1996 Mercedes-Benz E320 Sportline Cabriolet

The vendor, a well-known and respected aficionado of all things classic Mercedes-Benz and a man who has bought many fine examples of the marque to auction with The Market, sourced and bought this car for a client of his around a decade ago.

10 years on and the car has now come back to the vendor, and hence to us, to embark upon a new adventure with a new owner.

Now then. First things first.

The vendor buys and sells only excellent examples.

He can sniff a dodgy head gasket at 100 yards and will waste no time entertaining any vehicle that isn’t entirely pukka and validated.

Unsurprisingly then, this E320 Sportline Cabriolet ticks all the boxes and comes with the right history, documentation, provenance and condition.

Eagle-eyed observers among you will have identified this magnificent machine as one of the last, face-lift A124s built, sporting the larger grille and clear indicator lenses that denote post-‘93 models.

With just 79,000 miles on the odometer and only a very small handful of keepers, this car is a three-dimensional embodiment of all that is today revered about the 124s: weighty, solid, properly screwed together, precise, powerful, and magnificently and unapologetically over-engineered in a way that later examples of the marque have often struggled to emulate.

And this one is a Sportline variant, which thankfully doesn’t mean that it’s been designed to rattle the teeth out of your head in pursuit of new lap records on the Nordschleife.

It just means that the sharper box, lowered suspension and stiffer bushes combine to make the car feel rather more agile, athletic and nimble than anything of this size and weight has a right to be.

This highly original car starts on the button and goes about its business with oodles of power, style, assurance and aplomb.

As far as we’re aware, everything works as it should. The presence of an entirely new wiring loom seems to have done a good job in keeping any unwanted electrical gremlins at bay.

The car comes with heated seats and a part-wood steering wheels as options.

It doesn’t have air-conditioning. Which is no problem really, when you consider that the roof goes up and down.

It is, we believe, a very well maintained and cared-for example of a fine model from a golden era of Mercedes-Benz engineering.

The bodywork is in fine fettle, with panels that are free of any bumps, dinks, creases or ripples of significance.

The panel gaps and shut lines are consistent and even in the way that people have to come to expect and appreciate in Mercedes-Benz cars of this vintage.

The doors slam home with proper Teutonic heft and authority.

The wheels, which have been refurbished and repainted very recently, are in excellent condition, and the tyres appear to have plenty of life left in them.

The car’s black over grey paint is very good in the main, with the only case for repainting being presented by the rail around the rear bumper. It’s had one or two minor scuffs touched up but would no doubt benefit aesthetically from having the rail resprayed – should you feel so inclined, of course.

The roof, which has recently had its mechanism overhauled and repaired by Cayman Autos at a cost of £1580, is original and is in fine fettle (so, too, is the original wind deflector).

The badging, lights, trim and other exterior fixtures and fittings have been equally stoic in battling the vicissitudes of time, weather and use.

There are a couple of scratches on the bonnet, one of which is also home to a very shallow indentation.

There’s also a slight indentation at the nearside end of the rear bumper, some scuffs at the rear section the n/s/f wheel arch, and another couple of light scuffs on the passenger door.

That aside, there’s just a few stone chips here and there in the usual places.

The good news continues pretty much unabated on the inside, where the black hide is in top order, front and back, and has little more than a gentle patina of light creasing to show for its years of faithful service.

The seats are supportive, comfortable and fully functional.

The (original) carpets and mats have held up remarkably well.

The door cards, with their ruched leather and wood veneer inserts, are excellent, as is the roof lining.

The wood veneers on the dashboard are rich and glossy, with just one or two tiny scratches here and there.

To the best of our knowledge, all buttons, knobs, dials, levers, switches, toggles and stalks do precisely what they’re supposed to do.

It’s really all very impressive.

The undersides of the car look straight and true to us and everything seems to have a good deal of structural integrity.

It’s the same story in the engine bay, where all appears to be clean, dry, present and correct.

The vendor tells us that the engine temperature never varies.

The car’s most recent full service was carried out in July 2021.

The service book contains 20 stamps, most from Mercedes-Benz main dealers and the rest from specialists.

The car has been fully HPI checked and cleared. It comes with a full set of manuals and handbooks, all manner of invoices, bills and receipts, plus spare keys.

The car has an MoT certificate valid until 27/7/23.

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

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

We think this is a fine example of a great model from a legendary marque at the peak of its considerable powers.

It goes, handles and stops like it should.

It has an exemplary service history.

It’s had the right amounts of money spent on it as and when necessary.

It’s in great condition and it looks fabulous.

What’s not to like?

We’re happy to offer this superb vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £13,000 - £17,000.

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’.