This 1989 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC AMG Widebody is an AMG Germany-built car that was sold in the Italian market when new. The car eventually made its way to Lebanon for some years where it underwent a full body refurbishment in 2018. Shortly after, the car was imported to Calabasas, California where it remained with a collector until the current seller’s acquisition in early 2025. Power is provided by a high compression 5.5L Euro M117 which underwent a full rebuild and extensive servicing in 2020. The four-speed automatic transmission sends power to the rear wheels with a 2.65 rear differential and LSD. The current owner drove it on the CMS Rally from Los Angeles to Pebble Beach for Monterey Car Week in 2025, and then had it shipped to Atlanta, Georgia for further refurbishment under the care of Stuttgart Steel. Finished in Black Pearl Metallic (199) over Black Leather (261), equipment includes fog lights, a power sunroof, cruise control, automatic climate control, and power-adjustable and heated front Recaro seats. In addition to the AMG widebody conversion, the car is also fitted with AMG suspension, tri-y headers, an AMG instrument cluster, rebuilt AMG Aero 3 wheels, a Momo M40 AMG steering wheel, additional wood door trim, and a Supersprint exhaust with AMG tips. Recent service over the last few months includes an oil service, lower ball joints, fuel filter/pumps, brake lines, rear SLS accumulators, all new rubber hoses, vacuum system, A/C refresh, and much more. Now with just under 92k original kilometers (~57k miles), this AMG Widebody is offered by the current owner in Atlanta, Georgia with an original Italian premerger AMG catalog, service records, prior import documentation, two keys, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Montana title.
The body is finished in Black Pearl Metallic (199) and underwent a full body repaint in 2018 due to clearcoat issues with the car stripped down to bare metal during refurbishment. AMG widebody fenders are fitted to the car by AMG Germany in-period with AMG-stamped fiberglass front fenders and steel rear fenders. AMG stamps are seen in the moldings of the body kit which dress the front and rear bumpers, side skirts, and lip spoiler. Additional features include an electric metal sunroof with tilt function, fog lights, body colored monochrome trim, a power antenna, body-colored mirrors, and headlight washers with wipers. European-market glass headlamps flank the monochrome grill with European-market amber corner lights fitted to the front quarter panels. A complete paint correction was performed in preparation for the sale along with new mirror boots.
Authentic 17” AMG Aero III wheels by O.Z. have been fully refinished and recently fitted to the car, replacing the AMG Penta wheels which were installed upon the owners acquisition. Brand new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 All-Season tires measuring 235/45 front and 275/40 rear are fitted. Braking is handled by disc brakes behind each wheel complete with ABS. New rubber brake hoses can be seen under the car along with new tie rods, lower ball joints, and Self-Leveling Suspension accumulator spheres. The car also features AMG Bilstein shocks and black AMG springs. A SLS service has been performed along with new power steering fluid, hoses, and filters. The SLS suspension has also been calibrated accordingly.
The cabin features Black Leather (261) across the seats, door cards, armrest, and headrests. The black dashboard and center console are accented with Burl Walnut which shows some wear and warping in the veneer. Amenities include heated and power-adjustable Recaro front seats that have been refurbished with new leather, a dual-tone horn, automatic climate control, cruise control, and an aftermarket Blaupunkt Madrid 200BT head unit. An AMG M40 steering wheel is fitted to the car along with additional AMG wood trim along the door pockets. Vacuum powered adjustable headlights are next to the exterior light control knob. A new Alcantara headliner was fitted to the car along with rebuilt seatbelt presenters, the rear roller blind assembly rebuilt, all of the interior lighting fixed and redone to OEM spec, a new headlight switch, driver window switch repair, door mount seat switches rebuilt, driver front seat belt buckle replaced, door contact switches replaced, headlight switch harness rebuilt, overhead console light repaired, rear dome light replaced, trunk light redone, and full instrument cluster light system rebuild. The air conditioning system has also been serviced and repaired with new parts and a system charge.
The AMG M40 leather wrapped steering wheel frames an AMG 300-kph speedometer, a 7k-rpm tachometer with an inset analog clock, and a combination gauge for coolant temperature, fuel level, oil pressure, and fuel economy. The six-digit odometer shows just under 92k kilometers (~57k miles). The initials "G.F." are shown above the AMG designation on the cluster, which is a rarely seen option for owners that AMG offered in-period.
The high compression Euro 5.5-liter M117 V8 features Bosch Jetronic fuel injection and was factory-rated at 300 horsepower with 336 lb-ft of torque when new. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission and a limited-slip differential. A 2.65 rear end is fitted compared to the taller 2.47 rear end in the North American market cars. An extensive service in 2020 included a complete engine rebuild to OEM Euro-spec with correct RUF 24/25 cams. A new long block was used with new block internals as follows:
More work was performed than the listed items. Detailed underside photos are provided showing this SEC has been mechanically refreshed and sorted by the current owner. Euro high compression engines got different piston hats, scalloped valves, EGR system, exhausts, catalytic converters, knock sensors, thermostat, spark plugs, revised camshafts, and other mechanical changes to get the compression up to 10:1 ratio making these engines produce 51 more horsepower and 49 foot-pounds of torque more than the North American market engines. The optional Tri-Y headers and Supersprint exhaust are estimated to further increase power and can be seen from the underbody photos as its four pipes connect to a true dual pipe exhaust finished with AMG tips. Additional repairs over the last few months include:
The Carfax report shows first entry in 2022 with no accidents or damage reports. An original premerger AMG brochure in Italian featuring the C126 is included with the sale along with service records documenting the extensive servicing.
The seller has included the following videos:
It doesn’t get much better than a real SEC AMG Widebody. The Euro-spec, 10:1 high compression M117 is so good with considerably more power than the U.S. counterparts. When paired with the tri-y headers, it makes for the highest output M117 ever offered from the factory. Mercedes-Benz built these high output V8 engines to compete with the new BMW V12s while they continued to develop their M120. M117s are generally bulletproof if you drive them, but over time they will need timing chains, guides, valve guides/seals, and usually a head gasket. It’s the only big ticket item on these cars – but guess what? This example has all of that done! An extensive engine rebuild in 2020 returned this car to its former glory. Then some dialing in over the last few months for a properly sorted SEC was done by Stuttgart Steel.
The initials on the AMG gauge cluster had us doing some research. While AMG offered owners the option to put their initials on the clusters, very rarely do you see any that opted for that. After some extensive digging, we speculate the original owner in Italy may have been Giorgio Falck. Falck was close friends with Raul Gardini through their shared passion for sailing and fast cars. Gardini is best known for ordering two of the original AMG Hammers in 1988, one being the only manual sedan built. There are no documents to verify but we felt obliged to share our nerdy research.
All of the genuine AMG parts paired with the monochrome exterior in 199 paint with the AMG stamped box flare fenders that look like homologation racing parts give this SEC so much attitude. Genuine examples are getting extremely difficult to find, and those with an extra half liter under the hood are fetching over half a million dollars. We love the factory Euro 560 engines in these cars (especially when paired with tri-y headers and exhaust) for their performance, driveability, reliability, and ease of service. This car has the added benefit of being in the right color combo and O.Z. Aero III wheels that have been refinished to perfection with fresh Michelin rubber. With extremely limited production numbers and timeless styling, the C126 AMG Widebody is an all-time favorite amongst enthusiasts from all walks. This is your chance to own a genuine legacy piece from AMG, a true investment that will continue to appreciate with time.
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49 Comments
Thanks DW168! Have a great week! CVWell Done! Amazing example!Still a great buy.Incredible car! Well done.@cjv29 Congratulations on winning a spectacular AMG Widebody!!Congrats @cjv29, I would've gone a few more rounds, but you deserve this one.Body blow by @cjv29....$210,000 bid placed by @cjv29
$207,500 bid placed by @DW168
I sense rnm coming up ...Get out the Popcorn. It's a boxing match.....$207,000 bid placed by @cjv29
$206,500 bid placed by @DW168
$206,000 bid placed by @cjv29
$205,500 bid placed by @DW168
$205,000 bid placed by @cjv29
$200,500 bid placed by @DW168
$200,000 bid placed by @cjv29
$195,500 bid placed by @DW168
$195,000 bid placed by @cjv29
$190,500 bid placed by @DW168
$190,000 bid placed by @cjv29
$185,500 bid placed by @DW168
$185,000 bid placed by @cjv29
$178,239 bid placed by @DW168
Go for it! This beauty will make you want to abandon your bedroom for the garage, because it's shape is second only to the female form. When you drive it it will make you feel like you are exuding class and menace at the same time. It will draw attention at any show, regardless of what is parked next to it and YOU will be the owner of the fabled Blakley Leonard, MBMarket Widebody.$177,000 bid placed by @cjv29
$176,500 bid placed by @Fish23geeks
$176,000 bid placed by @cjv29
$175,500 bid placed by @DW168
$175,000 bid placed by @cjv29
$170,500 bid placed by @DW168
@SwissBliss I was planning to keep this car so it's very bitter sweet to see it go. I recently decided to purchase a warehouse in Atlanta to setup our new MB Market headquarters and that is proving to be quite the expense, hence the sale. Stuttgart Steel is also setup there now too and already open for business! While a 6.0 would be amazing, dropping over $500k for an extra few hp isn't in the cards for me. I originally acquired the car over a year ago to use as The MB Market Monterey Car Week vehicle which we did and even took it on the CMS Rally from Los Angeles to Monterey last year. It did amazing but you know I can't leave well enough alone so I dumped a hefty amount into it to get it dialed in the way I wanted it. Refinishing the wood trim would be the icing on the cake for this one! I did that on my white AMG widebody and it's 100% worth it.$170,000 bid placed by @cjv29
$168,000 bid placed by @DW168
@GoBoGo 🤣 That tracks@swissbliss hit the nail on the head. If you look back over the years this offering is really special and presents as the perfect sweet spot of condition, rarity and driveability/ownership. Super cool. One lucky buyer has a fun experience ahead$162,500 bid placed by @cjv29
$162,000 bid placed by @Fish23geeks
I love the note from @Stuttgart_Steel . He mentioned that you were planning on keeping this Blakely, but did not follow up. Why the flip? Holding out for a 6.0 to match your white AMG SEC? Also, genuinely curious on the recent history of the car, how did you come across such a beautiful specimen, let alone be in a position to acquire it (not financially, just how the seller decided to sell to you privately)? I will say that having Blakely, Stuttgart_Steel, and the MBMarket team being stewards of this amazing machine, even just for the short term, adds considerable value in my opinion. To have them spend months going over everything, giving it the proper treatment to get to the high standard that Blakely is known for, would put me over the moon, and sets this apart on that aspect alone, from other WB AMG SECs that come up for sale. While this is a 100k, possibly 200k+ vehicle and worth every penny, there is still so much value here, and for the winning bidder, the opportunity to own an authentic Widebody AMG, properly sorted, without having to spend half a million plus that some of the 6.0s are going for. One last thing, I *highly* recommend www.restoredinusa.com for the wood trim restoration. They did a spectacular job on the entire woodgrain for my SEC, and you can go with a variety of different woodgrain and tinting options. Didn't break the bank either, Igor is a true artisan!G.F. Go Faster$161,000 bid placed by @cjv29
$160,500 bid placed by @DW168
$160,000 bid placed by @cjv29
$156,000 bid placed by @DW168
$155,500 bid placed by @cjv29
$155,000 bid placed by @DW168
$150,500 bid placed by @cjv29
$150,000 bid placed by @DW168
$139,500 bid placed by @cjv29
$139,000 bid placed by @Johnnyd949
$138,500 bid placed by @cjv29
$138,000 bid placed by @DW168
@cjv29 Yes, but only within the last 2 minutes. Any bid placed within the final 2 minutes will reset the timer back to 2 minutes.On this site towards end of the bidding process if your Out bid does clock reset$135,500 bid placed by @cjv29
$135,000 bid placed by @FamilyOfficeGuy
Only a couple of hours left to bid! As we come down to the close of the auction, I just want to remind everyone to not wait until the final minutes to place your initial bid to ensure your bid goes through without issue. If you're first bid goes through, then you should be all set thereafter! Real AMG Widebody's are extremely difficult to find today, much less in such incredible condition. This is not the one to miss by a small margin. I have a modest collection of MB's and this is 1 of 2 AMG widebody's in the lineup. I had planned for this car to be a keeper but the new MB Market headquarters must take priority (for now). Thank you to everyone who has bid, commented, and messaged about the car. Also a big thanks to @Stuttgart_Steel for the prep work on the car to sort it and present it properly. I've had a lot of great conversations and met some fellow enthusiasts who share the same passion for these cars. You all know how special this car is and I'm excited to see it go into good hands. Good luck to all!$133,388 bid placed by @cjv29
$132,888 bid placed by @FarMoor26
$132,388 bid placed by @cjv29
$131,888 bid placed by @VVP_MRGA
What an absolute dream SEC car! good luck to winner here. amazing!This is everyone's lifelong dreams in one car. Simply perfect!@cjv29 Close, it's actually 3:50pm EST. But yes, the auction does end tomorrow, August 20th. Thanks!I want to verify the end of the auction is 8/20/26 2:50 pm eastern time correct.@russian007am There’s no AMG paperwork but original AMG Italia brochures are included (the car was sold new in Italy). The kit is all original including AMG stamps on the inside of the front fenders near the hood hinges.any amg paper work ? kit is oroginal ?@Francko Yes, it was a brand new long block with all new block internals when the engine was fully rebuilt. The stamping on the new block does match the original engine number per the data card.Is this car a non-matching engine? Looking at photo 388, the Metric Motors invoice seems to indicate that the original engine had very significant corrosion, that another block was installed in 2020, and that the original engine number 059791 was then re-stamped on the replacement block. Am I reading this correctly?@StephenK Keenan is the best when it comes to informative videos and auction presentation! I'm very fortunate to be able to work with him on this car and many others here on The MB Market!$131,388 bid placed by @cjv29
$130,888 bid placed by @Fish23geeks
@StephenK Love to hear it. Thank you for the kind words.Keenan’s videos are so awesome. On my recent purchase on MB Market, the video was extremely helpful and truly represented the vehicle well.Absolutely stunning example! This is a dream spec for me!@zein Hey, I see your question now. I was able to get in touch with the prior owner in Lebanon who owned the car. One of his close friends bought the car from the original owner in Italy in 1991 and that’s when the car went to Lebanon. He had the full backstory on the car and the original owner had told him and his friend about his experience shipping the car back to AMG Germany for the Widebody conversion. I also got a picture of the car he took when he sold it and shipped it on May 21, 2018 to the U.S. I’ll be happy to introduce the new owner to the guy as well!$129,388 bid placed by @cjv29
@Safa80 Hey, I had Keenan check on these areas and there’s only some very light surface rust on the areas you mentioned. Brushed off under inspection. The entire underbody (including under the doors) is very solid with no issues.$128,888 bid placed by @Amg007
@blakleyleonard Strangely, my comment from yesterday seems to have disappeared, so I’ll repost in response to your message. In January 2025 here on The MB Market @Shyk1965 was asking for help to @DrAMG confirming the car’s AMG Widebody authenticity for this exact VIN, WDB1260451A448243 My question is simply: what new documentation or evidence has been found since then to confirm the car as an “AMG Germany Build”?Hi, the AMG looks very nice. I noticed what appears to be some rust along the bottom of the door in picture 209. Could you tell me how extensive it is and whether there’s any rust anywhere else on the car, especially underneath or around the wheel arches? Thanks.Without a dog in this hunt, I have seen this wide body many times as it has been stored at Moto Escape (www.motoescapeatl.com) for the last few months while MB Market has been establishing their Atlanta HQ. I have been under this car when it was in the two post lift and it is amazing. No detail has been spared in making it near perfect. In fact the three piece wheels were so amazingly restored, that I am using the same artisan to refinish my wheels. The team that is bringing this car to market is top notch and matches the overall condition of this car. Hoping it stays here in Atlanta, but whoever wins this car is going to be very happy!@DW168 Hey, I know the wood around the center console does not sit fully flush as seen in the pictures. I’ll have Keenan verify that tomorrow to see if that’s been looked at in more detail. For the car to be perfect, I would refinish the wood. The piece of trim above the ignition does show wear but I would say it’s not as noticeable in-person as the photos show. I had the wood trim refinished in my white AMG Widebody a few years ago for this same reason.@seller, in pics 218-221, it looks like the center console wood panel trim housing the window switches is separating or not fitted correctly, as it looks like it's lifting up at the rear....maybe it's the angle of the photograph, but wanted to ask about this. Also, in pic 225, not sure if it's the glare from the lighting, but it appears that that strip of wood trim next to the ignition is pretty worn out. Just wanted to get a more accurate info on these little areas.....definitely not going to prevent bidding, but appreciate the feedback, and all the work put into this beauty!@SteelStar Hey! So this is a RUF M117 which is still the high compression euro with tri-y's. She's very peppy and sounds incredible with the SuperSprint exhaust.@BASAMG No 6.0 in this one, but the high compression RUF M117 with tri-y's will give it a run for its money!Thank you to everyone for the bids and comments so far! To answer a private inquiry for everyone, I did verify that the AMG Momo steering wheel is actually an M40, not an M38. The M40 is slightly larger and used primarily for S-class models of the era. From what I've researched, the M40 is much more rare to find on the secondary market today.$127,388 bid placed by @cjv29
$126,888 bid placed by @Amg007
$109,388 bid placed by @cjv29
I didn’t see this in your description or photos, but is this an original option 822 car? That absolutely adds value and is an EXCELLENT upgrade to this motor! Not that it needs any help - as an Italian-market ECE W126 owner, I know full well how special this is! GLWS and let me know in the replies if you want a resource to check the original build sheet, I didn’t see it here but I certainly am capable of missing things these days…No 6.0 upgrade at AMG?$108,888 bid placed by @Amg007
Gorgeous 560Sec AMG wide body!This is an insanely cool car and we all put maximum effort in the listing and in getting it prepared for auction. When Blakley brought it to us to service, he was of course going to keep it as a forever car to pair with his white widebody, so my brother and I did a deep dive on getting it dialed in. It was 90% of the way there, but as it goes, that last 10% to get a car ready for auction is the hardest parts since those were the services the previous owner didn't know how to do. We have a huge backlog of photos during the recondition process and it literally took us months of fine tuning the car. I think we are all really proud of the end product. I actually daily drove a 560SEC throughout college and owned one for five years -- which might as well be a lifetime for me. It was and still is one of my favorite cars. The Euro RUF M117 was always a dream motor to drive since the US CAT cars are not very exciting to drive. It's a lot of torque and well... that's about it. They die in power at 4200 RPM and just casually lope to redline with a delayed, ungainly shift and you're back in the torque curve again. Great cruisers. Not so great drivers cars. The RUF engine really special as it has revised cams, revised pistons, upped compression, and makes M119 power. This was MB's answer to the BMW V12. It pulls hard to redline like a thoroughbred engine should. On a shakedown run, my brother was in the SEC and me in my W210 E55 AMG and we did a little red light drag race and the SEC absolutely SHOCKED me as it basically stayed at my fuel door until about 70 when the E55 began to pull about a car length at 110. It's a damn rocket with that engine and gave the E55 a run for its money. Chasing it through Atlanta to get that roller footage was amazing. I loved looking at it from the rear and it has PRESENSE on the road. It got more attention than any Ferrari, Lamborghini, or rare Porsche that I've ever driven around the city. Every one from every walk of life loved seeing it on the road. Classic Mercedes are on a huge rise in popularity and this being a pre-merger AMG widebody coupe only makes it that much more special. This thing is insane.Proof that there was an 8th day...Let's get the party started!$100,000 bid placed by @DW168
$30,000 bid placed by @PatrickPVS
Wow this one's going to the MOON. Absolute perfection.$20,000 bid placed by @Bankrep40
Hello and welcome to the listing for my AMG Widebody! I’m extremely happy to offer this car on The MB Market but make no mistake, I would absolutely keep it if I could. As we recently announced, The MB Market is establishing a headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia and funds are needed to go towards the cause. I bought this car sight unseen earlier last year and on day 1 of seeing the car in person, took it on a near 400-mile rally for Monterey. It was amazing and the car performed flawlessly! Since then, I’ve had Stuttgart Steel sort out all the gremlins and nuances that come with these classic MB's. Being able to blast ice cold AC while sitting for an extended period at idle and maintaining perfect engine temp was a must. The car had AMG Penta wheels on it when I first acquired it, and since then I’ve fitted the car with freshly refinished OZ Aero III wheels and brand new Michelins. As a 1989 model, I felt the OZ’s better suited the car. One of my favorite details of this car is the “G.F.” initials on the gauge cluster. While my team and I were unable to find any solid proof of the original owner, we speculate it may have been Giorgio Falck. As many of you may be familiar with the two AMG Hammers ordered by Raul Gardini in Italy, Falck was a close friend of Gardini and they shared the same passion for sailing and cars. And what better car to get when a Ferrari is just too mundane for a sailing aficionado in Italy? Regardless, this is a special car. Stamped AMG fenders and body kit, full suspension, gauge cluster, additional wood trim, M38 steering wheel, fully rebuilt high compression M117, tri-y headers, Supersprint exhaust, OZ wheels… the list goes on. I’ll be at Monterey this week with my white 560SEC AMG Widebody while this car stays safe and sound in Atlanta. Stuttgart Steel will be able to help with any questions or requests in the meantime. If you’re in Monterey this week, come say hey! And if not, I hope you enjoy this listing as much as I do. Best of luck to all and happy bidding!$10,126 bid placed by @Vlad600sel
Oof this is painfully gorgeous! Makes me want to revamp my stock 560SEC!!! GLWA!