1990 Mercedes-Benz

coupe Coupe

5.6L 8 Cylinder Gasoline Fuel

Automatic

WDBCA45E6LA505835

5.6 V8

Gasoline

Power Windows

Here is a wonderful piece of Classic Mercedes engineering and design. 1990 560SEC Coupe Designation W126.045, finished in DB199 Pearl Metallic Black, trimmed out in 201 Black Swabian Bull leather, Black MB velour carpeting. 102k original miles, 3 owners, no accidents and all original paintwork. Worldwide allocation for 1990 was 5270 units for the 560SEC. This is an E chassis designation, built in the Singlefinden assembly plant. The car was previously owned by a Commercial Pilot and a dealer of high end Marine Sales - hence, the car has always been enthusiastically cared for and maintained to the highest standards. Originally purchased at Mercedes Benz of Manhattan, the car has the Dealer stamped maintenance booklet until the 67k mile service and there are Independent service records since. Recent work includes: New front brakes: calipers, rotors and pads, New rear rotors and pads, new Bilstien shock absorbers, new fan clutch, complete tune up (cap, rotor, wires, plugs) Complete and extensive detailing of interior/exterior, undercarriage and engine compartment. Condition overview is as follows: Exterior: Paintwork is original and presents very well. There are several small chips and an occasional small scratch here and there - these are minimal and do not detract from the overall pleasing condition of the paintwork. Chrome and anodized trim in generally in very nice condition - very minimal sun fading or inconsistency. Wheels are original paint and present well - no curb rash or damage. Plastic and trim in general is straight, nice and no damage or overt sun fading. Glass is in nice condition - new aftermarket windscreen has one small chip that has been repaired. Tires are Michelins that have about 50% tread wear remaining. Interior: Leather is supple and a deep polished black throughout - no tears or cracking - drivers bolster is excellent, showing no damage. Leather has been conditioned regularly with Hide Food or Lexol. Wood trim is beautiful - quite consistent throughout, with a wonderful heavily knotted burl grain - rich and lustrous. The shifter plate piece has the telltale occasional small stress cracks, but do not detract from the overall presentation. The dash is pristine and has no cracks. Carpeting is in perfect condition and is plush and as new, a 4 piece set of black herringbone Coco mats accompany the interior. The headliner was recently redone in light gray Alcantara and is gorgeous - rear package shelf is dark gray original velour, in nice shape. First aid kit is present, never opened. All buttons, switches, lights and options are in working order. Heated seats operate nicely in both 1 & 2 positions and are in excellent structural condition - optional high cost (option code 404 & 405) Orthopedic seats in perfect working order as well. All dash instruments are pristine and operating like new. Radio is a modern aftermarket Clarion in dash CD, with Ipod, Auxiliary, and USB connectivity - Sirius XM Satelite ready unit. This was installed only to benefit from Bluetooth hands free phone use (works great) - original perfect condition Becker Grand Prix accompanies the car and can be easily re-installed. Trunk is pristine, smells new - original spare tire never used, original tool kit intact, still in plastic wrapping. Mechanicals: This car drives extremely well - the temperature is a rock solid, correct 82 degrees in all temperatures and driving conditions, the engine and transmission perform flawlessly. Power and shifting are spot on and ultra smooth - idle is smooth enough to balance a nickel on the radiator, while sitting in drive at a stoplight. Steering and suspension are excellent and considerable investment has been made to shock absorbers and Hydraulic Compensators, as well as adjustment to keep suspension at the correct original levels - supple and compliant. Also a critical aspect of the 560 line is ride height - this car is level and at a correct proud stance. Sunroof operates nicely, as do all 4 windows - when all 5 are opened, the car has a near convertible quality and the genius of the “pillarless” concept is fully appreciated. AC blows cold, heat is nice and warm. All HVAC settings such as the “AUTO” function are in perfect working order and the ambient temperature sensor samples and adjusts fan speed beautifully. All service and courtesy lighting is working (trunk, glovebox, doorsills, dome lamps, vanity mirrors, reading lamp) as are all dash and service related lights and sensors. Seat belt “presenters” operate reliably and flawlessly and are another fabulous Mercedes-Benz innovation that continues in their lines of Coupes today. This example has been lovingly maintained, using all original OEM Mercedes parts when & where needed. Castrol GTX 20/50 oil and OEM German Mann oil and air filters always. Recent oil, suspension and transmission services, with new filters have been carried out. New brakes throughout and odds and ands to keep the car operating correctly, such as a new EHA valve for the fuel injection (fuel distributor management kept in absolute synch), Fan Clutch to assist in keeping the operating temp just right, Tune up, including BOSCH spark plugs, distributor cap & rotor, Ignition wires and coil. The engine bay is spotless, detailed and presents beautifully - the 5.6 liter aluminum M117.968 V8 is also a fabulous piece of design as much as it is engineering. There are NO LEAKS whatsoever in this drivetrain. Power steering, Suspension fluid, Engine oil, Transmission fluid, Coolant Windshield Washer fluid, and Differential fluids are all OEM high quality, 100% sealed and leave not a single spot on the garage floor. Even the regular scheduled maintenance to all hinges and linkages are lubricated with German Wurth products - the best. The car is a pleasure to drive around town or is an absolute Autobahn speedster at 90+MPH on the highway - rock solid with minimal driver input to maintain a pleasant, noise free driving experience. There are no rattles, creaks or wind noise in this SEC at any speed. Overall the car is in excellent condition - having a patina that is consistent with the cars’ age. Though lovingly maintained the condition is that of roadworthy character. Seats, paint, wheels, chrome, all show a slight degree of use that is something less than “pristine brand new” - though maintained addressed and detailed, keeping in mind that the car is an unrestored original 21 year old example. The absolute aesthetic lunatic will see the patina and maintenance therein, the average person thinks the car is a much newer model. There are a few areas of note: 1. The rear glass is showing a slight edge of cloudiness in the bottom right corner. 2. The hood edge near the grille has some slight bubbling under the paint - This is a common issue with SEC’s due to water drainage behind this area, trapping water and affecting the Aluminum hood. Simple to have corrected, but would change the originality of the paintwork. 3. Small stone chip in windscreen that has been repaired by a glass specialist. 4. Drivers door edge has some slight paint touch up, as do a few stone chips and very minimal scratches on various panels. the bumpers also have a few very minor touch up spots, but are quite presentable. A few notes from a recent article in Mercedes-Benz Classic Magazine, the 500SEC featured: “Driving the Mercedes SEC is like relaxing in a Penthouse Apartment with a handsome view of the horizon - Designed under the expert eye of Bruno Sacco - a mile covering machine par excellence”. Brian Sewell from the Independent in London, U.K. writes: “This absurd car is as big as a barge yet has only two doors and only four seats, so form-fittingly sculpted that not even a chihuahua would be at ease between them. Ahead lies a V8 engine of 5.6 litres, and behind a boot capacious enough to carry all 40 volumes of Thieme and Becker's Kunstlerlexikon and still leave room for a fortnight's luggage. It is surprisingly pretty, its line lower than conventional M-B saloons - more flowing, too - and with frameless windows that help sustain the linearity and reduce the bulk. It has a leaner and more urgent look to it than the two-door cars of Rolls and Bentley on the Shadow chassis, but lacks their finish, their pointless opulence and exquisite bad taste, and above all, their prestige. In its first incarnation, in 1980, the engine was only 3.8 litres, its petrol consumption 21.5mpg at 75mph, and its maximum speed 131mph; to American reviewers it was "the best coupé in the world". A 5.0-litre version arrived in the same year, its maximum 140mph. In 1985 the 380 was replaced by the 420 SEC, its 4.2-litre engine returning the same petrol consumption but raising the maximum to 136mph; and the range was topped by the 560 SEC, offering 19mpg and 160mph, at 300bhp a great improvement on the 231bhp of the 500 SEC. I have never much cared for the boy-racer business, but the car reaches 60mph easily in seven seconds and, in the spirit of inquiry, I have held it for miles at 140mph on an empty continental motorway at dawn; it just lowered its suspension and sped as though on rails. It has brakes to match, and on a mountain road it draws a line as elegant as any by Paul Klee. Its useable performance is as good as that of any supercar in production, except for one old-Daimler-like characteristic: from a standing start there is a moment when nothing happens. In a Daimler this is due to the slip of the fluid flywheel as it takes up the drive, but in the Merc the fault lies in an old-fashioned, American-style slushmatic transmission, and this, were I rich, is the one thing I would change. Stamp, and it will go without hesitation, but I drive it in town as though I were an old lady and, feather-footed, persuade it to give me 20mpg. On the open road, it does not settle into a natural gait until well beyond 80mph. The SEC ought one day to be like the two-seater SL, a classic car; but of the 560 some 21,000 were made, and of the others more than twice that. With well over 60,000 of them made at a time when M-B's reputation for quality was at its height, the factor of virtual indestructibility, other than by accident, makes rarity impossible. With two doors, they cannot end their days as taxis; moth and rust will not corrupt them; cared for, age will not weary them; and no natural predator will reduce their number. Mine will assuredly outlive me.” There is no shortage of information online for discussion, repairs, restoration and maintenance - as well as cult-like following of this elegant beast: mbcoupes.com sec-shop.com Mbworld.orgto name a few Please feel free to email me with questions - I’m selling this car under a new ebay account, though have another active account with 500+ positive feedbacks and a 100% rating - several are high end automobile sales. Bidders with zero feedback - I will not accept bids from you unless we discuss it via email - I do not have time to list and relist, losing serious interest in the car because someone wants to wast my time, having no real intentions of purchasing. Thank you and good luck bidding.