1990 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL

Straight to us from Danz Benz, a private collection of hand-picked, factory original Mercedes-Benz models, this Blauschwarz Metallic 560SEL is every bit as good as its provenance suggests.

Fitted with a stunning black leather interior, it is fully loaded with town and country horns, an electric rear blind, driver and passenger heated memory seats, a driver’s airbag, Tempomat cruise control, automatic climate control, adjustable and heated rear seats, and a beautiful burl walnut fascia. In fact, the owner thinks the only option it lacks is the diplomatic flag holders…

Lovingly cared for, this left-hand-drive example has a full-service history and an extremely low odometer reading of just 43,000 miles, a figure we are told was authenticated by the Dutch W126 specialist the vendor bought the car from three years ago.

The vendor describes it as “a dream to drive” thanks to its top-of-the-range 5.6-litre engine, hydropneumatic suspension, and fastidious maintenance record.

Only now being sold to consolidate his collection, this is a rare opportunity to buy one of the best examples of one of the best cars in the world.

As befits a museum-quality car, the coachwork is very good indeed. First of all, the factory alignment is still there with consistent panel gaps and a hewn-from-solid air that comes from a manufacturer that appreciates it is building cars for customers who won’t accept anything less than the very best.

The Blauschwarz Metallic (colour code 199 and a wonderful shade of blue/black) helps too, and while it is a sober hue the flecks within it shimmer and shine in a very attractive way; whoever chose it had impeccable taste.

The 15-inch alloy wheels are in a fine condition being untroubled by anything so vulgar as a mark or a chip much less anything as serious as a scuff.

They’re fitted with matching Continental EcoContact 6 tyres too. Dated 2019, all four have oodles of tread left on them.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Of course, every 32-year-old car is going have attracted a few stonechips and marks over the years, even one has carefully curated as this. But, and it’s a big but, there’s absolutely nothing here that either needs attention or detracts from its formidable presence.

If the exterior is discreet and understated then the interior is almost frivolous in comparison. Not that it comes even close to gaudy of course, it’s just that there are Easter eggs galore, little nuggets lurking to delight the car’s owner and occupants as they slowly reveal themselves.

Like the door cards, which have a wonderful rolled and stitched pattern to their centres. Or the door latches, which are a model of efficient engineering and seamless efficacy in shutting out wind noise. Town and country horns are another lovely touch and they’re selectable via a console-mounted switch.

The front seats, which are electrically operated, are a beguiling combination of support and luxury, retaining driver and passenger firmly when cornering hard (and the S-Class can corner very hard indeed) while simultaneously pampering them in complete comfort. It’s a hard trick to pull off and no-one did it better than Mercedes-Benz does here.

The driver’s airbag was replaced in March 2000 according to the sticker on the door jamb.

But, nice though the front of the cabin is, the SEL’s raison d’etre is back-seat comfort, and this one has all the luxury and legroom you could ever need. The bench seat is heated and can be reclined at the touch of a button, for example, and there are foot rests back there, too.

Interestingly, the car left the factory with just an electrically operated rear screen blind. (Just!) The owner liked the look of the side window curtains too though, so he tracked down the factory that made them for M-B at the time and bought a kit to fit the manual blinds to the side windows, leaving the curtain for the rear window unused as he liked the electric one. Thus equipped, this is probably the only S-Class in the world with this combination.

A Beker Grand Prix 2000 headunit (probably the original as this was what M-B fitted at the factory) provides high-fidelity sound to the lucky occupants and the burl walnut, carpets, headlining, and dashboard are every bit as good as everything else we’ve talked about so far.

The boot is as clean and beautifully presented as the rest of the interior. There’s a full-size spare wheel in there, as well as the tool kit and warning triangle and it’s so original it even still carries its factory warning stickers. Of course, the wheel well is solid and free of rust but then we didn’t need to tell you that, did we?

There are, of course, a few minor marks here and there but the fact that the worst element is a lightly patinated front armrest (#119) tells you everything you need to know about how good the rest of it is.

As you can see, it starts on the button and revs and ticks over as it should. The seller tells us that it is “amazingly smooth” and has a “very comfortable ride”. He says the “power is always on tap thanks to a beautiful throttle response” and that it would make an ideal daily driver or long-distance grand tourer.

The engine bay is excellent and the only thing we might be tempted to tidy up is the coolant reservoir, which has yellowed with age, and the air filter casing, which is tarnished.

The underside is very good too, although the exhaust looks like it might need replacing sooner rather than later.

This German-spec car was sourced in Japan of all places, but that’s good news because modern classic enthusiasts know that no-one, and we do mean no-one, treasures their cars like the Japanese.

It was sourced by a Mercedes-Benz specialist in Holland, a father and son team who specialize in the W126 range. The vendor spent a long time trying to find the right car and trekked out there to see this one before paying his money and bringing it back to the United Kingdom.

The 560’s MoT certificate is valid until February 2023 and was passed, like the one before it, with no advisories.

It comes with two keys.

Still widely thought to be one of the best cars ever built, the W126 S-Class is a study in understated over-engineering and effortless style - and the 560SEL brings more power to the party than any sane driver could ever deploy on public roads.

Harking back to a time when luxury was engineered in rather than bolted on, the 560SEL is the period equivalent of the Maybach, and was the vehicle of choice for diplomats, potentates, and world leaders throughout the eighties and early nineties.

And cars from that period are, for many of us, the sweet spot of the classic car world, combining safety and power and handling in a mesmerizing package that offers a nigh-on modern car driving experience allied with the classic car looks we all admired as teenagers.

And this particular example might just be the very best of them all. The owner is a self-confessed Mercedes-Benz fanatic, which you’d probably guessed by the fact he runs his very own museum dedicated to the marque.

But, this is no static show pony with its rubber seals slowly shriveling and a general air of decrepitude creeping in. Oh no, this is far more interesting because he also insists that his cars are all on ‘on the button’ and ready to take him anywhere he cares to go – and in this case, that might mean a gallop across the channel to the Champagne region where its massive boot is capable of swallowing a handsome stock of the finest Krug Champagne.

AS for its price, we think the dust will settle somewhere between £30,000 and £50,000 but as it is being sold with no reserve it’s sure to attract a flurry of interest from enthusiasts worldwide, so who knows where it will end up!

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, 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’.