Mercedes-Benz 380SE Saloon

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Mercedes-Benz knew they couldn’t be too radical with their replacement for the stupendous W116 S-Class. The car had already established itself as the world’s best-selling luxury saloon, however its prodigious weight and thirst were starting to be noticed and it was deemed necessary for a thorough makeover.

Enter the W126, destined to remain in production for over 12 years (1979 – 1992) and a model which kept the German giant at the top of the luxury tree – certainly as far as volume (and quality) was concerned. The elegant Bruno Sacco-designed body was smoothed off in the wind tunnel and allied to a weight reduction programme through extensive use of alloys, fuel consumption was reduced by at least 10% on all models with the added benefit of an increased top speed.

Dating from July 1981, this 380SE has had just one owner from new and has covered just under 139,000 miles in its 35 years to date. Clearly a much cherished machine, it sadly has no service history as this went missing when the owner entered a retirement home.

It is fitted with the 215bhp 3.8-litre V8 engine that can surge to 60mph in just 9.2 seconds on its way to a 130mph top speed. Said to drive beautifully and clearly in very good order throughout, it is due to have a fresh MOT in time for the sale. The icing on the cake is a wonderfully retro 80s sound system with enough knobs and dials to keep your passenger happily amused for hours!

These cars are built like the proverbial ‘brick outhouse’ and this remarkably fresh example offers top class executive motoring at a budget price.

AMENDMENT: This car now has an MOT until 22nd February 2017 with no advisories recorded. It also has cruise control.