The personal website of Grace and Jason Rhee

Farewell, E500

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Another car has left the stable for greener pastures. On Monday, Grace handed the keys over to a driver who loaded the old Mercedes on a truck headed to the new owner in Michigan of all places. I owned this particular 1994 W124 E500 for over four years. It was the second car I bought on eBay sight-unseen. It was the correct color (silver over black, always). And aside from a couple major repairs (A/C and transmission), it was an awesome and reliable daily driver.

Almost 20 years ago, I recall reading David E. Davis Jr.’s account in Automobile Magazine of driving a 500E. This is what he wrote in the April 1992 issue:

“It is important that prospective 500E drivers have impeccable credentials as adults. The car is so quick, so eager, so agile, that it makes immature people drive like idiots. We all fell into that latter category. Example: Early evening, medium traffic, good visibility. I’m minding my own business in the right-hand lane with the cruise control set at 80 mph. Another idiot blasts past in a 5.0 Mustang, and all self-discipline vanishes. I’m on him like a leopard on a tethered goat. He tries to hold me off, but he hasn’t a prayer. A small hole opens, I give the Mercedes one more squirt, and the Mustang disappears in my mirror, its headlights getting closer together as though I were watching through the wrong end of a telescope. At three in the morning, in bed, staring back at the darkness, I squirm uncomfortably and accuse myself: “Idiot! You know better than that! You could be in jail right now!”

The W124 500E/E500 was hand-built in collaboration with Porsche, taking 18 days to build while being transported between Mercedes and Porsche factories several times. Arguably the first four-door Porsche (appearing almost 20 years prior to the Panamera), it sported a monster 322HP V8 engine derived from the SL and had upgraded brakes, too. What I liked most are the flared fenders and low profile, which make it instantly recognizable compared to a run-of-the mill W124 E-Class. There were only 1,735 cars produced for 1994 and about 500 were imported into the US.

All of this was mostly lost on Grace, who thought it was just and old car. However, I’ve had “car guys” roll up on me in some very nice cars of their own and give me the thumbs up. As with all the cars on my automotive bucket list, I searched for the right car for years. Coincidentally, I had seen this exact car for sale before the prior owner bought it. Along the way, there were various cars claimed to be owned by such A-listers as Shatner, BJ Armstrong, Anna Nicole’s ex’s family and Shannen Doherty.

I’m not really in a position to collect cars, but I enjoy driving cool ones for several years. I’m pleased to have checked the E500 off the list. However, if I were ever to come across a minty 040 black on black E500, I just might have to start the car collection.


Comments

One response to “Farewell, E500”

  1. RIP DED Jr.