We thoroughly enjoyed having this super Cool Mercedes W124 500E pass through our workshop this week.
I have owned a number of these cars over the last 20 years and loved every mile I have covered. Although a rare sight on UK roads we are starting to see more and more pass through the workshop and when one turns up out of the blue, it always puts a smile on my face.
The 500E was a joint venture between Mercedes and Porsche with the final assembly being carried out at the Porsche factory. The 500E was a true super-saloon and hooligan version of the W124. At the time, Mercedes main focus was still more about luxury than outright performance so although the 500E was not a direct competitor for the BMW E34 M5, it was still a great drivers car. To quote my Dad “a Ferrari in a Savile Row suit”.
Under the bonnet was a 5.0 litre V8 packing 326 BHP and a staggering 480 Nm of torque. Whilst only produced in 4 speed Auto the 500E was capable of a limited top speed of 155 MPH with an impressive 0-60 in 6 seconds. The extra power benefitted from uprated sports suspension, larger front and rear brakes, larger wheels and Recaro front seats. The exterior benefitted from flared wheel arches to accommodate the wider track of the 500E and a large front spoiler.
This particular car is exceptional throughout with an unrestored or welded body shell. The owner is hoping to enjoy some miles in Europe over the summer months. We carried out a major service, inspected the body shell to ensure all the corrosion prevention was up to date and removed a 90s after-market alarm system. The owner explained that the car had on occasion gone in to limp home mode and thrown up an engine management light. Reading the fault memory threw up many, many fault codes stored in the ECU and further investigation was needed. The fault was traced to deterioration in the engine wiring loom. The 25 year old insulation on the wiring was starting to break up causing numerous short circuits. A new engine wiring look was sourced and replaced.
This fantastic 500E is now in tip top shape and ready for a fun blast across the continent.