new.
On the whole, with the roof either up or down, this is a supremely attractive machine, and it certainly garners a lot of admiring glances.
The mechanicals of Mercedes of this type and era are notoriously robust, and that certainly seems to be the case here. With so very few miles on the clock, you could hardly call this drivetrain stressed, and the fact that it’s backed up by a comprehensive service history is reassuring.
We can see from the documentation that it’s recently had a thorough checkover, including a fully flushed fuel system, new battery and oil service, so all is as it should be. Indeed, on our test drive the car behaved impeccably – starting on the first twist of the key, idling perfectly, accelerating willingly, with the auto ’box shifting smoothly. No warning lights on the dash, no unexpected behaviour or untoward noises, it simply drives like a Mercedes: smooth and relaxing.
The car rides very well indeed (the suspension was engineered for comfort, you should see the size of the springs!), the brakes work effectively, the power steering acts like it should, it’s a thoroughly pleasing machine to drive.
If you’re looking for a late-nineties wafter that’s been trapped in amber, this E 220 makes a pretty strong case for itself. These smartly designed and intelligently engineered drop-tops represent truly remarkable value these days; inherently sturdy and robust, the quality mechanicals are backed up by an entertaining and reassuring drive.
It’s a particularly handsome machine too, isn’t it? The proportions are spot-on, it looks effortlessly stylish, and there’s all the space you could wish for inside – it’s part luxury wafter, part GT.
And the most intriguing part of all is the extraordinarily low mileage: even back in 2012, 41k would have been a very small number to see on the clock. Then it was put in storage, and has since re-emerged, blinking in the light of 2021, ready for a new audience and some new adventures.
Fully refreshed and ready to go, this would make either a decent addition to a modern-classic collection, or an outstanding daily driver. Hey, why not both?
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1997 Mercedes-Benz E 220 Cabriolet
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