More than meets the eye. It was a fitting slogan for the old Transformers cartoon series and toy line back in the day, and equally fitting for this particular old Mercedes I spotted in downtown Alhambra on an errand for my supervisor.
If the subtly flared fenders and barely visible front air dam haven’t already tipped you off that there’s something slightly different about this old W124, zoom in on the decklid badge above the driver’s side taillight 🙂 .
The unassuming German cruiser pictured above is no other than the Mercedes 500E, possibly the ultimate German Q-ship after the legendary W109 6.3 and W116 6.9. What those cars were to the 60s and 70s, respectively, this car was to the 90s. Mercedes-Benz took its excellent 5.0 liter DOHC M119 engine and shoehorned it between the W124’s semi-compact fenders.
The result was possibly the ultimate banker’s bahn-stormer ( sorry, BMW ) . Churning out 322 factory-rated horsepower, the 5 liter, four-cam powerplant pushes the 3,750 lb. E-class from 0-60 in 6.1 seconds, with a top speed limited to 155 MPH. An aggressive traction control system prohibits smoky burnouts, however.
The inspiration for the 500E was the AMG Hammer- a 360 horsepower, 0-60 in 5 second, 13 second quarter mile monster. The car quickly became a legend in its own right, but it had three strikes against it. Its insane $160,000 price tag was the first. Its extremely limited ( and slow ) production was another. Its incompatibility with U.S. emissions standards proved to be the final nail in its coffin, and it was ultimately withdrawn from the North American market.
In the end, the 500E proved to be a much more realistic and practical continuation on the theme that the Hammer started.
When the light changed to green, the 500E effortlessly zipped ahead. My overloaded Chevy Astro work van was simply no match for the German thoroughbred. I wonder if the well-dressed older couple occupying its leather seats realized that what they have is something truly special.
Up until about a year ago, an elderly neighbor of mine owned a 400E- a model I didn’t even know existed until I saw his. He loved that car, but eventually the price of repair and maintenance on such a rare and unique beast began to wear on him, not to mention his wallet, and eventually he sold it in favor of a brand new Hyundai Sonata.
I guess membership has its privileges, but also its price. As for me, I’ve been kicking around the idea of finding a neglected 190E 2.6 and shoehorning a twin cam M104 engine into it. Hmmm…
That really is a beautiful car, and a great find. Wish Mercedes had laid off the plastic cladding a little, though.
Cool find! I am loving the photobomb of the Maserati, whose driver probably assumed he was the subject of your pictures.
I didn’t even realize that was a Maserati until I took a double take, I thought it was a Kia!
I actually prefer (photographically) the Honda in the rear view mirror (what a great bit of serendipity!!!). And I would still rather have a 280 SE 4.5
Dave
Did anyone else notice the topless K5 Blazer in the last pic, crossing paths with the Benz?
Looks like a work pickup to me
Oops- you’re right! Guess I need new glasses after all.
Like the look of the silver and grey car, not crazy about the same car in red. I’ve even seen these in a yellow and banana creme color scheme….ugh.
After the 70s/early to mid 80s obsession with overly elaborate aero kits with their ugly side skirts, this was a welcome change. That it had an engine, suspension, and brakes more than up to the challenge was really nothing new for Mercedes-Benz.
Paul can tell us more, but it’s my understanding that the 500E was built in small numbers by Porsche. Also, the yellow and banana cream color scheme mentioned above is called Ivory and I think it’s a German taxi cab color.
Finally, my ex-wife and her husband have one of these (500E) in the same smoked silver color. That killed my interest in this car, rather have an AMG E55;-)
It was. This was during a dark period in Porsche’s history, before it was able to profit hand over fist on Macans and Cayennes. Porsche relied upon some engineering and construction contracts to make ends meet, but we’re all the better for it. Around the same time, Porsche also cooperated with Audi to create the stellar RS2, which even had actual Porsche components, like the brake system.
To riff on the original image, if the regular W124 300E was Popeye (eminently capable in its own right), then the 500E was Popeye after eating a can of spinach. One of MB’s best creations of the 90’s by far. Very subtle but strong.
The 400E that Chris touches on was probably 80-90% of the car at 60-70% of the price. I thoroughly enjoyed mine https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/coal-1992-mercedes-benz-400e-the-sleeper/ although I did always wish it was a 500, those blistered fenders alone are worth the price difference to me. Great catch, Chris!
I was born around the time this car was being produced, but even I sort of yearn for that subtle look. The new Mercedes-Benz models, should you choose to get anything with even slight performance upgrades, now come with all sorts of extra air dams and ground effects and blacked-out details. (They’ve even started badging the mid-grade models as Mercedes-AMG, so that there’s an E43 AMG with a 3.0-liter biturbo V6 between the regular E300 and the E63 AMG). The new cars look like tattooed meatheads at the gym. The 500E was, by contrast, a world-class bodyguard in a well-tailored suit.
I’ll second that. The CLAs look particularly awkward, in my opinion.
There are only a few Mercedes models that grab my attention and this is one of them. The 500E came off well thanks to Mercedes collaboration with Porsche. Understated and powerful, that’s my kind of style.
There is at least one of these where I live and the owner almost mistakenly sold it for less than market value on Kijiji a couple of years back. When the German car repair shop told him what he had, the ad was removed and he apparently still has the 500E.
Thank you! My all-time favorite sleeper.
Also available with a 450 hp 6.4 liter (photo courtesy of Brabus).
Sometime in the next few weeks I’ll be looking at a complete, running, rust-free 450SEL for only- get this- $500. May God have mercy on both my soul and my bank account.
If you’re talking W116, then a genuine best of luck to you. I drove a few before finding my 280SE and that 4.5 seemed to be the perfect engine for the weight and size of the body. Despite mine’s relative lack of power, I just loooooooove it.
CCognoscento jim has the 6.9 and is a veritable font of knowledge on the subject.
Now *that* sounds like an intriguing project. I’d love to hear more. What’s the reason for the low price? Body damage? Super-high mileage? I sense a good CC article in the making.
It’s odd, these old Mercedes either fetch good money or no money. When I was looking at w123s I found good ones for $500, and nearly equally good ones for $5,000, and bad (rusty, broken crashed) ones in between lol. I’d expect the 116 to be pricier but I think they ultimately attract the same exact same buyer as someone who would be looking for W123, so they’re priced to the same levels.
Good luck Chris!
Thanks!
From what the seller told me, and judging by the pictures in the ad, the paint, body, and interior are all in the “ok” category. The biggest issue the seller warned me about is a massive fuel leak from the top of the engine whenever it’s running.
It’s an early example, so it could have the old Bosch D-Jetronic injection. If that’s the case, it should be a simple matter of replacing the two long rubber fuel hoses on top of the engine that feed the injectors.
Show us more of that Astro van you are driving.
Even though it has only been 12 years since the last Astro van was made and they were made in the state of Maryland(where I live), I hardly see any of them around. There were tons of them around in my way at one time. I worked at a Chevy dealer and they could not keep them in stock and now they are all gone.
The 1997 Astro I leased for work was one of GM’s deadly sins. The day I returned that rotten lemon was one of the happiest in my adult life. It was the car that prompted my Never GM pledge, to which I have remained totally faithful.
Nothing unique about them, really. They’re all pretty much municipal issue- 2WD windowless cargo models, white with blue interiors and a steel safety cage separating the cargo area from the front seats. Underhood is the 200-horsepower 4.3 liter Vortec V6.
Here in salt-free SoCal there’s still tons of them running around. They’re mostly the choice of government agencies, large low-income families, and independent handymen.
I should have been able to predict the CUV/SUV craze when a classmate’s mother bought a Astro conversion van with AWD. After the first ice storm she ranted and raved about how much she loved it. It was the first vehicle with more than two driven wheels the family had ever owned.
Great find Chris! In a CC effect, a few days ago I saw a 300SEL 6.3 but unfortunately no photo was possible.
I’ve seen a 500E here in Richmond, precisely once. Black, very subtle, the blistered fenders were my tip-off as well. It had passed me before I was able to get a photo, but definitely a badass car.
I saw another interesting Mercedes a couple months ago and did get photos…that one deserves a writeup.
About shoehorning a M104 engine into a 190… I test drove a 1987 190D turbo diesel and was absolutely flabbergasted at the power of this combination. This was the old turbo 5 cylinder, not the new 6 cylinder turbo wagon I ended up buying. Until BMW and Mercedes came out with the more recent lines of bluetec engines, this was the fastest diesel I had ever driven. I wouldn’t mind owning one now, but my 87 300TD is more than enough of a money pit.
I’m going to theorize that the car is a somewhat recent purchase given the 7SRS beginning to the plates, which would place it around late 2015-early 2016 for the issue date. Since most used cars here keep the original plates it was probably a one-owner car that was resold by a dealer or high end reseller. They definitely know what they have.
I’ve no idea whether it was offered in the US but here in the EU there was the “poverty” 420E with the smaller V8. Not quite as fast but fast enough.