Mercedes-Benz 560SEC Coupe

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"He is the only man whose life I really envied. Even towards the end, when I saw him in scruffy trainers, you knew there was a man who lived life to the full."

When even your fiercest rival is moved to talk about you in such a heartfelt way, you must be someone special. And there have been few Grand Prix drivers who ‘lived the life’ as openly and publicly as the late, great James Hunt. Among those shocked by his fatal heart attack in June 1993 at just 45 years of age was his old friend and foe, Niki Lauda: "For me, James was the most charismatic personality who's ever been in Formula One."

Motor racing was a much more dangerous sport in the Seventies and fatalities were frequent. "The pressure we had was staying alive, living every day as if it was your last," said Lauda. "This changes you. At least one driver, sometimes two, were killed in every year of my career." No wonder ‘Hunt the Shunt’ lived such a devil-may-care existence: he was determined to savour every second. And if that involved turning up to interviews drunk with a blonde on each arm, hoovering up cocaine in far-flung nightclubs and sleeping with (by his own estimate) 5,000 women, who are we to judge?

Despite being crowned F1 World Champion in 1976 and then going on to forge one of television’s most celebrated double-acts, commentating with Murray Walker at the BBC, Hunt was pretty broke in the last years of his life and famously drove round London in a beaten up Austin A35 van packed full of budgies – his greatest passion outside Formula One. However, like many F1 drivers, he also loved his Mercs (a W116 450SEL 6.9 sat outside his Wimbledon home on bricks for many years because he was too skint to fix it) and in 1988 he became the proud owner of a brand new 560SEC Coupe, the car you see before you today.

Launched only two years previously, the 560SEC was the sporting flagship of the Mercedes range, being a two-door version of the mighty S Class W126 saloon, whose natural habitat was the fast lane of the unrestricted autobahn. Bristling with technology and built at a time when Mercedes-Benz’ reputation for engineering integrity was still at its world-beating best, it was powered by an all-alloy V8 which produced 295bhp and 336lb/ft of torque, sprinting to 60 in just 6.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 156mph.

Apparently gifted to him by a benefactor – one of his many lady friends perhaps, or maybe Lord Hesketh who had funded his first explosive entry into F1 in 1973, or perhaps Mercedes themselves? – it was a car befitting a former F1 champion (Senna and Mansell also had one) and it seems Hunt was to keep it until 1991. His name is on a copy of the original logbook (James Simon Wallis Hunt of 4 Bathgate Road, London SW19 5PN, where he lived from 1982 until his untimely death) and Experian/HPI record the next change of keeper and a plate change in June 1991. One can only imagine the jolly escapades that may have taken place within its luxurious leather-clad confines. If only cars could talk…

The SEC then passed through several hands and went through several plate changes (204 PJH, then F93 UBJ, then VAV 947 and then back to F93 UBJ), before being acquired by our vendor a couple of years ago. Although still in good shape mechanically with some 142,500 miles under its wheels and a good service history, the big Merc was looking somewhat tired cosmetically so it was entrusted to Fraser Pemberton Classic Automotive for a thorough refurbishment.

This included sympathetic refreshment of the factory Blue Black Metallic paintwork, a new front windscreen and a thorough service. The full leather Mushroom interior has been thoroughly cleaned and Connollised and all the cutting-edge Eighties gadgets still work: electric heated seats; electric sunroof; electric steering column; outside temperature gauge; dual town and country horns. The only non-original aspect is the headlining which was damaged and had to be replaced (dangerous, those stilettoes…).

Sailing through its MOT in September with no advisories recorded, it rides on expensive 18” deep dish alloys and comes with a good file of invoices and the original owner’s handbook. Probably the last new car that Hunt ever owned, F93 UBJ will be the lead feature in the next issue of Mercedes Driver magazine which comes out at the end of October, an article which will make a nice addition to the history file

In the meantime, it only needs a new owner who can do their best to fill the seat once occupied by the most charismatic racer that Britain has ever produced. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a piece of motoring history so bid vigorously now and it could be you who drives it home.