The Velvet Hammer: Mercedes-Benz 500E
By Straight-Six, published on 9 July 2010
In 1994 a friend told us an impressive and entertaining tale of wearing his baseball cap backwards and driving his father’s car from Switzerland to Brussels with the German leg of the trip distinguished by pegging the speedo needle against the speed limiter for, well, far longer than he should have. The top speed in question? 251 kph. The car? The Mercedes-Benz 500E, arguably the finest ever example of an automotive Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.
A little perspective first: most of you will have noticed that the majority of performance vehicles (sedan/estate, coupe or convertible) have been piling on weight faster than John Goodman at an all-you-can-eat-buffet. Many blame increased safety and comfort equipment, while others point to engineering sloth. Likewise, manufacturers have been upping engine power to levels previously associated with F1 cars. Witness the Audi RS6 with its 576 hp from a V10 with twin-turbos. And it’s marketed as a performance family sedan, fer chrissakes!
So, while Fatty Quattro plays the blower game in an attempt to disguise unruly girth, we think it’s time we once again pointed to how less is almost always more.
Some 10,500 500Es were hand-built by Porsche from 1991 to 1995. Taking some 18 days to construct, the 500E wielded a superb 32-valve V8 engine to great effect with a “mere” 322 hp on tap. Sporting performance parts from within the Mercedes-Benz house, the 500E was nothing less than the fastest way of getting four people in their beautifully-sculpted Recaro seats from point A to point B. Yes, we know all about the fantastic AMG Hammer sedan that preceded the 500E, but there’s something about getting this kind of goodness straight from the factory, and fresh out of the box.
We’ve howled for years about the lack of captivating design from Mercedes-Benz; even the new SLS has The Prodigal Fool and Straight-Six divided. The bitter truth is Mercedes has been designing cars by committee for decades, virtually all of them aging badly and doing the brand no favours. The 500E looks exactly like what it is: beautifully-crafted German engineering draped in discretion that was built to last. Timeless, in other words. And emblematic of a quality we hold in very high esteem up here in Prodigal Towers.
It was absolutely appropriate for Mercedes to call the 500E the “Velvet Hammer”, given it could hit 0-100 kph in slightly over 5.5 seconds before ripping through the quarter-mile (0.4 km) in 14.1 seconds. And take a look at how well all this was gently, effortlessly clothed, with a wider track, lower profile, flared fenders, side skirts, front air-dam and wider tires that the habitual W124 sedan lacked. And this is before you turn to that brick-shithouse of an interior that was simple, logical and superbly constructed. Nothing like the Mercs of today, dear friends.
What pedigree, what power what longevity. And today, you can pick these modern classics up for somewhere in the region of €12,000 to €15,000. Sure, you have to be cautious and informed, but we can’t think of any other 25 year-old performance sedan we would plunk our hard-earned cash down for.
The W124 Mercedes-Benz 500E. The original performance sedan.
The Velvet Hammer: Mercedes-Benz 500E
In 1994 a friend told us an impressive and entertaining tale of wearing his baseball cap backwards and driving his father’s car from Switzerland to Brussels with the German leg of the trip distinguished by pegging the speedo needle against the speed limiter for, well, far longer than he should have. The top speed in [...]
5 Responses to “The Velvet Hammer: Mercedes-Benz 500E”
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tommy-gun thompson
16 February 2011
i own a 1992 500e and its the only one i have seen in my 3yrs of owning the pit-bull stands rocketship…
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For Sale W124 500E 1991 - MBClub UK
2 March 2011
[...] to sell the car to someone who knows and appreciattes the breed Here are some links to educate you: http://theprodigalguide.com/2010/07/09/the-velvet-hammer-mercedes-benz-500e/ http://www.e500.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_500E [...]
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Dick Best
6 November 2011
Yes I agree all the having just purchased a 500e 1991 in lovely condition and believe me it lives up to its
reputation GREAT SUPERCAR after 20 years how many can qualify for such an accolade-
Dick,
You lucky, lucky man!
Drive it in happiness, anger and good health.
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The Prodigal Fool
14 July 2010
Ahhh, the mighty 500E.
Regular readers will know that I have something of a penchant for super-saloons. I drive an S4, and covet an S8, a Porsche Panamera, or an Audi RS6.
And, I probably hadn’t thought about it ’till this post, but I think I can trace this addiction straight back to my school days and first seeing the mighty 500E glaring back at me from the pages of Car Magazine.
This was back in the day when Rowan Atkinson was a contributor (anyone remember that?) – he’d bought one and I seem to remember that his first column for the mag was about why he’d done so.
What an awesome combination of build-quality, practicality and jaw-dropping performance.
I love, simply love, the 500E.