
This 1990 Mercedes-Benz 300CE was ordered new for the Spanish market and first registered there in November 1990. Finished in Smoke Silver Metallic (702) over Black patterned cloth (061), power is provided by a naturally aspirated 3.0-liter M103 inline-six paired with a factory 5-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels. This configuration was not offered to U.S. market 300CE buyers. Factory equipment includes Behr air conditioning, power front windows, heat-insulating glass, rear headrests, a folding front armrest, and 15-hole alloy wheels. The seller sourced the car in Spain and drove it from Madrid to Bilbao before taking the ferry to Portsmouth, England and subsequently bringing it to the United States. The odometer currently shows 215,578 kilometers, or approximately 134k miles. A stamped Mercedes-Benz service booklet documents maintenance through 140k kilometers, while more recent work has addressed the suspension, ignition system, brakes, fuel system, steering, and air conditioning. This 300CE is now offered by the seller in Arlington, Virginia with one key, Spanish registration and inspection documentation, service records, and a clean Illinois title.
The body is finished in Smoke Silver Metallic (702) and retains the clean pillarless profile that distinguishes the C124 coupe from its sedan counterpart. The car was fully repainted in its original color before being acquired by the selling dealer. Exterior wear includes various small chips and blemishes around the body, with more concentrated rock chips visible on the front bumper and hood. Additional age-related wear is present on several exterior trim pieces. The seller notes the car remains presentable overall despite the visible wear commensurate with mileage and retains its original European-market color combination.
Factory 15-hole alloy wheels were previously repaired and refinished, and the seller reports that the set was painted before the car was imported. Minor blemishes remain visible on the left-front wheel face. The wheels are mounted with 195/65R15 tires, including Kormoran Road Performance tires up front with 2022 date codes and Roadcruza RR510 tires at the rear with 2023 date codes. Reported suspension and steering work includes replacement shock absorbers and upper mounts, steering ball joints, engine mounts, a center driveshaft bushing, and stabilizer-bar bushings. The braking system was also inspected and the front brake pads were replaced.
The cabin is trimmed in Black patterned cloth (061), a distinctly European specification that pairs especially well with the 5-speed manual gearbox. Factory amenities include Behr air conditioning, power front windows, rear headrests, and a folding front armrest. The interior shows wear consistent with a well-used example of this age. The seat fabric is faded and stained in areas, with a small tear along the inner bolster of the driver’s seat and staining on the left-rear seat cushion. The trim surrounding the driver-side seatbelt retractor is cracked and currently covered in part with tape, while the corresponding passenger-side trim is also cracked. The wood trim shows considerable cracking across the center console and door panels, with some separation visible on the driver-side door. Additional wear includes a partially detached shifter boot, small holes in the passenger-side lower console trim, and tears and staining around the rear portions of the headliner.
The four-spoke steering wheel fronts analog instrumentation consisting of a speedometer, tachometer, analog clock, and gauges for fuel level, coolant temperature, oil pressure, and fuel economy. The odometer currently indicates 215,578 kilometers, equivalent to approximately 134k miles.
Power comes from a naturally aspirated 3.0L M103 inline-six. Period-correct Spanish registration documentation lists output at 138 kW, or approximately 185 horsepower. Power is sent to the rear wheels through the factory 5-speed manual transmission. The accompanying Mercedes-Benz maintenance booklet shows dealer-stamped service beginning at 2,200 kilometers in November 1990, followed by additional entries at 10,074 kilometers in 1991, 57,834 kilometers in 1993, 110,187 kilometers in 1998, approximately 121,500 kilometers in 1999, and 140,639 kilometers in 2001.
A 2022 invoice at approximately 214k kilometers documents ignition-system work including replacement spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor cap, distributor rotor, and crankshaft position sensor. Further work reported by the seller includes replacement of the shocks and upper mounts, steering ball joints, engine mounts, center driveshaft bushing, stabilizer-bar bushings, front brake pads, oil, air and fuel filters, and exhaust hangers. The fuel tank was replaced and the injection system was cleaned, while the air conditioning was recharged and steering-system lines and fittings were addressed.
Videos below show a cold start, walk around, and driving footage of the car.
A European-market 300CE with patterned cloth and a 5-speed manual is exactly the sort of specification that makes an otherwise familiar C124 feel completely different. American buyers knew the 300CE as a refined automatic grand tourer, but this car shows the other side of the platform. The M103 straight-six, three pedals, lighter-looking cloth interior, and simple European specification give it considerably more character than the typical U.S. example. Then there is the C124 itself, still one of the cleanest coupe shapes of the Sacco era, with frameless glass, no B-pillar, and proportions that have aged remarkably well. This one has clearly been used, and the cosmetic wear tells that story, but so does the stamped Mercedes service booklet that follows the car from nearly new through 140k kilometers. The journey to America adds another chapter, with the owner driving it from Madrid to Bilbao before taking the ferry to England and eventually bringing it stateside. It is not a museum piece and that is part of the appeal. This is a proper European-spec 300CE with a manual gearbox, real history, and the kind of personality that is increasingly difficult to find in a classic Mercedes.
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