1985 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC AMG Wide Body

This Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC AMG Wide Body was built in February 1985 and first registered in April of that year and is believed to be a genuine AMG-tuned “Wide Body” - worked on by them before the merger with Daimler-Benz. Whilst the V8 engine had AMG’s upgraded cams fitted, its displacement remained at 5.0-litres (4973cc), delivering its power through a 4-speed automatic gearbox.

These early pre-facelift, pre-AMG/Daimler merger cars are highly sought after and unlike later SECs have fibreglass rear quarters as well as the front wings and an aluminium boot lid.

The car has now had 11 owners including long-term keeper and Mercedes-Benz Club member Mr Lee from Bristol who owned it from the mid 1990s until May 2019, when it was sold to a mechanic who gave it a partial restoration during the summer of that year.

It was then bought by a heavyweight Mercedes collector, who already had two later W126 Wide Body cars as well as other desirable Benzes. In late summer 2020, the current owner - who was a friend - persuaded him to sell it.

His intention was to drive and enjoy it for a while (which he has), and then invest further in a full restoration before selling it on for what could be a substantial profit. A recent change in circumstances means that he is reluctantly going to allow the next owner to have that pleasure.

The 500 SEC is finished in its original solid black (040U) paint, which rather suits the car and slightly downplays the “wide body” styling. It gives a strong look stood back but on closer inspection you’ll see that the paint and bodywork do need some attention in several places.

There are areas of bubbling under the paint including both doors above the trim, above the near side rear wheel arch, by the fuel filler flap, above the AMG boot badge, the edge of the sunroof and around the grille and bonnet lip.

There is also some minor impact damage to the chin spoiler, a scuff on the near side front wheel arch (which has been touched in), a scratch on the off side rear arch and the paint is wearing around the rear windscreen and across the top of the bumpers.

Finally, and we hope we’re not being too honest here, the headlamp wiper blades are missing or split, the door alignments could be improved and there are a few places where the side trims have come loose.

The car sits on 17-inch AMG Aero III split-rim wheels, which are in a fair to good condition with just a little surface pitting on the outer rims. They are fitted with Pirelli P6000 tyres on the front and Kumho Ecsta on the driven rears - all show good tread depth.

The inside of the car seems to have fared a little better than the exterior and the cream beige / mushroom coloured leather upholstery with contrasting piping has been maintained in a good condition.

Being a flagship Mercedes-Benz, the SEC comes with lots of extra comforts including: automatic air-conditioning, seat-belt butlers, electric windows and mirrors and electric memory seats which also have an orthopedic backrest containing five different air bladders which can be adjusted to 5 different pressures.

Up front there are a few AMG touches, such as the white-faced instruments and the Italvolanti AMG steering wheel which is hand-stitched in a tan-coloured leather that is also picked out on the centre console trims.

The dash top is a little battered in places and has warped around the binnacle so may need replacing. Although the wood veneer trim is starting to split a little in places, it is largely sound and adds a luxury feel to the cabin. The Pioneer CD/Tuner is a later addition, as are the Altec Lansing speakers fitted to the parcel shelf stowage covers.

The beige carpets are tidy and undamaged and there are black fabric overmats front and rear for additional protection. Above, the headlining appears mostly clean but sagging slightly in places.

Under the bonnet, the engine bay looks honest with the accumulated dirt you might expect and not valeted for sale to hide any imperfections. There are small patches of surface rust showing around the engine bay and across the slam panel but there are also signs of recent maintenance, including a renewed distributor and helpfully numbered ignition leads. The bonnet lid also retains its insulative lining with no apparent damage.

Underneath the car, the underbody looks intact with a good underseal coating but again there is surface rust here and there across other structures and components. The exhaust system looks in good order with no rust or damage evident. The undersides of both doors are rather corroded and will soon need remedial attention.

In the very spacious boot, the carpet and linings are tidy and intact and there is a full warning triangle and fire extinguisher. There is also the rear fascia reflector panel (called a Heckblende by ze Germans) which has been removed from the car and looks to have cracked and been repaired.

Despite our full-disclosure descriptions and detailed photos, we always encourage a closer personal inspection of the car’s condition. We are looking after this Merc during the auction and although some of you won’t be able to visit easily at present, why not get in touch using the ‘Contact Seller’ option and we can either make a video of areas you’d like to see in more detail, or better still set up a WhatsApp video call to direct us around the car in real time.

The car has a current MOT, valid until September 2021, which it passed with no advisories. The online test history suggests that the car was off the road for 4-5 years prior to 2019 and only used sparingly (up to 200 miles a year) since 2005.

During the summer of 2019, a partial restoration was carried out by James Gear of Resto Nation in Bristol. An email from James in the documents gallery outlines what work he carried out and there are copies of several receipts for parts during that period. There is also a video at the URL below (please copy and paste in a browser) capturing some of the restoration including large chunks of underbody rot being cut out and replaced and the heads removed to show the AMG cams.

https://youtu.be/ajj3DGjxdaQ

The history file has a wealth of invoices and MOT reports from 1993 onwards - mostly from Mr Lee’s ownership and the most recent work outlined above. The car also comes with Owner’s Manual, a duplicate Maintenance Booklet and 3 keys.

We have HPI checked this vehicle and the copy can be seen in the documents section of the gallery. 

The owner reports that the car drives well - engine and gearbox both smooth - and the only thing he would do to carry on driving it is have the steering box rebuilt (a common issue with SECs) to correct the play in the steering.

There are fewer than a hundred pre-facelift 500 SECs still on the road in the UK, even fewer AMGs and fewer still with the Wide Body, so that makes this a rather rare car indeed. Adding even further to its rarity is its solid black factory-applied paint which was unusual for AMG and that all the body kit panels are stamped AMG.

These big W126 coupés are always popular and we’ve sold several before, including a couple of Wide Bodies. The rarest and best can fetch six figure sums and, whilst this one isn’t a perfect looker, it is a rare car with relatively low mileage and we expect it to sell for between £35,000 and £65,000.

Whilst a new owner will probably want to address the bodywork fairly soon, the car is a good runner so they could equally just sort the steering, slap on a more plod-friendly set of white and yellow number plates and take off for some driving fun whilst they think about it!

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.