This 1982 Mercedes-Benz 500SEC was brought to the U.S. as a gray market import and shows just 43k miles from new. Finished in Astral SIlver Metallic (735) over Black Leather (231), power is provided by a 5.0-liter M117 V8 mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. Equipment includes 16” AMG Penta wheels, AMG front and rear bumpers, side skirts, an AMG steering wheel, power operated and heated Recaro bucket seats, a power sunroof, automatic climate control, an aftermarket MB Quart audio system and a MEC Design exhaust. Maintenance performed within the past month includes a full fluid flush of all systems, new brake pads and rotors, a paint correction, polish and wax, and a full interior detail with leather treatment. This 500SEC is now offered for sale by the selling dealer in Sarasota, Florida with a clean Carfax report and a clean Florida title.
The exterior is finished in Astral Silver Metallic (735) and features AMG bumpers front and rear along with sculpted AMG side skirts and a trunk mounted spoiler. The selling dealer performed a full paint correction along with a polish and wax. Exterior features include a power sliding sunroof, an automatic antenna, a power adjustable passenger side mirror and headlamp wiper/washers. The car retains it's Euro-spec lighting and bumpers, and all chrome has been painted to match the car as part of the AMG treatment.
Staggered 16” AMG Penta wheels wear a polished lip with silver painted faces and come fitted with Pirelli Cinturato tires measuring 225/50 front and 245/45 rear with 2019 date codes. A full brake fluid flush along with a new set of pads and rotors was carried out within the past month.
The cabin is trimmed in Black Leather (231) with Burl Walnut wood trim lining the center console, gearshift, dashboard and door panels. The Recaro bucket seats offer power adjustability along with a heated seat function. The interior received a leather treatment and full detail from the selling dealer. Interior features include a Blaupunkt Bremen head unit with auxiliary input and bluetooth, a full MB Quart audio system including speakers, subwoofer and amplifier and automatic climate control.
A four-spoke AMG steering wheel fronts white AMG gauges including a 160-mph speedometer, 7k-rpm tachometer, an analog clock and gauges for fuel level, fuel economy, coolant temperature and oil pressure. The six-digit odometer reads 43k miles with only 250 miles added by the selling dealer.
This C126 is powered by a 5.0-liter M117 V8 which is factory rated at 228 horsepower and 299 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission with the help of a limited-slip differential. A MEC Design exhaust has been fitted along with Elbe Engineering headers which have been heat wrapped. The front cross member has been modified to fit the headers. Recent maintenance includes an engine oil and oil filter change, transmission fluid flush with filter, differential fluid flush and power steering fluid flush with filter. The selling dealer has included extensive underbody photographs which are viewable in the photo gallery below.
The Carfax report shows no accidents or damage, linear mileage updates from 2003, and registration history shown in Massachusetts and Florida. This 500SEC is now offered in Sarasota, Florida with a clean Carfax report and a clean Florida title.
A driving demonstration video and a video of the undercarriage have been included by the seller.
The seller has provided videos showing cold and warm starts, Sacco Board features, and stereo functions.
The C126 500SEC was an icon of design that defined an era and with the help of AMG, took luxury and excess to a whole new standard. This example received AMG treatment from front to rear including AMG bumpers, side skirts, trunk spoiler and silver 16” AMG Penta wheels. Getting inside, the fun continues as you’re greeted by leather-wrapped Recaro bucket seats featuring power adjustability and heating functionality. A four-spoke AMG steering wheel frames white gauges which wear the iconic pre-merger AMG logo. To accompany these AMG upgrades, a full MB Quart audio system has been fitted complete with an amplifier and sub, although you may quickly forget as the soundtrack of the Elbe Engineering headers and MEC Design exhaust take a front seat. With just 43k miles and all of the right bits, this 500SEC is high on the list of any collector and is sure to attract a lot of attention from buyers all over!
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30 Comments
Best of luck with a post auction saleHello everyone - thank you all for bids! While we didn't hit our reserve, we got close and it was very exciting there towards the end. Thanks again and huge thank you to the team here for being great as always!Didn't sell @ 83k?$83,000 bid placed by @RallyDRV
$82,000 bid placed by @MLOC47
$81,500 bid placed by @RallyDRV
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$80,000 bid placed by @RallyDRV
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$75,500 bid placed by @2plus2
$75,000 bid placed by @MLOC47
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$70,000 bid placed by @RallyDRV
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$58,500 bid placed by @silversun262
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$52,500 bid placed by @2plus2
@benzgarden It is standard on all the Euro market SEC's, early and late. Seems like a lot of people took them off or they simply eroded and fell off. We have another Euro SEC on our property that is an 1984 and it has the same sticker - and the two US market 560's we have do not have it. I will happily supply video proof as well.@EuropeanStarr, “premium unleaded fuel” wasn’t on the gauge on early 80’s cars. I might be mistaken so maybe the experts will chime in. Possible it was dated later but doesn’t not seem to be period correct.Additional videos have been added showing cold and warm starts, Sacco boards, and stereo functions.@benzgarden Not sure what makes you think it's a reproduction, but it is the original cluster, preserved the way we found it. This car spent its life in doors so it isn't entirely uncommon for them to still be bright. It is possible that the original owner had them painted long before we purchased it, but it was not done while we've owned it.@DeeBlock We will be submitted some photos of your request momentarily and they will be uploaded here shortly after. Thx.@TheAMGKit We will be submitted some photos of this momentarily and they will be uploaded here shortly after. Thx.The cluster appears to be a reproduction and needles painted? Was it changed?would it be possible to post pictures of the underside of the rear deck where the speakers are at. ALong with a close up of the dash speakers.. Even maybe pop off a cover if you can.@AMG5pt4 Thank you for the kind words. We don't know whether the wood was refinished or not, the interior is the way we found it - minus the stereo bits we upgraded.Very nice SEC. Has some very tasty AMG mods - Recaros, body kit, door burl wood, correct Gen I AMG steering wheel. The 8"/9" wheels are especially nice, although the 9" rears were probably a later change to what the car may have had originally. Hard to say when the AMG mods were done and by whom (AMG Germany, AMG N America) without paperwork, but this certainly has the look of an original AMG modified car. Can the Seller opine on when/if the wood was refinished?@DeeBlock Yes we can do that for you. Photos will be submitted either today or tomorrow. Thx.@STARGAUD Thank you for editing your original comment. We will submit some more photos of that. For reference, photos 319, 320 and 321 show the fuel pack.Can you get a close up of the left side of fuel pump pack? Looked pretty cakey and corroded.$50,000 bid placed by @MLOC47
The Sacco boards look off, can you post more detailed pictures of it. The fitment doesn’t look flush$25,000 bid placed by @Shyk1965
This is the 451st 500SEC ever made. Quite an early car. Amazing condition.$22,000 bid placed by @Armen123
@TheAMGKit Thank you! As much as we wish it had AMG cams, it does not. The car runs perfectly and didn't warrant taking the fuel system apart, so it remains untouched. As for the guides, we didn't plan on it - but if the new owner requests it, we will gladly do it. The Pentas are 16x8 front 16x9 rear.Whenever I see these early cars I think what happened to Barry Taylors stash up N in CA??? He would swear all was for sale and then balk on selling anything. I left with a $35 AMG parts book. That was 25 years ago.low miles, good history, nice upgrades recently, wood looks fantastic, this is a great car. solid buy knowing the trajectory of pre merger...Beautiful Car . I have enjoyed following and discussing with you on your IG page. Few Q. Did you by chance have a look at the back of the cams for numbers 09/08 or by chance could they be amg 50 cams. also the timing chain/tensioner. As you well know they should be addressed at 100K. I Know this car doesnt have that but with skant records and a dark color rail would you consider doing that service prior to sale. Also was the fuel distributor refreshed at all, and were they any issues adjusting the k jet. The rear pentas are 16 by 9 or 8. I cant see on the wheel. thanks@Avvocato Everything electrical works as it should - radio works and is brand new - gauges are clearly working in the driving video. We're located in Florida and do not have DMV inspections so that is up to the buyer to figure out if it'll pass state emissions. The chassis was absolutely not painted, it is completely original. We pressure washed off all the years of grime and that is what was underneath. The car sat in a garage and then a warehouse for most of its life so its perfectly preserved. We also purchased it without any of the original literature or any paperwork. We're a small family owned Mercedes specialty shop and yes, we are a dealer, but it isn't our primary gig. We will be willing to help with title work and arraigning shipping to whomever wins the auction.Please state if all electric windows, sunroof, seats, radio, antenna, gauges, lights, etc. are working and the vehicle passes state DMV inspection and also state what, if anything, is not working on this car. Please also state what services other than the brakes and fluids have been performed and what else is deferred maintenance. In recent detailing, was the chassis painted silver as it appears to be newly painted ? Since the seller is a dealer, will you also assist with title and shipping? Do you have any paperwork and manuals for this car? Thank you.@xmaster35 The Sacco boards have not been touched, maybe just the angle of the photos? The tweeters were done by the previous owner, they were ADS tweeters that did not work, so we replaced them with the MB Quart units. We did not repaint the car, not entirely sure where you got that from. The car has zero rust, please be sure to go through all the photos. We will assume that yes the MEC Exhaust can be registered in Germany as it was manufactured in Germany by a German company. We are in contact with them and they frequently comment on our Instagram page so we can reach out to them to confirm that. As for the Recaro seats, they were in the car when we found it.Hello seller The Sacco boards are wavy, are they not mounted correctly? Who screwed the tweeters onto the dashboard? Sorry but this is a crime. Why did you repaint the car? were only scratches decisive or was there rust? do you have pictures before repainting? Can the MEC exhaust system be registered in Germany? Do you have a review for that? Which facility is it? What's her name? Were the Reccaro seats already installed when you took over the car? Thanks a lotAdditional photos of AMG stamps/markings have been added to the gallery.@Boostin It had the AMG body kit and bits already on it, and unfortunately we do not have any of the federalization paperwork. We believe the original owner passed away and his estate/family sold the car to our friend. We will send in some photos of where the stamps are, but unfortunately whoever installed the kit back in the day sanded them of the rear wing and the front bumper spoiler - front one is faintly there - and rear bumper spoiler. The areas where they were is clearly defined. The AMG plate behind the side cladding is there and I just sent over photos to the MB Market team to add them to the listing. We are 1000% confident they are authentic AMG parts. As for the differential, the gearing is 1:2.24.$20,000 bid placed by @Shyk1965
Beautiful example and tastefully modified! A few questions - when you found the car, were the AMG parts already on the car or did you add them? If they were on the car, do they have AMG stamps and if so, can you please post pictures of each? Do you have any historical documentation on the car such as the federalization book with pictures or any purchase orders from the dealer or AMG? Do you know what ratio the diff is? ThanksHello everyone - welcome to the auction of our 500SEC! Just wanted to give a little back story on it. We found it tucked away in one of our local parts suppliers warehouse, were it had been sitting for a little while after he had purchased it from the original owner. As per the CarFax, the car basically sat in storage for most of its life. After buying it, we were very excited as you'd imagine and purchased the Elbe headers and MEC Design exhaust. After installing them, our repair/restoration business absolutely blew up with business, so we had to put the car in storage for 8-9 months. After deciding to sell it, we ended up spending 150 hours detailing and paint correcting the car and getting it ready for its next home. We will be using the funds to further expand our business, as well as build something pretty wild and fun. Please don't hesitate to ask questions or request videos/photos of something that may have been missed. Thanks for looking and happy bidding!$2,000 bid placed by @pierrem53