1991 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC: Market Correct

The hammer fell at $57,000 for this 1991 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC. Having travelled just 7,509 miles, it is finished in Blackberry Pearl Metallic over a beige leather interior. Powered by a 5.5-liter V8 paired with a 4-speed automatic transmission, the car was sold new in Florida and remained with the original owner until the second owner purchased it for his collection in the early 2000s. The current owner acquired the car in 2017 and has since added just over 100 miles. Recent work included new valve cover gaskets, rear suspension accumulators, spark plugs, and more as outlined below. The car included some records, the factory manuals, a clean Carfax report, and clean Illinois title.

At first glance this car appears to be a no-brainer unicorn. A final year, 7,000 mile Mercedes W126 SEC coupe? Never before have I seen such a low-mileage original SEC. I actually inspected this car in person and can attest to its authenticity and condition. Sold by respected BAT seller (and Turtle Garage contributor) Dean Laumbach, the car was fully sorted and truthfully represented. So what is wrong here? Quite simply it is the color. The car is finished in ultra-rare Blackberry Pearl Metallic over beige leather. This SEC might be one of a handful of SEC’s ever painted this color from the factory.  It is not a bad color per se, but its not great either. In person the impact is just strange. It has a purple glittery hue in the sunlight, and looks more silver-red when inside or in the shade. Had this example been in black or metallic gray livery it might have cracked six-figures. The W126 represents the zenith of Mercedes quality, and the W126 SEC is arguably Bruno Sacco’s best work. This is a wonderful pristine example presented in astounding condition—but it is painted in a so so color. A color change would be an expensive process and it would certainly devalue the originality of the car. The sale price of $57,000 was market correct—the color held this iconic collector car back. Everything else about this final-year SEC strongly checked all the boxes. Sale is market correct.