This Euro-Spec 1988 Mercedes-Benz 500SEC was ordered new for the German market and was exported to the United States in 2022. It was acquired by the seller in 2023 and has since undergone extensive service by RENNtech. Finished in Black (040) over Black Leather (261), power is provided by a Euro 5.0-liter V8 mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. The car features a full AMG-style widebody kit with authentic AMG stamped side skirts, rear bumper, and trunk spoiler. Equipment includes 17" AMG Aero III wheels, heated Recaro seats, an AMG steering wheel, climate control, a power sunroof, and a Blaupnkt head unit w/Bluetooth. Extensive recent service in August 2023 includes new spark plugs, fuel pump, an oil service, rebuilt transmission, overhauled A/C system, all fresh fluids, brake calipers, brake lines, fuel lines, and more. Thorough prior service records from Germany are included designating AMG modifications. This Euro C126 shows 260k km (~161k miles) and is now offered by the seller with service records, a CarVertical report, and a clean Florida title.
The car is finished in Black (040) and features a full repaint earlier in its life when the widebody fenders and AMG kit was installed. The car was originally Astral Silver and the repaint included door jams and engine bay. Exterior features include European glass headlamps, European bumpers, lower fog lamps, a sunroof, and original glass. The AMG-style widebody features box-flared front and rear fenders, front bumper, side skirts, rear bumper, and lip spoiler. The spoiler, side skirts, and rear bumper show authentic AMG part numbers. The seller notes the body and chassis to be rust-free and a full paint-correction and detail was recently performed by RENNtech.
Authentic 17" AMG Aero III wheels made by O.Z. Racing are fitted with new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires measuring 235/45 up front and 265/40 rear. Braking is handled by disc brakes at all four corners and service in August 2023 included a brake fluid flush, new brake calipers, rotors, and lines, along with front lower ball joints. A full-size spare is located under the trunk floor along with the original tool roll.
The cabin is finished in Black Leather (261) and features Burl Walnut trim on the center console, dash, gauge cluster and doors. An AMG interior wood kit has been installed along with an AMG steering wheel. The front Recaro seats are heated and power adjustable. Interior features include power windows, climate control, courtesy lamps, electrically adjustable side mirrors, and a Blaupunkt head unit with bluetooth functionality. A new headliner was fitted in August 2023 while at RENNtech.
An authentic AMG steering wheel frames an AMG gauge cluster showing a 300-kph speedometer, a 7k-rpm tachometer with an inset analog clock, and a combination gauge for coolant temperature, fuel level, oil pressure, and instant fuel economy. The six-digit odometer shows 260k km (~161k miles).
The Euro 5.0-liter M117 V8 sends power to the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission. RENNtech dyno results are provided in the gallery showing power ratings at 268 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque. A Supersprint exhaust has been recently fitted in addition to extensive recent maintenance performed by RENNtech in Florida. The valve covers and air box have been refinished in silver. An extensive service in August 2023 includes the following:
- New Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tires 235/45 and 265/40
- New front lower ball joints
- Transmission rebuild with new torque converter, flex joints, and cooler lines
- New rear main seal
- New water pump, gaskets, coolant, and all fan belts
- New brake calipers, rotors, lines, brake fluid flush
- New fuel pump along with all fuel lines and seals
- Reseal power steering pump and all seals
- New A/C compressor, expansion valve, dryer, seals, and condenser
- New center console wood
- Oil & filter service
- Rear differential oil replaced
- New spark plugs
- New engine fan and clutch assembly
- New Supersprint exhaust
- Underbody dry ice detail
There is no Carfax available for the car. Extensive German service records showing AMG modifications will accompany the sale along with $40k in recent invoices including $30k at RENNtech. Now with 260k km (~161k miles), this Euro C126 Widebdoy is offered with the original tool roll, service records, a CarVertical report, and a clean Florida title.
A walk around, interior view, engine idle, and driving footage of the car has been provided below.
Open Transit:
Enclosed Transit:
The winning bidder will receive an email with the quote and option to proceed with shipping.
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30 Comments
@Bologna1 - I would love to pick your brain about this car and the build, I am working on something similar and am curious if I should add 300-400hp to my SEC or go widebody (everything else is done)... could you give me an email so we can link up? witt . douglas AT gmail DOTCOM@Louie1072 Congrats! Hope you will have many great memories with this beauty. Thank you everybody for your kind words and bids, I really enjoyed the process of my first ever auction. Take care everyone!Congrats to both buyer and seller.... It was a hard fought battle to the end.@Louie1072 Congrats! Killer win for a killer car. Hopefully we'll be seeing some pics of this online in the future?I totally agree @MBcharmer, just the time and labor alone would be well worth it to get this one....@DW168 I can't imagine trying to build something like this. Even a narrow body car with a real kit like this would be astronomical today. Someone is definitely getting their moneys worth here!$135,500 bid placed by @Louie1072
$135,000 bid placed by @Ralph
$132,000 bid placed by @Louie1072
$131,000 bid placed by @Ralph
It will be near impossible to get many of these cool Gen 1 AMG parts now....$130,500 bid placed by @Louie1072
$130,000 bid placed by @Ralph
Are we going to see $150k?$129,000 bid placed by @Louie1072
$127,500 bid placed by @Ralph
$126,000 bid placed by @Louie1072
$125,500 bid placed by @Ralph
$125,000 bid placed by @Louie1072
@DW168 Don't let me down! JK JK Agreed, this absolutely looks like a $500k car and many wouldn't know the difference. Well done on the seller's part$122,500 bid placed by @Ralph
$121,500 bid placed by @Louie1072
$121,000 bid placed by @Ralph
@4wheelclctr, that's a good one, lol. Definitely not a one and done, just a smart collector ☺️. Good luck to all the other bidders! This looks like $500K car but you can drive it everyday.$120,500 bid placed by @Louie1072
$120,000 bid placed by @Ralph
$118,000 bid placed by @Louie1072
$117,500 bid placed by @Ralph
$115,500 bid placed by @Louie1072
$115,000 bid placed by @Ralph
@MBcharmer Maybe he's a one and done kind of guy lol$111,500 bid placed by @Louie1072
$111,000 bid placed by @LanEvo7RS2
$110,500 bid placed by @Louie1072
$110,000 bid placed by @Ralph
$109,500 bid placed by @Louie1072
$109,000 bid placed by @Ralph
Waiting for the next run... this one is too good to pass up@DW168 Coming in hot brother!$108,500 bid placed by @Louie1072
$108,000 bid placed by @DW168
$100,500 bid placed by @Louie1072
$100,000 bid placed by @DW168
$97,000 bid placed by @Louie1072
$95,500 bid placed by @DW168
$93,000 bid placed by @Louie1072
$91,000 bid placed by @wasteoilproducer
$90,000 bid placed by @Louie1072
$88,000 bid placed by @wasteoilproducer
$87,000 bid placed by @Louie1072
$86,000 bid placed by @wasteoilproducer
$85,000 bid placed by @MaxwellS
$84,500 bid placed by @Ralph
Is the wide body metal or fiberglass?$84,000 bid placed by @Louie1072
$82,000 bid placed by @JasonL
$80,000 bid placed by @Louie1072
$77,500 bid placed by @MBcharmer
$75,000 bid placed by @Louie1072
$73,000 bid placed by @MaxwellS
$72,000 bid placed by @JasonL
$70,000 bid placed by @Louie1072
I have seen this car in person at RENNtech. I drove it to the photo shoot (forest road) and saw it being serviced and Dyno'd.. The power was calculated with a 25% Drivetrain Loss (not Hartmut's handwriting). The owner does not spare any expenses in maintaining his collection, and is an outstanding person to deal with! If you have any questions about the maintenance or service, don't hesitate to reach out to RENNtech. Good luck to bidders - we'll be watching.$68,000 bid placed by @JasonL
Good morning everyone! Final day of the auction.. good luck everybody and thank you for your interest!$67,000 bid placed by @Nurbnerd
$64,000 bid placed by @Louie1072
$60,000 bid placed by @MBcharmer
$53,000 bid placed by @Safistikated
$52,500 bid placed by @Ralph
This is about as close as you can get to a half million dollar car without spending a half million dollars. Looks like it's straight out of my dreams!$52,000 bid placed by @Nurbnerd
$50,000 bid placed by @MBcharmer
Beautiful example. When properly assembled, a tribute will give you everything the original offers, These timeless classics are best when driven often and a tribute is the way forward for anyone who wants the driving experience without a million dollar price tag. FWIW, the later KE 5L's are rated substantially higher from the factory than the early M117 5L's. All the best with the sale!@slownrusty hello, Really appreciate your kind words. As for the writing on the dyno sheet, it was all done at RENNtech.. perhaps Hartmut himself decided to give this car 268hp? Haha Thank youImpressive build and seriously beautiful car. Off to a strong start and this car should do very well. As an FYI, whoever hand wrote "268hp at the engine" is inaccurate. The car dyno'd 200 at the wheels, which is about 235hp at the crank which is correct for a healthy Euro M117. A stock US 560 M117 will put down about 190hp at the wheels, so it goes to show how strong the Euro (even smaller displacement) engines are.@AMG5pt4 hello, No warning lights on the dash while running or driving. Unfortunately i can’t tell you exactly who did the widebody modifications, but if you check the paperwork in the gallery it was done in Germany… and I hope it was done by the folks from Affalterbach, ha. ThanksSo according to Xentry, this SEC was originally 735 Silver and has been color changed to 040 Black. This car has the very early ASR I system (available on Euro W126's), offered as an option on US w126's only in 1991. I see that the cruise control ASR module is not hooked up to the throttle linkage. Are there any dash warning lights from the ASR system when the car is running/being driven? The ASR system can be a problem child to keep in working order. The engine # in Pic 122 matches Xentry, so the 10:1 compression is correct. Who did the widebody modifications? The door card inserts and rear side panel inserts with the pleated leather are from an 89-91 SEC. Nice upgrade from the vinyl inserts.@StuttgartClassix hello, Haha no, but it’s actually very interesting coincidence. You have to watch “The Hangover part II” to understand my nickname:) Thanks@zachmac hello, Unfortunately I can’t confirm when sls was removed, same with the struts. The car came from Germany already with an upgraded suspension, and the mechanics at RENNtech told me it’s in the great shape, so we didn’t do anything on the suspension. What I do know is that the car rides on H&R springs and Bilstein shocks. Thanks@seller are you the bologna mentioned in the renntech receipts as the service manager there?@Bologna1 It appears SLS was removed and r4ear converted to struts? Can you confirm and state what springs and struts were installed?$30,000 bid placed by @am2818
$25,500 bid placed by @zyyzs
$25,000 bid placed by @am2818
$15,250 bid placed by @pdmiller03
$15,000 bid placed by @am2818
Hello Everyone! Thank you for checking my auction. Just wanted to share a few things about this beauty.. A lot of love and money went into this car, when I dropped it off at RENNtech I told them to make this a very reliable car that I could drive every day. The car remained there for half a year, and after that I sent the car back to RENNtech three more times to bring the mechanical condition to perfection. The car drives smoothly, and thanks to the mechanics and the new exhaust, it now has more power, so you will have a little bit more fun. The interior is in excellent condition, the A/C blows freezing cold air, every single button works, including the Recaros. If you have any questions, I'm here to answer them all. Thank you for your time and happy bidding!$7,500 bid placed by @LanEvo7RS2
Nice car with all the AMG bits and recent Renntech service.If only...$7,000 bid placed by @Bankrep40
Just damn...