- A 1985 Mercedes 500SEC AMG 6.0 built before Benz bought out the Affalterbach tuning firm is up for auction.
- The 51,000-mile, V8-powered coupe is being offered on auction site Cars & Bids in the US.
- It started life in Europe as a regular 500SEC before AMG increased the engine capacity and upgraded the chassis.
Mercedes has owned AMG outright since 2005 and held a controlling stake in the tuning outfit for six years before that. But back in 1985, when this sinister-looking black coupe was built, AMG was an entirely independent outfit that made Mercedes models go far faster than anyone at Benz’s Stuttgart HQ ever planned.
Starting life as a European-market 500SEC, the luxurious coupe version of the 1979-91 W126 S-Class sedan, this car was modified by AMG and now resides in the US where it’s being offered for sale on auction website Cars & Bids.
Related: 1988 Mercedes-Benz 6.0 AMG Hammer Coupe Sells For A Record-Breaking $761,800
Mercedes offered the C126 with various engines – always V8s – throughout its 10-year-old life, and this 1985 example would have been originally fitted with a 5.0-liter SOHC M117 V8 that put out around 228 hp (231 PS) and 299 lb-ft (405 Nm). But at AMG’s Affalterbach HQ it was uprated to a 6.0-liter V8 rated at 325 hp (330 PS) and 387 lb-ft (525 Nm), according to the auction listing.
The following year AMG would go even further, adding its own four-valve DOHC heads to its tuning menu to bump power to 380 hp (385 PS), but even without the benefit of that development or the available widebody conversion, the auction car is a very cool slice of AMG history that can probably hustle when it needs to.
AMG’s engineers didn’t add the best part of 100 horses and then just leave the stock chassis to cope. They also uprated the brakes and suspension, adding AMG lowering springs, three-piece 17-inch OZ Racing wheels and four-piston front calipers. The AMG bodykit and blacked-out chrome work didn’t add any mph, but they certainly made it look a whole lot tougher.
Now showing 82,200 km (51,100 miles) on its odomoter, but very little evidence of that use on its classy black leather seats, the SEC is looking for a new owner. It’s being offered with no reserve and bidding was up to $57,000 at the time of writing – you can check out the full listing here. What do you think it will sell for?
Image credits: Cars & Bids