The best car ever? Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC (C126)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2024
- Watch HubNut go all weak at the knees for this Teutonic beauty - a 64,000-mile V8 powered super coupe, that represented the high end of technology in the 1980s - traction control, a driver's airbag, seatbelt pretensioners and plenty of wuffle and waft. NO LONGER FOR SALE.
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From the days Mercedes were over-engineered and had proverbial German build quality, combined with their excellent parts supply they will last forever. Magnificent.
Simply excellent
And basically all of its parameters are overshadowed by LS400 from the same years specially lift models.
Marvellous thing. Things that look right usually are right. Like the aforementioned Concorde & the 747.
The driver mirror adjustment is probably as much for safety, no need to hunt about for toggle switches on the Autobahn on a dark night, Mrs.
Re wiper action, can I humbly suggest an adjustment from corner of disappointment, to corner of concern? Dribbles are always and must remain, disappointing.
Thanks again Ian & Miss H, nostalgia beautifully satiated. And she's the right colour too for a wagon of that size.
Not really no...they rusted like a chinese submarine Mercs from that era
I had one in 97 it was 5 years old then, probably the best car I have ever had, that engine is unbelievable. Wished I had it now.😭😭
Benz is the father of the automotive industry. Greetings from Jamaica 🇯🇲
Nothing says you have arrived like a pillarless coupe
This was the car Patrick Swazey drove in movie Road House. The director bought two of them for filming, one was wrecked in the final scenes of the movie and the other was given to Swazey who drove it for years after. Beautiful car.
I alway loved this model and also cheesy pleasure guilty Road House :) I was at cinema back then.
@@montazownianr1 Oh Road House is the quintessential action 80's movie, all the cheesy one liners and fight scenes, it's great. I actually came close to buying the car he was given, but for some reason the owner ghosted me on the deal when we were getting close on a price, I guess he got a way better offer and sold it to them.
The horn switch at 4.50 i think allows you to change the sound of the horn from an urban to a countryside setting… I think it’s an extra feature you could purchase on any W126 model.
Yup, it was a feature on the big 'Grosser' as well: normal horn for normal use, loud airhorn to give the "who do you think you are sharing the same road as me, do you know who I am?"-vibe.
Town horn and country horn. It’s about the only thing I’ve learnt from watching Doug DeMuro 😂
Yeh Town and Country horn still on early.W140's.
....or, 'Move aside, missile coming through'.
@@alanbellwood3902 which is the louder?
I'm happy visiting my local Petrol station weekly, I like the person behind the counter and we have a chat most times....but I don't think our relationship is at thatsee each other every day stage yet 😂😂😂
Mercedes of this era were superb. An SEC is on my shortlist.
Made in the days when Mercedes knew how to make stylish and elegant cars which performed reliably. Thanks for this one, Ian.
Hubnut is my favorite TH-cam channel I watch many car channels and as thier audiences grew they forget thier roots. I end up unsubscibing. Hubnut has never abandoned his roots. Ian has evolved the channel without loosing its foundation. Thank you Ian.
I absolutely ADORE the old school SEC models. Amazing Coupe. Proper motorway mile muncher.
Supremely comfortable. And that pillarless design.. Oh my...
When Mercedes weren't run by accountant's!! What a beautiful car👍 another wonderful review Ian and a headlight wiper moment 😊
You mean, when Mercedes wasn't run by Chinese accountants… To think now all you can expect from a C-Class is a 1,5 turbocharged 4 cylinder engine…
You nailed it pal. I'm in Australia and have 2 W126, and they are just sensational machines. The over engineering of everything has proven worthwhile now. I love them, and the C126 is the perfect coupe equivalent.
Nice job mate 👍
Looks like a lovely example in Lapis Blue with Parchment leather.
Bruno Sacco started working in the styling department at Mercedes in 1959, but the overall design of the W116 is generally credited to his predecessor Friedrich Geiger. Sacco took over as head of design in 1975.
The controls on the sides of the seats control the powered adjustable orthopedic lumbar support. The toggle adds or removes air from the bladder in the backrest, and the numbers determine the desired pressure.
There is a "one button does everything" to close the windows and sunroof, but it's only for when you're parking and leaving the car. You hold the key in the door lock turned in the lock position for a couple of seconds, and it will close everything up.
The one button close does live on in the (relatively) modern stuff. Almost a hidden feature in that if you hold down the recirculation button on the hvac panel, the windows and sunroof will close together. Daft in a Germanic way but I like it 😋
BMW had full closure from the key thru the 90s and 00s (probably longer, that's just the years of cars I've had.)
@@smorris12 Some cars automatically close everything when you lock them meaning that these cars are unusable for dog owners.
@@smorris12 BMW E32 was the first, the full closing also could be engaged through the Infrared Remote Control, known as the brick....
It's nautical blue (929), the successor of lapis blue.
Glad you enjoyed the car and thanks for the kind words. 👌
You are 100% correct, this SEC is by far the best design off Mercedes.
I miss my 560, amazing car in all ways.
The horn button will be Town and Country horn-quiet for city and loud fir fast open roads-very cool option only on the top cars (my crazy spec w123 has it too)
This Mercedes Benz car still looks absolutely beautiful after all these years. The quality of the engineering and build quality are at a totally different level compared to the latest Mercedes cars
My favorite car of all time! I had a 1990 model in the same exterior color, however mine had Ash interior (light Gray). Those seat controls are for the pneumatic adjustable seats, lumbar support and adjustability. The quintessential road car. The seats were perfect for extended trips. I routinely did long trips between San Diego and Northern California. Performance was superb and ride comfort was second to none.
My late dad had a 300SE W126 in the same colour. It was a magnificent car .
300se is the Goldilocks of the range. I love mine. The howl of the 6 sounds much nicer to my ears.
I remember these...the coupe model was a rare beast on our side of the pond. I saw a lot more 560SEL's on the road back in the day. It was the era of the Yuppie here in America, and I think that the crowd that would have liked a big German coupe was drawn to the likes of the BMW 635CSi...
It looks amazing. It might just be the best car ever made
I think you’re right.
The most beautiful car ever !!!
Stunning car, especially in that interior exterior combo..
My all-time dream car would be one of the last 500SECs in Nautikblau and with a light grey interior. The Sacco styling reached its absolute peak chic. Just perfect. And that traditional robust M-B running gear underneath… Love it!
i drove a brand spanking new one from Birmingham to Leeds. it was an experience i will never forget. i couldnt get over the fact it was worth 3 times what my house was worth.
Turns out a house was a better investment. ;-)
I’ve never driven a more comfortable powerful car ever even to this day. Drove Dallas to Chicago and it felt like two hours versus in every other car easily a day’s drive but not in the SEC which was smooth as silk and left the driver with enough energy to do anything. These cars are solid and this was the last of the glorious Mercedes ever made.
One of the most elegant and qualitative car ever built by Benz. Ive owned in the mid 80's ( briefly) a 1980 280 SEL ( W116), in gold. Also a majestic car to drive. That touch and feel of quality, was even great .
i think the mistery button switches between horn--tones. theres a town and country horn that sounds hilarious
I work on them every day and still never tire of them.
A lot of the traits you describe in these SEC’s
Is what I have in my 2006 CLK 320cdi
Only SEC that I drove was a very neglected example but even with that one you could feel the car it once was
The sheer amount of tech in that car is astounding! Laughed out loud when I saw that seatbelt positioner. Great video!
I recently bought an immaculate 1983 380SEC and absolutely love it; an awesome weekend cruiser which turns heads whenever I take it out and also effortlessly eats up the miles on the freeway for longer trips. My mum had the 380SE sedan version when I was a teenager (which was passed down to me in later years) but I always lusted after the coupes, as the sedans always seemed a bit upright and stodgy in comparison. And now I finally have one!
@Philip I am sooooo jealous.
What colour did you get ?
@@monk3yboy69 Champaigne metallic with Palamino leather interior; lots of gold & beige and certainly a vintage early-80's colour scheme to be sure. The lighter metallic colours popular back in the day really do help accentuate the gorgeous lines of these beauties, particularly in bright sunlight!
The Merc transmission of those days was the best in the business, super smooth shifts... I'd say much better than the current ZF boxes... Nice review!
Not sure I'd agree there, ZF do make some fantastic boxes.
@@gottliebdee263 And the worst after sake service. Parts for the Gearboxes made in the 80s and 90s simply not available anymore.
The 4 speed MB units were extremely sluggish. Nowhere near the refinement of a newer ZF
Never drove the 560 SEC, only the saloon 560SEL , electric rear curtains, and electric reclining rear seats, the engine felt like a nuclear reactor torque wise 👌🏻😎
The adjuster you're looking at around 08:05 is for lumbar support/firmness and positioning up/down in the seatback, I believe. My parent's 190 2.5TD (lovely car!) had it fitted, as it used to be a sales rep car for someone who did a lot of motorway driving. On theirs, the adjustment was pneumatic with a small electric air pump under the seat.
Officially known as 'orthopedic seats' as an MB option.
It is/they are. They make the car even more comfortable, you feel the cushions inflating against your back. Fantastic!
I have these in my R129, operated by the air pump in the trunk.
That's a system sounds like the ones they use for some modern tractor seats as the top spec tractors have air seats with air back support.
I ran a 500SEC and an XJ-S V12 at the same time. The Mercedes was a tank on twisty roads by comparison and quite a bit slower in a straight line. Build quality and space were better in the SEC, but my choice was the Jag. Both were quite early cars - the later XJ-S were slower, later SEC's like this one were quicker.
I spent some time driving one when it was couple years old. A magnificent vehicle in it’s era, a German muscle coupe, far ahead of it’s contemporaries in it’s day. A real iron fist in a velvet glove. Never forget it.
My Dad's cousin had the 500SEL which he bought new in 1984, in a metallic green. He never had children so was very particular about it but didn't mind opening up up when he could. It absolutely flew compared to my Dad's 1.6 mk2 Cavalier!
This is how a Mercedes is supposed to be. Current lineup is flashy and in your face to appeal the new wealthy Chinese and Russian customers. The days of good taste are gone for ever.
My old W210 E280 V6 was like this car in some ways. So quiet, refined and so easy to eat up the miles on a long trip. But had a nice growly bassline, and a reasonable turn of speed when you planted the long travel loud pedal into the thick, plush carpet.
Yessir
I had a W124 (88 300E) myself and loved it. I bought it when it was 20 years old and thought it was as current as any American vehicle for its tech
Lovely car. I owned a W126 once, but parts are now so scarce. Never again, not at a daily.
Edit to add - horn button should be for the town and country horn.
Also the dials at the side of the seats I believe are lumbar support adjustment.
Agree, they are beautiful and expensive to fix as hell.
I remember mine fixing every 1.500km, and the bills were nearly around 1.000€ ..
Not again !! :D
Love that wiper pattern. The Peugeot 604 also had them, and they really did get your attention.
Isn't the point of wipers to be inconspicuous 😊😁
@@cockneyse I think Panhard missed that meeting. ;-)
I had a 500SEC, a University graduation gift, it was Champagne with a black interior, I loved that car.
My guess is you had no idea how awesome that car was until you compared it to the next car you had.
I idolised these as a child, stunning cars, perfection!
Stunning looking car, always had a soft spot for these since watching Roadhouse as an impressionable teenager. I believe Patrick Swayze bought the 560 from the studio after filming & used it as his daily driver for years after.
Fantastic car, modern Mercs don't hold a candle to this beast.
My dad has the 420sec and he wants a 560, the 420 is such a good car, only ever seen 1 on the road and the sound of the V8 is just out of this world. It's faster than it looks, once gapped an Evo x!
One of my neighbours had one if these in black in AMG form. Beautiful car shame Mercs don't make cars like this anymore.
Oh yes, love these beasts. Always admired them from afar.
The perfect vlog Ian, Beautiful car, stunning view and wonderful passengers
Loving your enthusiasm for the 126!
I LOVE these! I have always wanted one. I used to have a Saturday job cleaning cars in the early 90's and we had one in the garage I worked at. I used to leave that car 'til last and take my time over cleaning it and dreaming that I would own one someday!
The switch on the central console with the horn icon is for switching to the long- distance air horns. The W126 and C126 are my all-time favorite big Benzes. I had an '86 420 SEL and the idle on that V8 was so smooth that the only way you could tell the engine was running was to look at the tachometer. Bruno Sacco is my hero. Even his interiors were phenomenally minimalist, unfussy yet so functional.
Thanks for the ride. Luxury and power an obvious advantage. Much appreciated.
Excellent review as always, Peak Mercedes era of cars, sounds fantastic when the loud pedal is pushed.
I had a boss in Germany who owned one. It was years old then, but he basically flew back into Munich, got in his Merc and blasted up an autobahn at ludicrous speed, in perfect safety. The road handling was great, albeit he just pointed it and floored the throttle. I cannot imagine the fuel ‘economy’. But he didn’t care.
Fabulous car! One of my top cars, lovely colour combination, thanks for filming it!
I have a 1983. 380SEC Mercedes, that is in great condition. Has a blown head gasket. Starts right up. All power windows, locks, and sunroof works
Is there a place that I can get a rebuilt motor for my Mercedes?
Maybe try speaking to The SL Shop.
i drove a 1986 model between 1988-90 when I worked as a bodyguard driving my boss with-it.
unbelievably silent when window is up and super smooth drive....car cost price was $118.000 Canadian
Certainly one of the best, built-to-last Mercedes ❤
This is my most favourite model of Mercedes-Benz.. Everything about them is gorgeous.. Wish i bought one before the values went up...
Totally agree Ian, an utterly gorgeous design, I can thoroughly understand you fondling those indicators! Probably has the self leveling suspension being the 560?
Great camera work Mrs. Hubnut as usual, lovely seeing the SEC on the move and turning, looked very majestic indeed. 😎👍
Gorgeous! I have to agree, I had one (yes a 560SEC) in white on an H back in the mid '90s and chopped it in for my E320 Sportline Cabriolet (that I still have) - one I would love to get back into!
1:27 Deleting the badges is by far the most popular option for any new Mercedes in Germany.
Doesn't cost anything and Germans love sleepers.
1st aid kits and warning triangles are compulsory in Germany so every car there has them fitted. You have to come to the aid of any stricken person by law so it makes sense. You also have to pass a 1st aid course before you can do your driving test. Failing to aid a person in distress can land you in jail but if you try to help to the best of your ability and it turns out you accidentally did some harm you can NOT be held legally responsible.
I thought for the 450 SEL 6.9 it woud cost 600 Deutsch mark to not show off your wealth.
@@DenUitvreter That hasn't been made since 1980 so I have no idea.
Travelled in one once. I was 13 or 14 and we were on a school holiday. The days activity was a hike through the woods. The path was quite winding so four of us decided to just scramble straight down the hillside and when we got to the road we were covered in mud. For a laugh we tried to hitch hike, the only car that stopped for us was a 450SEL 6.9. The owner had covered the carpets with Persian rugs and while he was driving he called his butler (car phones at the time cost about DM8000) and told him that he'd be home late due to the diversion he had to make to drop us off. Nice guy.
@@gustavmeyrink_2.0 Guys like that are exactly why the 6.9 could be omitted. Mercedes used to sell their models bare like they weren't selling consumer goods but industrial machines and have a huge option list of things standard on much cheaper cars, for ridiculous prices. Not having the 6.9 badge was such a 'Sonderausstattung' also ridiculously priced.
@@DenUitvreter It kinda depends how they were sold in or made for export markets.
In Germany you would order your Mercedes and only then would they think of building it. So between ordering and delivery was at a one year gap which created a cottage industry of people ordering Mercs and then when the delivery date got close they'd sell their contract to somebody who did not want to wait a year at around 10% or so above what they paid.
If you chose to pick up your car from the factory rather than the dealer Mercedes would put you up in a nice hotel in Stuttgart for a night. You'd get to watch your car roll off the assembly line and depending how far away you lived by the time you got home it was nicely run in.
From what I like to call the “Golden Age of Mercedes” - 123/126/201/124; BMW had a similar period (in my opinion) from the E21 3-series to the E39 5-series
Great looking car. My father had the 280ce and it's nostalgic to see some of the features those cars share.
Great review of a superb car. I saw a web page some time ago where an owner had retro-fitted the individual power seat option from the SEL into an SEC.
What a fantastic old BIG Coupé for going out & about for blast in 80's style. Mercedes Benz Coupé is certainly a timeless classic and can still be enjoyed in these modern times & what a great episode it was as well.
Had a w116 back in the 90s and loved it. Can only imagine how much better the c126 is.
I always hoped my dad would get a w126 as the family car back in the day, even a 300SE would have done, but a 560SEL was the dream. His budget was more Ford Sierra though….
You really needed a chauffeur for the 560SEL. Best contemporary family car would be the 230E IMO.
Hotwheels just brought back this all time favorite…it’s impossible to find one. 💙 !
I own a 86 560SEC in smoke silver with medium red leather. They are quite the coupe. Has a difference feel than my 87 560SEL even though they are mechanically the same. Can’t wait to drive it this summer again.
Nice video. This car, as all of Mercedes Benz in that era is simply superb.
I dropped one of these into my beautiful W109 300SEL. It was an original early AMG with massive twin IHI turbos. 290kw in a classic W109 with stacked headlights. I also had a 560SEC like this, but gold colour.
A dream I unfortunately never fore filled, at the dealer the decession went to a 420 SE and not a 420 SEC 4 doors being more practical as two.A Gorgeous vehicle the SEC and they don't build them like they used to.
Horn button is for city horn and country horn, very cool!!
These are truly great cars. I would love to have the 560 engine in my w124
Ah childhood memories! There was a grumpy rich old chap in my village who took his SEC to town twice a week to spend money on drinks and naked women. When he was finished he called a cab to pick up my dad who chauffeured the Mercedes and the old man back to our village. My dad really loved this Mercedes but he´s allways been paid very generous too.
Very enjoyable review Ian which brought back good memories. 👍 I was wondering if you were going to mention the rear self levelling suspension with accumulators that are nitrogen gas filled spheres. I think the 560 SEL had them too. Fabulous cars.
These cars always remind me of JR in Dallas😂 you probably had to be an oil baron to afford one new.
In London we just called it 300,420…500 or 560 se,sec etc…
Beautiful cars
I had a 1984 500 SEC for six years and it was a truly wonderful car but it also cost a small fortune to run. If you’re looking to buy one now you need to check for the usual culprits of rust, corrosion under the rear parcel shelf (only visible if you stick your head deep into the boot!) , rust under the massive doors ( get down on your hands & knees) , water ingress under the floor mats & boot carpet and the sagging headlining ( which this car is suffering from quite badly ). The sunroof drainage channels need to be cleaned regularly and the more you drive the car the fewer problems you will have. Also get a spare fuel pump relay and an EZL ignition module. The serviceable items that I remember buying were all surprisingly reasonably priced for what you were getting.
Lovley car....great video, keep up the great work Ian
That giggle when you said ironically economy with 5,6-litre V8 😂
In this car that economy-button maybe don't have that big effect...
But what a beauty, one of the best looking MB's ever, great colour for that car as well 😎
A business partner of my dad had an 560 SEC in 1996 with 420.000 km on the clock. His assistant once took the car and drove it at full throttle for about 200 miles plus and although he had fueled up 90 liters or so after two hours at speed of 140 miles it was all gone. But if you roll at 60 miles or so you can get down to 15.5 liter per 60 miles if you use the button and let your leather soles slide gently over the pedal.
My cousin had an oldsmobile cuttlus fitted with 500SEL cooling fan, the sound was so high that we always thought a Mercedes was coming home but it the cuttlus
It's the best car in the world. Drove one 20 years ago and have been saving ever since. Cool video!
Great review Ian, probably your best yet. I felt like I was wafting along sat at home.
The horn selection button is so you can change between the "town" and "country" horns. Hold the horn button and then toggle backwards and forwards to create your own S-Class siren.
these old cars have a soul and a longevity you can only dream off in finding in newer cars
Two horns, town and country! Had a 420 SEC same colour combo. Called it Uncle Buck. Biggest sale regret ever. Loved it!
I think the button in centre was for the horn was to quieten it at night or in your very upmarket neighbourhood,happy memories of being driven around in one of these as a teen,lovely cars,timeless design imo.
Town and country horn. The louder country horn has a sound that travels further. If you’re driving well over 160kmh on the autobahn, you want your beeps to be heard by other vehicles.
My 1989 BMW 5 series would have given this a run for its money. Straight 6 and they had their own styling which was just beautiful to look at. The days like these are long gone now, with new cars all looking the same as each other...
Fabulous review on this beautiful classic, pure class 👍😃
I've never seen one of these before. A beautiful car and and a brilliant review. 👏
In early 1990 ii was delivering car's for a major executive car company in one week I drove a 911 turbo and a 560 SEC I love old 911s but I'll never forget the way the Merc eat the road up effortlessly. A proper gentleman's dragster.
Most beautiful coupe from Germany, ever!
1:14 the ribbed lights had a reason behind it; Mercedes' stated these were so that while driving in dusty regions (Middle East etc) rear lights will not entirely be covered in dust and will still be visible due to the ribbed design. In those days, they really had a purpose behind the styling.
The foldable rear-view mirrors were developed by Mercedes; they will automatically return to their shape if hit by something passing in either direction. The idea was that drivers should have full visibility even when driving in the chaotic streets of Beirut during their turmoil years.
Finally a proper mo-ah on 'his channel! 😉 Excellent car, thanks for this great video, Ian!
Having owned and enjoyed 4 different W126's , you got that review absolutely spot on about the sheer class these cars have. You'd need more than £50k to buy this though at the end of production. I think the 560 SEC topped out in 1991 at around £65k. About the price of a 4 bed detached house in northern England at the time. The switch that mystified you was for the twin horns, standard only on the 560 models I think. I only got as far as the 500 SEL and don't remember having that.
Superb cars and rightly voted the Best Car In The World just after launch
The sort of car that, even today, you can roll up outside a London Park Lane hotel, and the doorman will come out to open your door and assist you. The rear lights were always a favourite of mine as a nerdy kid. Alongside the M635CSi and Ur-Quattro, German motors were at their peak around this time.
A man who i used to work with had a convertible one of these and he let me drive it once and it was one fine machine.