1990 Mercedes-Benz 560 AMG Wide-Body

The vendor has owned this Wide-Body AMG for four years now. “It’s an original South African car and is one of three that went straight there from Germany,” he explains.

“I found it for sale and luckily, one of my friends was working out there at the time and lived five minutes away. He bought it for me, and kept it there until I brought it back to the UK.”

As the V5 indicates, the car has only recently been registered with the DVLA (10/07/20), and that’s because it was bought principally as an investment. The vendor states, “I haven’t driven the car – it has been garaged and covered. Overall it’s in good condition and hasn’t been messed around with; it still starts straight away.”

Sunny’s intention was to keep it tucked away long term, but he’s recently refurbished his house and in his own words “spent a bit too much”. His recent outlay on his abode means that this lovely big beast is now up for sale.

Many South African cars come with negligible paperwork, but in this one’s history file (see Photo Gallery, below) you’ll find a very decent service history with 16 stamps. This spans its lifetime and demonstrates that, unlike many, it continued to receive them regularly even as its mileage rose.

There’s also a stamped certificate from Johannesburg-based specialist AMG Conversions (Pty) Ltd with the chassis, engine and registration numbers that states, “it has been determined that this is a 560 SEC AMG and is 1 of 3 that were imported into South Africa in 1990.”

Sunny also had it popped through an MOT, which it passed (with a few minor defects notes); it runs until May 2021. The odometer currently reads 188,604 kilometres.

There’s a reason why early AMG models cause Mercedes-Benz aficionados to exclaim, “woof!” Toss in the phrase Wide-Body and it’s surely, “double-woof!”

The yoof of today call it stance. Well if that’s what it is, then our friend here has it – and in spades. I mean just look at it: low, mean and exuding menace from every angle. We absolutely love it.

Panel gaps including those of the AMG body kit are generally sharp, but the bonnet is sitting a little proud on the offside – although this may be rectified by adjustment. The front fog lights are also incorrect.

The paintwork looks lovely from a distance but up close (and in our Photo Gallery) it’s clear that some bodywork is required. There’s some surface corrosion around the outside of the rear offside light cluster and also at the front of both rear wing panels (the paint is blistered and lifting on the offside); the rear offside wheel arch is also in need of some repair, with some cracks in the paint just above its meeting point with the rear valance. The front nearside side skirt has also had an impact at some point and the glass fibre has been cracked. The split-rim AMG alloy wheels are relatively good, but would benefit from refurbishment to bring them back to their absolute best; tyres are a mix and match of Pirelli (new for the MOT) and Yokohama rubber.

The tinted window glass is good, but there’s a large stone impact mark on the windscreen’s upper nearside corner so it’ll require replacement eventually. The nearside wing mirror glass is also delaminating around its edges, but the offside one remains fine.

The interior is holding up nicely. There’s not much wear on any of the leather, which remains remarkably supple. The carpets remain good and the door cards are in excellent shape.

Up top the headlining is a bit grubby in places, but it’s not torn or frayed at all. The rear sunshade remains in place on the back window, and is usable but the motor is stuck.

The wood trim looks okay, if a touch dull. There’re a couple of cracks around the electric window buttons and the glovebox isn’t sitting flush with the vent panel next to it.

We’ve had a fiddle since the car arrived at our Abingdon headquarters and most of the electrics work – the mirrors and driver’s seatbelt butler (a touch hyperactive) being the exceptions. However, as it’s barely been used in recent years it will require a thorough going through and like any car it’ll benefit going forward from regular use.

The sunroof seal is a bit little loose, but open it, get those windows down, and this car transforms into one mean mother of a pillar-less cruiser.

You’ll also find a period Bosch mobile phone should you wish to call 1990 (and check if your executive shell-suit’s been dry cleaned yet), and the original JVC multi-change CD system.

There’s quite a lot of dead travel in the throttle (even more than normal in a Merc) but we can confirm Sunny’s assertion that it starts first time; in fact we can go further and state that it goes like an absolute train. The engine is a colossus and it makes one hell of a noise through its AMG exhaust pipes.

The vendor doesn’t know if the car had any additional engine or suspension upgrades from the factory, or if it was simply the Wide-Body conversion that was carried out, so that’ll only become clear when it goes on a rolling road.

Should the next owner intend to use the car in action then, as with the electrics, the mechanicals may require some sympathetic re-commissioning, although it does have the aforementioned MOT.

Popping that gargantuan bonnet reveals an engine bay that’s very clean and tallies with the car’s comprehensive service history. The underside looks clean and the suspension and steering components are free from the usual surface rust to be found on UK cars.

Some of the exhaust mountings and other rubber components are showing their age, and could do with replacement.  

As well as the AMG specialist’s report, V5 document, MOT certificate and that lovely stamped Service Book you’ll also find the other original handbooks in the history file. There are a handful of other invoices and documents from its life in South Africa, including a list of all the car’s options (including Orion Grey Leather, sunroof, central locking, anti-lock brakes, skid control, self-levelling suspension, electric heated mirrors, air conditioning and a Bose sound system). Oh, and you also get a Chilton’s Repair and Tune-Up guide!

You’ll also find April 2020 invoices from My Car Import, which dealt with the car’s introduction into the UK and also its registration, MOT (and associated works for passing) and road tax (£927.67, £878.70, £468.00 and £103.14 for a tyre). Those works are listed in the invoices and include a serious start on the re-commissioning process (including brake and suspension work).

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a high standard.

Yes, it needs a bit of re-commissioning and yes, it requires a bit of bodywork and yes, it hasn’t gone very far of late, but my, these big three-pointed star boys don’t come up for sale very often.

It starts on the button and sounds the absolute business, plus there’s a fresh MOT ticket and a service history that shows that it’s received the correct maintenance throughout its life.

As a South African car there are the usual pluses and minuses; it’s not rotten as hell, as it may have been had it been subjected to the vagaries of British roads and their associated salting.

In recent years totally sorted, low-mileage examples of Wide-Body 560 SEC AMGs have gone for serious money – a 6.0-litre that sold for an astonishing £161,000 in October 2019 is just one example.

That of course means that our £26-£38k estimate for this one leaves plenty of room for re-commissioning, bodywork and fine fettling.

Final thoughts? Woof. In fact, make that double-woof.

Viewing is always encouraged, 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’.