Rare & Unique 1982 Mercedes W126 280 SE Is Factory-fresh
Listed via Mercedes-Benz Museum and Classic Center, this incredibly clean early W126 is a showstopper everywhere it rolls.
Finding a mint W126 these days can be a challenge. But if that’s your ultimatum, then Mercedes-Benz Classic might have the car for you as they just listed what may be the world’s cleanest and most minty fresh pre-facelift in existence.
On sale as part of the company’s All Time Stars Collectors Edition series through the company’s renowned Classic division and is for sale at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. The car up for sale is a Euro-specification 1982 280 SE, featuring the brand’s DOHC 2.8-liter “M110” straight six, good for around 182 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. Sounds like a pretty run-of-the-mill early W126, but truly setting this car apart from the rest is the fact that it comes with the factory four-speed manual transmission. The result is a not-so-shabby 0-60 time of around 9.5 seconds, which is about the same time it takes for a W116 V-8-powered 450 SEL to do the same sprint.
Making the car even more of a unique example is its incredibly rare and unique Silver Distel Metallic exterior and Leder Siena leather interior combination. It was also optioned with heated seats, a power sunroof, air conditioning, vacuum-actuated power central locking, air conditioning, and hydropneumatics self-leveling suspension at all four corners, all of which were pricey and rare options for a base six-cylinder European-specification S-Class.
Making this example even more special is its story. The car features option code “490,” which indicates that the car was originally ordered to meet Canadian specification. It was however ordered up through a Mercedes-Benz dealership based in Caracas, Venezuela by a member of the Portuguese embassy, hence the incredible optional additions.
The customer then took delivery of the car in Madrid, Spain on Mark 19, 1982. Since then, it’s accumulated only 36,000 kilometers, or just 22,369 miles and is a one-owner vehicle.
The asking price? A cool 47,980 euros, or $52,434 USD. Sounds pricey for an early W126, but consider that it comes with a 12-month warranty and undergoes a complete inspection by Mercedes-Benz Museum’s in-house technical team, who also certifies its mileage while carrying any necessary maintenance and repairs.
So basically, you’re virtually getting a fully refurbished factory W126 and it doesn’t get any better than this. Yes, please.
Photos: Mercedes-Benz Classic
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