This 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL AMG has been a California car since new and was previously sold in a 2023 auction on The MB Market. This W126 currently shows only 43,300 miles and has been driven less than 300 miles since its acquisition earlier this year. Finished in Black (040) over Black (261) leather interior, power is provided from an M117 5.5-liter V8 paired with an upgraded 722.6 five-speed automatic transmission and 3.27 rear end. Equipment includes a full AMG kit, AMG OZ Aero III wheels, sliding steel sunroof, burl wood trim, automatic climate control, power-adjustable and heated front seats and rear bench, an Alpine head unit, Audison subwoofer, and rear passenger footrests. Service performed in 2018 included new suspension bushings and components, engine mounts, transmission mounts, spark plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor, and fuel injectors. A modern coilover suspension with height and damping adjustment was also installed. This W126 is now offered by the selling dealer on consignment with manufacturer’s books & literature, a factory tool roll, two keys, a clean Carfax report, and a clean California title.
The bodywork is finished in Black (040) with matching lower cladding and painted trim. The car is equipped with a sliding steel sunroof, headlight wipers, and a full AMG body kit including front lip, side skirts, rear apron, and dual exhaust tips. The body received a full repaint in the original color in 2018. Additional photos in the gallery below show the condition of the paint which is noted to be excellent all around. Only a minor blemish on the front passenger fender and rear quarter panel are noted and can be seen in the gallery. Euro bumpers and headlights are also installed and were believed to have been fitted by AMG when the kit was added.
Authentic OZ Racing Aero III wheels wear Sumitomo HZR tires which were installed in 2018 and most closely match the tread design of the tires which would've been used in period when the car was new. The tires measure 245/45 up front and 275/40 in the rear. The wheels were professionally refinished and show AMG stamped across each face. Custom coilover suspension has been fitted which provide height and damping adjustability.
The seating surfaces are upholstered in Black leather (261) with wood veneers accenting the matching lower dashboard, center console, and door panels. Amenities include central locking, automatic climate control, a trunk mounted Audison subwoofer mated to an Alpine head unit, cruise control, dual front airbags, and carpeted floor mats with rear passenger footrests. In addition to front power-adjustable and heated seats with position memory, the rear bench seats are also power-adjustable and heated.
A leather and wood-wrapped steering wheel frames a 190-mph speedometer and a 7k-rpm tachometer with an integrated analog clock along. Additional gauges display fuel level, oil pressure, coolant temperature, and instant economy. The six-digit mechanical odometer indicates 43k miles.
The 5.5-liter M117 V8 was factory rated at 238 horsepower and 287 lb-ft of torque when new. In 2018 an updated 722.6 five-speed automatic transmission and TCU was installed along with a 3.27 rear end upgrade. Additional work performed included new suspension bushings and components, custom coilovers, engine mounts, transmission mounts, spark plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor, and fuel injectors.
Thorough underbody photos are viewable in the gallery. A fully stainless steel exhaust system was installed in 2018.
The Carfax report shows linear mileage updates and no accidents or other damage. The seller notes the car may not pass California smog due to the high flow catalytic converters. Now with only 43k miles, this 560SEL AMG is offered with manufacturer’s books & literature, two keys, a clean Carfax report, and a clean California title.
A video presentation of the car has been provided by the seller, 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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31 Comments
@TheAMGKit @MBFahrer The 5.4 was VERY nice and drove very well. Bulletproof provenance too. Wanted for nothing and Patina got a great deal. Luck of the draw sometimes, I could have seen it doing much better/selling for much more. IMHO that car "under" sold and this 560SEL is stupid. apples and oranges...@mbfahrer pretty dumb thing to say.I wish the Patina Collective would just go away. I'll leave it at that. But yes the 5.4 was a pretty good deal. Imagine, a little over 10 years ago I paid $12k for my 2V SOHC 6L C126 AMG. Still have the car. God knows what it's worth now.The documented 5.4 was a good deal.. it will end up in the Patina museum. They did well. This car as everyone has stated should be less than the. 5.4. Even if it was a period installation of the AMG package it's still just a us car in body kit. The alleged buyer from the first auction will just have to deal with it that he was over paid on a car that may or may not be a real or tribute car.Sellers are delusional. The market has cooled off slightly in the last few weeks. Fine by me. Also, second the comment about this not selling for more than the documented and genuine 5.4 W126 from RM last week. I was there and bidding on the silver 6L, but the price went crazy. The silver 4V 6L car was idling horribly. Sounded okay at higher RPMS, but who knows what that could cost to fix. I was honestly a little surprised at the black 5.4L result. It was a pretty clean car and low miles.So no recent car has sold on the MB Market. Is TMBM not doing its job vetting cars or are sellers delusional in their reserves?@hamgburglar, looks like you lucked out. This car should have sold at the last bid price. You dodged a lot of traffic 😅$105,126 bid placed by @HJSarafian
$100,000 bid placed by @BJulian1212
$95,126 bid placed by @HJSarafian
What a stunning car! Imagine looking like one of the bad guys from Miami Vice everywhere you go!!!$89,999 bid placed by @Pdrop
$80,126 bid placed by @HJSarafian
$77,100 bid placed by @Pdrop
$75,000 bid placed by @HJSarafian
if this sells for more than the documented 500SEL 5.4 AMG which RM sold last week, I will walk into traffic.$71,450 bid placed by @Pdrop
Hello all, after speaking with the previous owner of the car we discovered the car was originally built and delivered with the authentic AMG kit that's still on the car. It was acquired with all the original AMG exterior upgrades when new. Just to clarify this is not a put together AMG kit car someone did. I'm representing the seller on this vehicle and apologize for the incorrect representation as a "Tribute Car" what I was referring to is it dose not have any paperwork from AMG, which is very rare to find as most AMG car out there. Happy Bidding!$65,000 bid placed by @HJSarafian
$62,000 bid placed by @am2818
$60,000 bid placed by @HJSarafian
$51,000 bid placed by @Pdrop
$50,000 bid placed by @am2818
$45,000 bid placed by @dtmdrive
$35,000 bid placed by @am2818
cms thank you for confirming what many of us assumed was that was not an amg period build car but a tribute car. title should be changed but probably doesnt really matter. Lets see if it pulls "period" amg type numbers again or mmore down to earth tribute numbers$31,000 bid placed by @TommyD
Hello everyone sorry for not responding promptly,. I’m currently at Monterey car week and I have my hands full. The vehicle belongs to my client and I’m representing him in regards to selling this vehicle. I’m sure you know this vehicle was originally beautifully built by the guys at Bespoke. This tribute car was finished with all original AMG parts, but the car is not an original AMG piece. We at CMS preformed very minor maintenance to the vehicle to bring it up speed. The current owner of the vehicle is selling because he has purchased a second w126 out of Germany, and this is no longer needed in his collection. The vehicle is probably one of the nicest tribute examples out there. I will be happy to answer any questions, just be patient with me this week. Thank you and happy bidding!!This car is drop dead gorgeous!!!!! "AMG" should not be in first line of ad but its their site and can ufo as they wish although in my opinion it seriously hurts their credibility. Running the car through a 2nd time will show if it was a one off with 2 people who wanted the car or if it is really a blue chip investment car as now we need a 3rd person to bid. Beautiful car but don't understand why not just list it for what it is and leave all the BS out of it. Good luck!!!!The steering wheel airbag is unfortunately very much a cheaper reproduction, and not period correct. You could put a W208 airbag on it to make it look better, but it would still not be period correct. Why wouldn’t they opt for a real AMG wheel since they are claiming that it is so AMG?how about this Seller, why are you selling?@seller. Is this a documented AMG or AMG mods were added by a third party ato the stock 560 sell? This makes s big difference...@Shervin The former seller of the car is a well-respected and credible person in the community and has personally been familiar with this specific car since the early 90’s as it was residing in the LA area throughout those years. The former seller had been pursuing the vehicle over those many years from the original owner, and attested to the fact that the kit had been in place since day one. After finally acquiring it, he perfected the car cosmetically and swapped the 722.6 transmission into it as well. The AMG stamps were painted over during the repaint but that’s life. The car is listed with AMG in the title referring to the authentic AMG parts installed on the car prior to the modifications. Prior "authentic pre merger" listings that could be verified have specified language noting the location where the cars were built. It’s also worth noting that in the pre merger days a car could be ordered to spec of the owner and that included aesthetic updates only. While not an AMG motor car, those cars were still modified aesthetically by AMG in period and are considered as such. There are plenty of cars today with kits that have been “slapped” on, however, this is not one of them.This is a stunning car in more ways than one, but I guess the lesson from the last auction six months ago (as well as this one) is that I can take any regular US-spec 560SEL, slap on some old AMG and AMG-style parts, and The MB Market will officially advertise my car (time and time again) as an authentic pre-merger AMG.@KRH1 hi Kim! I just want to correct a statement about the front bumper. The version you described is what was seen typically on Japanese market examples. The one pictured on the car in question is a correct style and is the “original” look. Now back to the car being listed, the only thing that can be visibly authenticated as a real AMG piece are the wheels. The bodykit is not an authentic piece, just in the style of one. It was discussed at the previous listing. The photos of the last listing are by far one of my favorite of a w126 in AMG styling.$30,500 bid placed by @n883jj
@DW168 @katbeh FYI, While you're waiting for the seller to post pictures of the engine, there are a ton of pictures of the motor on the last auction which is linked above. They were taken earlier this year and only like 300 miles ago so it should give you a good representation of the powerplant while you wait for the seller to get back to you.Final result will be quite enlightening....IMO...(market dynamics, "pre-AMG" discussion) Best to all concerned.$30,000 bid placed by @ProdigalPetrolHead
The topic of authenticity was, IMO, exhausted in the last auction for this car. On one hand it was, in a respective community of enthusiasts, remembered to have had the kit since virtually new- that was ok for some and not others. It took 4 days of the auction to go through the same conversation being had now. Let's all just assume the same outcome, wish the seller luck, and enjoy seeing something so cool come back to the market.No Fakes$22,000 bid placed by @Bankrep40
As an owner of an AMG 560SEL it is obvious this car is being misrepresented by advertising it is an AMG when it is not, but instead a bog stock US 560SEL that has had some AMG bodykit parts & wheels sourced and fitted. The front bumper is original MB with a lip added. The true AMG front bumper for the Gen2 AMG 560SEL is a one piece bumper with fog lights. The steering wheel is incorrect. The binnacle instrument dials are most likely off ebay. It lacks the AMG door trim which is standard fitment for Gen2 AMG 560SEL's. The engine is bog stock Low compression US spec with that horrible restrictive single side downpipes (no Tri-ys). Retains its ugly US spec headlight wipers versus the much nicer Euro spec headlight wipers. The exhaust tips are repo replica's. The positives are the resto (i assume by Bespoke) has been of excellent standard and the coilover kit is a neat upgrade along with the later model 722-6 trans swap and the SEL presents very well as to paint & interior refresh. If it was instead advertised as an AMG tribute none of us would have a problem with that as it would not be false advertisingGreat car and restored to perfection. The guys at Bespoke OC really did a great job. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7fb9ipFhm1/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Just an example of what a properly restored car is worth.Still kind of misrepresenting this car. This is a 560SEL that has a slew of AMG parts that were probably just purchased off ebay. Don't get me started on the mods. To liken this car to an original pre merger AMG is pretty blasphemous. This is a quality, MODIFIED, car. Not a true W126 AMG.@katbeh it's an AMG body kit installed by maybe AMG and maybe not . If I recall in the last auction there was discussion about that... Whoever bought it paid for a period install price and now is flipping it after it was sorted by the excellent CMS. It's a totally sweet car and even better with the. Transmission. Let's see what it does$20,000 bid placed by @am2818
$16,000 bid placed by @Ranger902
$15,000 bid placed by @am2818
is the car currently registeredPlease post some pics of the motor from different angles, thanks!AMG and not a single picture of the motor. Can you please add a couple? Amazing car none the less!$4,750 bid placed by @Ranger902
This is one of the most beautiful cars I’ve ever seen. Quite literally plucked from my dreams. Will be watching this one closely. GLWTA Boys!