﹒One owner from new 
﹒Replacement front wings and respray
﹒Many original features

Nothing is more likely to spark a lively debate in the classic car world than definitively claiming one marque to be superior to another. Bowl up to a Bentley owners’ meet and declare a Rolls Royce to be a better car in every respect and there will certainly be some good-natured banter coming your way. You might want to think twice about asserting that an Astra GTE was a better car than the XR3i at a Ford gathering but there is perhaps one thing that leads to consensus: the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is the best luxury car in the world.

And this is especially true if you’re looking at the 1980s – a decade when the Mercedes S-Class in W126 guise ruled the luxury car world. The W126 was the second generation of S-Class following on from the W116 that made its debut in 1972 and during the W126’s over a decade long life it cemented its place as the world’s best luxury car, selling over 800,000 examples – an incredible number given its high purchase price.

The S-Class came in several different guises with a range of engines and it was the model with which Mercedes introduced new technologies which would then filter down to the rest of the range. It was the first Mercedes to which ABS was fitted as standard to all models and also the first ‘Benz to feature seat belt pre-tensioners. And there were a plethora of what were definitely luxury items 40 years ago –air conditioning, electric windows all round, cruise control, heated electric seats, reading lights for rear passengers – it was a hugely advanced machine.

The example here is a 300 SE dating from 1988 and was built to North American specification and is thus left-hand drive. Finished in Diamond blue with a grey leather interior it has had just one owner from new.

The vendor worked in Vancouver in the late 1980s and wanting a new car while he was there he visited the local Mercedes dealer and after deciding on which car to order and what options to have fitted the sales person suggested taking advantage of Mercedes’ European Delivery Program. 

Thus, the car was collected from the Sindelfingen plant in 1988 and after an excellent European driving holiday it was shipped back to Canada where it was used for four-years before the vendor returned to the UK. Having fallen in love with the 300 SE the owner decided to bring the car back to the UK where it has been a life-long companion.

The owner was hoping to use the 300 SE for another extended European trip but the pandemic put paid to those plans and with an annual mileage over the last few years of around 500 miles each year he knows that it’s time to pass the 300 SE onto a new owner who will love it just as much as he has but who will give it some more regular exercise.

Despite having owned the 300 SE from new the owner doesn’t have an enormous stack of receipts to go with the car – he didn’t ever anticipate selling it so didn’t feel the need to keep a history file on the car.

However, the car does have its original book pack including the handbook and a service book containing stamps from 1988 to 2006 including the original Pre-Delivery Inspection stamp confirming this was carried out at Werk Sindelfingen in Germany. Another neat original item is the Mercedes-Benz European Delivery Program plaque that came with the car in 1988. 

Other items with the car include the original German oval rear number plate (with the top cut off so it fitted the number plate recess) which was fitted to the car when it was used in Europe in 1988 and the factory tool kit is with the car, too. There are even two tags that were attached to the indicator stalk when the car was collected from Sindelfingen detailing how the air conditioning and cruise control operate.

The 300 SE is equipped with grey leather and for the most part it looks superb. The front passenger seat does have a split in the front squab and a small section of stitching has come apart but it’s certainly something that an experienced trimmer should be able to seamlessly repair. Bar that the leather looks to be in excellent condition for the car’s age.

The 300 SE was fairly highly optioned when new with air conditioning, electric front seats with memory function which were also heated – vital for those cold Vancouver mornings. The 300 Se also features an original Becker radio cassette set up as well as its original first aid kit in one of the compartments on the rear parcel shelf.

At the moment the headlining at the rear is loose thanks to some broken trim clips around the rear courtesy light panel which should be a relatively easy fix. The wood trim all presents well and overall the interior looks far younger than its 33 years. The owner isn’t a fan of air conditioning and doesn’t remember using it in recent years so there’s no doubt that at the minimum it will require a re-gas.

The 300 SE is finished in its factory Diamond blue metallic finish but just over ten years ago it benefitted from a respray to tidy it up. At the same time new front wings were fitted along with the majority of the exterior chrome work with the bumper trims all looking to be in excellent order. There are a few marks to the bodywork as you would expect on a vehicle of this age but they don’t detract from the car’s overall appearance. 

The car’s lights present well, but there is a stone chip to the passenger side front light headlight unit although it has passed its annual MoT test like this for a number of years. The car is fitted with a headlight wash wiper system which was not tested at the time of our photoshoot.

Mechanically the car started first time every time and settled down to a smooth idle and the automatic transmission appears to change gears smoothly. The 3.0-litre straight-six engine (known as the M103) was new for the 1986 model year and as a North American spec car the four-speed automatic transmission was a standard fitment.

While the 300 SE was regularly seen to by franchised Mercedes dealerships in its earlier days more recently servicing has been looked after by local specialists. Mechanically it would appear to be in fine fettle but cosmetically under the bonnet the next owner might want to tidy things up a little bit as the sound insulation under the bonnet is now showing its age.

But that’s entirely forgivable on a car that’s obviously as genuine as this one. With one careful owner from new – how often can you say that? – you can guarantee that any work that’s been required has been done and in its 33 years the owner reports that it’s been utterly reliable whether in the heart of a Canadian winter or in the hottest of British summers.

It’s rare to find a car that’s been with the same custodian of 33 years but this Mercedes 300 SE is a credit to its owner. The exterior has been tidied up and the interior is wonderfully original – if you want to know what buying a new Mercedes was like in 1988 then this is the car to look at.

This 300 SE has never been modified from its factory specification – even the stereo appears original – and it doesn’t come much better than buying a one owner car that’s 33 years old. Back in the day the S-Class was the world’s greatest luxury car and with a little bit of TLC here and there we can’t think of any reason why this example shouldn’t present as such again.

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