1988 Mercedes-Benz 300SE

“ All original, including tool kit, sunroof and cassette radio. Fresh MoT and ready to be used and improved. ”
First owner had it for over 30 years.

Background
The W126 Mercedes S-Class range was in production between 1979 and 1992, a production run that speaks volumes as to the correctness of the car’s original design and engineering.

The second model range to bear the S-Class designation, the W126 was originally offered as a three-box saloon with either a straight-six or a V8 petrol engine, or a turbocharged diesel. The C126, the two-door coupe version, was introduced in 1981, and additional engine options were made available throughout its life.

The model name still reflected the engine capacity back then (I know; didn’t that make life simpler?), which means that the 300 SE you are looking at here is fitted with the 2,962cc inline-six engine that develops 188bhp and 192lb.ft of torque, enough for a 9.1-second sprint to 60mph. It’ll happily sit at a little over two-miles-a-minute too, which is impressive for a car that weighs more than 1,600kgs.

The reason it is relatively heavy for the period is because the W126 S-Class is stuffed full of early adopter safety equipment including an optional driver’s airbag (available from 1981), passenger’s airbag (from 1987), traction control (1987), anti-lock brakes (optional until 1985, standard thereafter) plus seat-belt tensioning, crumple zones, and fluted taillights, which cleverly allowed the car to be seen from the rear even when it was dirty.

A topographical sensor on the automatic gearbox pre-empted the GPS-linked gearbox that wowed us on the Rolls-Royce Wraith by several decades; self-levelling hydropneumatic suspension from Citroen was also offered, as was cruise control.

Overview
Finished in Smoke Silver with blue pinstripe upholstery, ‘E475 YDS’ is a Mercedes-Benz 300 SE that was built in 1988.

Showing what we believe is 92,500 genuine miles, it comes with an extensive history file that has “every receipt going back to 1988”, plus a complete service history.

And we do mean it is complete: While many think half-a-dozen stamps in the book means it’s got a full-service history, this one has been serviced on-the-dot every single year since it was new though to 2023.

Every single year, no matter how small the mileage, and the service history picks up again in 2026, after the car had covered another 3,500 miles. It’s had regular brake fluid and coolant changes throughout its life too, and a recent alternator.

A large part of this car’s extraordinary provenance is because it stayed in its first owner’s care for the first 30 years of its life. Always garaged too, of course, although even that wasn’t enough to negate the need for some bodywork a decade ago.

The seller bought it in 2022 and has enjoyed using it on high days and dry days since, including several runs down to Hastings from his home near Abingdon. That’s a good run, of around 130 miles distance but even that is someway short of what the 300 SE is capable of; with the 90-litre fuel tank giving it a range of more than 500 miles, your bladder will run out of capacity long before it does.

Stuffed with toys including central locking, electric windows and a sunroof, air-conditioning, and lashing of wood ‘n’ chrome, he says the difference between this and the Volvo 240 they used to run is that in the Swedish car people ask: “What is that?”, while in the German car you can see them thinking: “Who is that?”

Estimate: £3,000 - £5,000

View current price bid HERE