This Euro-Spec 1985 Mercedes-Benz 500SEC was ordered new for the Belgian market and was exported to the United States in August of 1985. It was acquired by the seller earlier in 2024 and was reportedly sitting in a garage in Atlanta since the early 2000s and has since been revived with aid by a Mercedes-Benz specialty shop. The SEC is finished in Astral Silver Metallic (735) over Royal Blue Leather (272), and power is provided by a 5.0-liter V8 mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. Equipment includes reproduction gullideckel wheels, automatic climate control, a power sunroof, Becker head unit, and cruise control. Recent service in 2024 includes a new battery, drive belts, replacement Euro 5.0L engine, engine mounts, coolant flush, transmission service, and valve cover gaskets. This Euro C126 shows 79k miles and is now offered by the seller with the original tool roll, spare wheel, ‘80s mobile phone, and a clean Georgia title.
The car is finished in Astral Silver Metallic (735) with grey lower cladding. Exterior features include European glass headlamps, European bumpers, lower fog lamps, a sunroof, and original glass. The seller notes the body and chassis to be rust-free and the electric antenna is missing the exterior grommet. A rare, period correct heckblende reflector comes mounted to the car.
Reproduction 15" TSW gullideckel wheels are fitted with 2023 date coded Toyo Extensa A/S tires measuring 205/65 on all four wheels. Braking is handled by disc brakes at all four corners. A full-size spare is located under the trunk floor along with the original tool roll and jack.
The cabin is finished in Royal Blue Leather (272) and features original Burl Walnut trim on the center console, dash, and doors. Interior features include power windows, automatic climate control, courtesy lamps, power front seats, cruise control, and Euro headlamp adjustment switchgear. An original first aid kit is tucked away in the rear parcel shelf. The seller notes the cruise control is inoperable as is the power sunroof.
The four-spoke original steering wheel frames a 160-mph 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 79k miles with true mileage unknown.
The unrestricted Euro 5.0-liter M117 V8 is equipped with Bosch KE-Jetronic fuel injection and was rated at 231 horsepower and 299 lb-ft of torque when new. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed 722.3 automatic transmission. Recent service in 2024 includes:
The included Carfax report shows first entry in 2001 with no accidents or damage and registration history exclusively in Georgia. This Euro C126 is offered with the original tool roll, original spare steering wheel, Becker radio, ‘80s mobile phone, original floor mats, and a clean Georgia title.
A walk around and underside video is viewable below, along with an indepth detailed overview of the car.
Seeing a C126 in photos is one thing. Seeing them on the road in modern traffic is another. The W126 S-Class sedan proportions are there – you see elements of a SEL in the car, but a SEC just has a hand built, bespoke appearance to them that reeks of quality and of Sacco going absolutely nuts when designing the C126. The breathtaking pillarless side profile, the smaller single pod headlights, and the classic shape of the grill that harkens back to the 300SL Gullwing is quintessential Golden Age Mercedes-Benz. The 500SEC was penned with the European headlights and lithe bumpers in mind – this Astral Silver over Blue Leather example is what Bruno Sacco saw when he closed his eyes and put pen to paper when designing what many regard as his magnum opus. The classic color combo of the early ‘80s that represented wealth, taste, and class of silver over blue is nautical in inspiration. The ride quality of the C126 is unparalleled and having spent an evening driving this example, so is the suspension work done to this car. Grey Market cars are best when imported to the U.S. when new so they never got to experience salt on European roads. This example having spent most (if not all) of its life in the temperate Atlanta climate means no rust and lots of experienced Mercedes-Benz shops to keep this car happy and road worthy 40 years later.
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44 Comments
Did this car sell?@Cascadiabenz what a fabulous comment. So glad you’re here to watch out for the poor souls that need your help. All of your comments are so valuable and appreciated. Keep up the great work crime fighter!!This looks to be an Excellent auction if you are interested in learning how to deflect with out actually answering meaningful questions....thankfully the results are on par with the execution. I have found Mercedes people are sufficiently informed that they know and ask questions that need answering in order to have a semblance of confidence in the lot at hand. Trying to obfuscate and avoid is never advisable.@Vlad600sel Maybe the fact that it's a swapped engine with a quarter million miles on it and mismatched wheels?whats the reserve?Well I hope I see it again without reserve next time.I’m I missing something here Nice car$11,250 bid placed by @Huss_r28
$11,000 bid placed by @Clarence
$10,750 bid placed by @Scottday
$10,500 bid placed by @LH_1977
@trashpanda911 With those miles, it certainly would have. M117s are incredibly durable engines. My uncle has one with nearly 700k miles on it. With 233k miles, it would have seen a top end rebuild at some point in its life. When I did my driving video for @Smcase22, I was specifically looking for blue smoke on acceleration since they need valve guides/seals when tired and oil leaks into the combustion chamber on acceleration as those round out over time. This car didn't blow smoke. Also when they are improperly maintained, you will hear tapping under the valve cover as the camshaft lobes/rocker arms flat spot. No such signs of that. Also the timing chain tensioner will tire out and you'll hear timing chain slap on the inside of the valve cover on start up. This car also didn't do that, even when cold. I have a 110k mile Euro M117 in my fleet and this engine feels super healthy compared to mine. Considering those miles, it was maintained and rebuilt at some point since it showed no signs of issues that pop up on these. Without records, it's hard to tell -- but as someone who has rebuilt a bunch of these motors myself, the engine felt good and with the high miles, it was maintained as such to make it to those miles. Those are my observations. Make of them what you will!@trashpanda911 Engine was installed and checked over thoroughly by DC Motorwerks, please watch the extensive YouTube video that they completed on the swap and install. Everything is detailed out there. I might say they did a VERY good job. This car is so quiet when running I have to check the ignition to see if its actually on, LOL. At highway speeds it is an amazing cruiser. Look forward to your bid!so the donor car motor has at least 233k miles on it? Has it been rebuilt?@hitch02 Astute observation. I did not notice that. Auto works on the Air, it blows cold....... I did not check the bladders in the seats. Look forward to your bid!@Daniel75 roughly 233k miles. Look forward to your bid!It looks like the front passenger wheel is a factory Gullideckel while the other three are aftermarket (or later) and a slightly different style. Do you have the matching wheel? Also, do the auto climate control and the bladders for the ortho seats work properly? Thanks - GLWTA.$10,000 bid placed by @Clarence
What is the reading on the broken speedometer of the donor car? We can at least get an understanding of the minimum number of miles on the engine.Good afternoon all. Good luck in the final 3 hours of the bid. I’ll be here for the show! Can’t wait to see this beauty in someone’s garage.$9,750 bid placed by @Huss_r28
@570TE good morning. Please see my answer from July 8th below. Thanks again for the interest!! July 8th, 2024 at 3:17pm Smcase22 (10) Seller 0 @StudioDude Thanks for asking. It is from a 1985 Euro 500 SEC (I can post VIN is you like) that was local to Marietta (where I am located),. The owner was/is a Merc' enthusiast as well and a professional Porsche driver. He had the car maintained by a local speciality shop since he bought the car (I believe 20 or so years ago). He had it in storage and sold me the car, this is the car that I am going to use to do the AMG 'tribute'. The drivetrain is so smooth and original. I am still shocked that this donor car was only 1 mile from my house. I am not sure on the mileage as the speedo was not functioning on the donor car.@Seller. You still haven't told us how many miles were on the donor engine at time of swap…. Why is that such a difficult question? Please be more forthcoming with information….@Smcase22 Ugghhh. Sorry. Had my dates wrong.. lol@Cascadiabenz Hey there Northern Neighbor, hot up there? 100 degrees with 100% humidity here... All photos are of the car with the donor engine. All items were inspected and noted to not be a concern at this time when engine was replaced. 100% a Euro 500 engine. Exact same year, 1985, amazingly enough it was in the same local area as me for the last 25+ years and owned by a professional Porsche driver who was a Merc' fanatic as well. There are over 243 photos and two extensive videos on this post. There is not rust that can be seen. Again, the best I can tell this car has been in Metro Atlanta since 1985 (export badge shows date as well). Thanks again for the interest. Stay cool up there!@Cascadiabenz Sorry about that. My computer glitched. Answers forthcoming.@Cascadiabenz Hey there Northern Neighbor, hot up there? 100 degrees with 100% humidity here...Are the gallery photographs showing the "new" engine after it was installed? It would appear as thought it has 30 years of grease and grime. Did this engine receive a fresh timing chain, guide rails and hydraulic tensioner? Were rocker arms inspected while the valve covers were off? Also, is this replacement engine a high compression, European specification variant or is it the neutered US iteration. I see that most of the fuel system is aged, and some lines have been spliced together. I have experienced the ravages of fuel on these old rubbers on many of my cars, I can't imagine this to be any different. Could someone do us all the kindness of looking under the rear window via the luggage compartment to see if there are any signs of rust? Perhaps this is not so much a concern in the USA but here across the way I've seen it in a number of C126's.$9,500 bid placed by @Scottday
Hey there all! Well, the final day is here. Bid early and often. Let’s get this beauty back on the road and in good hands! I will be here all day for questions. Good luck!!$9,250 bid placed by @Clarence
@Daniel75 I can shed some insight on the cruise control repair. I’ve been using this guy for years at this point. Every old Mercedes I buy has inop cruise control. It will be the amplifier which is behind the kick panel below the steering wheel on the driver side. Takes 10 minutes to remove it with a short Philips head and a 10mm wrench. The solders/capacitors in the amp go bad and need repair. This guy is good, fast, and cheap. http://www.cruisecontrolrepair.com/Dang, what a beauty! Wish I had space for it. All hail Bruno Sacco!$9,000 bid placed by @Scottday
$8,500 bid placed by @roylee
@MBDan thanks! As far as I know. They seem to be.Are the headlights and taillights original? They look amazing!$8,250 bid placed by @StudioDude
BTW, just yanking Cam's chain at DC Motorworks. He is a good man.Worst part about this Gen I SEC is the license plate. THWG! Too bad about the old cell phone antenna drilled through the trunk lid. Sacrilege! And Cam worked on this? Sigh. Really nice SEC and a stone's throw from me...@Daniel75 Cruise control is usually the amplifier/control unit so not too difficult usually. Same with sunroof, could just be a seized motor. I wouldn't expect extensive repairs for either. As far as headlamp wipers, we don't like to test them in fear of scratching the headlamps as the wipers are always rock hard and falling apart. Not a feature that is used in the modern era anyhow. As far as making a daily driver, that can take you down a rabbit hole. With this one though, It is very nice as is and I would just drive it and see if anything comes up. Freshening the other fluids, diff, brake fluid, etc. would be good practice.@570TE thanks for the interest. Check my message below on July 8th, 2024 at 3:17pm for the answer on the donor car. Please watch the second YouTube video for your second question! Really appreciate your interest.@DCMotorWerks How difficult would it be to get the sunroof and cruise control working again? Also, same question for the missing headlight wipers. Does the cleaner pump work for the headlights? Any other issues you would suggest taking care of to make this a reliable daily driver?So, the prior owner tried to start the car incorrectly and ruined the engine? So what is the history of the new engine? How many miles were on the new engine, prior to installation, and what work was needed to recommission the new engine? Thank you for your detailed response.$8,000 bid placed by @Daniel75
$7,750 bid placed by @Ranger902
As the repairing shop, we are open to any questions related to this car. Honestly it is amazing to see one this nice and hopefully it will stay local to GA so we can continue to see it! Bringing this one back was such a joy.@floman hey there. Please watch the second YouTube video. In short, the owner I bought the car from tried to start improperly. Thanks again for the interest!@Smcase22, No mention of the replacement engine in the video?I had the opportunity to shoot and drive his car for the seller -- I see concerns about the milage being actual in the comments. I've owned a ton of W126s, both low milage ones and high milage ones, and the miles feel accurate based on touch points in the cabin, suspension, paint, leather, seat wear, interior smell, and steering tightness. It's a really nice example. I'd love to see the car go from one good home to another.$7,500 bid placed by @Scottday
$6,000 bid placed by @Windarto
This one is so stinking cool. I'd daily drive this in a heartbeat. Silver on blue never gets old. Love it.What, no photo near the Big Chicken? Lol, this is a beauty!@floman Thanks for the compliment. It really is a beauty! Watch the youtube video if you have a chance, it details it all out there. The mileage seems to be very true to me. It was in storage for many years and did not see many miles. If you review the Carfax you will see that it was only driven a few hundreds miles a year in the early 2000's. When you sit in this car you will think it has 7000 miles.@smcase22, beautiful car. Why the need for a replacement engine? And any comment or history on the mileage being TMU? Thanks and good luck.$5,500 bid placed by @StudioDude
$5,000 bid placed by @Scottday
@StudioDude Thanks for asking. It is from a 1985 Euro 500 SEC (I can post VIN is you like) that was local to Marietta (where I am located),. The owner was/is a Merc' enthusiast as well and a professional Porsche driver. He had the car maintained by a local speciality shop since he bought the car (I believe 20 or so years ago). He had it in storage and sold me the car, this is the car that I am going to use to do the AMG 'tribute'. The drivetrain is so smooth and original. I am still shocked that this donor car was only 1 mile from my house. I am not sure on the mileage as the speedo was not functioning on the donor car.what is the history on the donor engine?Hello fellow Benz fans. Selling this Euro 500 SEC is bittersweet as I originally bought to complete an AMG wide-body 'tribute'. After several drives and staring at it in my garage, I have decided that I just can't do it to this car. This is the nicest 40 year old car I have ever seen. Hoping it goes to a Merc' fanatic like myself (I have a few, handfuls:)). Good luck with the bidding, I will be in town and very available for questions. Let's keep this gorgeous C126 example pristine, and on the road!