The W124 Mercedes-Benz 500E was first introduced in the year 1990 and is the wilder and more powerful version of the humble W124 sedan.The W124 Mercedes-Benz 500E was first introduced in the year 1990 and is the wilder and more powerful version of the humble W124 sedan. The main intent of Mercedes-Benz behind the development of this beast of a sedan was to make the W124 more desirable by putting in a big engine and sprucing up the chassis and suspension components. During the development of the 500E, no one would have thought that it will go on to become such a favorite among enthusiasts and would go on to become a future classic!
10 Mercedes-Benz 500E Is A Porsche In Humble Clothing
Back in the day when the thought of developing a sporty variant based on the W124 chassis came up at Mercedes-Benz headquarters, there was a crazy demand for the W140 S-Class. Due to this, Mercedes-Benz requested Porsche to develop this model line for them and the rest is history. It was perhaps the best decision taken by Mercedes-Benz. The company wanted to make the E-Class sedan faster and a more capable handler by plonking in a big engine and tweaking the suspension to handle all that power. Porsche was game to take up this project and the result that came out was simply amazing!
9 The 500E Had Massive Power For Its Time
To power this beast, Mercedes plonked in a massive 32 valve 5.0 liter V-8 from the Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster. It produced 322 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque. These numbers in a sedan were very rare back in the day. Its top speed was electronically limited to 155 mph.
8 The Mercedes-Benz 500E Nearly Beat The Ferrari Testarossa!
Thanks to the massive firepower under the hood, it reached the 62 mph figure in just 5.5 seconds, which is super quick for its time. If one kept the accelerator buried into the floor, it crossed the quarter-mile mark in 14.1 seconds. These figures that set the tarmac on fire propelled the humble W124 sedan directly into supercar territory back in the day. To put things into perspective, the Ferrari Testarossa, which was an out-and-out sportscar designed for high speeds, did the 0 to 62 mph run in 5.3 seconds. So, a sedan like the 500E doing it in 5.5 seconds was simply astonishing!
7 Apart From The Performance, The 500E Was Also A Comfortable Executive Sedan
The 500E had a dual nature wherein it was comfortable and fast at the same time. Being based on the W124 chassis, it was very comfortable. Even with its tweaked and stiffened suspension, it was pretty comfortable to handle the daily grind and uneven urban roads. The 500E was fitted with hydropneumatic suspension which allowed for the previously mentioned comfortable.
6 The 500E Had Extremely Sharp Handling Characteristics
The hydropneumatic suspension proved to be extremely capable when it came to giving the fast sedan’s driver extreme confidence in pushing the car around corners at some unmentionable speeds. This suspension setup also ensured that the 500E cornered flat even at high speeds and offered scalpel-sharp handling characteristics.
5 Limited Production Numbers Make The 500E Very Exclusive
The low number of units produced made the W124 500E very special and sought after amongst the enthusiast community around the world. A total of 10,879 copies of the W124 500E were ever produced, and this makes it very exclusive, especially now after more than 30 years after its production initially began. Out of these, the U.S. received only 1528 units of the 500E while Japan, the UK, and Canada got 1184, 29, and 45 units, respectively. These numbers explain its uber-rare nature.
4 The Special Edition E500 Limited
When talking about the exclusivity of the 500E, there was an even rarer variant made by Mercedes-Benz. This variant was called the E500 Limited and was based on the facelifted W124 model. Initially, Mercedes-Benz had planned to limit the production of this variant to 500 units. However, strong demand from the customers meant Mercedes-Benz ended up producing 951 units of this variant. The E500 Limited was designated by the code “958” on the data card. This version had special interior trim along with 17-inch EVO-II alloy wheels, a slight drop in the ride height, especially edged and color-coded floor mats, and an owner’s manual package with a leather cover matching the seat leather inserts.
3 The Ultra-Rare E60 AMG Was Based On The E500
Taking exclusivity to its absolute pinnacle, the E60 AMG was a variant that was based on the E500, but with a bigger engine. This variant had a massive 6.0L V-8 engine under the hood. It produced 381 horsepower and 347 pound-feet of torque. It did the 0-62 mph run in 5.1 seconds flat. This variant is extremely rare and is very highly sought after. These things exchange hands at some crazy prices in today’s times, and that is if one of these ever comes up for sale, which is very rare and unlikely in the first place.
2 The W124 Chassis Had Tank-Like Build Quality
The W124 chassis from Mercedes-Benz was always renowned for its tank-like build quality and the 500E and the variants based on it carried the same traits. Every small part was made with extreme attention to detail and was over-engineered. Mercedes-Benz cars back then were known for their solid build quality and the W124 was no different. In fact, it felt so solid that comparing it to any of the modern cars makes them feel fragile and something that will fall apart within a few years of usage.
1 The 500E Had Impeccable Reliability
The W124 chassis was always known for its trustworthiness and reliability and few other cars came close when it came to reliability. Thanks to the over-engineered nature of all the parts used in the car, it lasted many hundred thousand miles, if not millions. In fact, owners commonly report that cars with a few hundred thousand miles on the odometer feel like they have just run in and are still factory fresh. The interiors are so solidly well put together that nothing squeaks and rattles even with high mileage on the clock.