For Sale: 1988 Mercedes-Benz 500SEC in Katwijk, Netherlands

Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse 500SEC, 1988. Seven owners, 74,500 km, service books from new.

DAS BESTE ODER NICHTS. And rarely has that motto been lived up to with such merciless conviction as by the car standing in front of you right now.

Let's take a step back. When Mercedes-Benz introduced the C126 in 1981, the coupe version of the S-Class, they did something that really shouldn't have been allowed. They built a two-door that was bigger, heavier and more expensive than most of the competition's saloons, and sold it as though it were the most natural thing in the world. No B-pillar, so if you wound all the windows down, you could look clean through the car. A glass palace on wheels. And this at a moment when the rest of the world thought luxury meant a strip of wood trim in a Vauxhall.

The 500SEC was the range-topper, with that glorious M117 V8. A block that doesn't scream for attention, but goes about its business with a deep, bassy authority. You put your foot down and the car pulls away with the calm inevitability of an ocean liner leaving harbour. No drama, no theatre. Just 252 hp telling you that everything is going to be just fine. Back in the day, when a German businessman pulled up in this car, everyone at the golf club knew all they needed to know. This was the car of the director who drove himself, because driving was still fun, not the director who was driven around in the back.

The story continues on our website, where the full file is kept as well. 90 photographs including the underside. The service history, scanned in full. The Carfax report. Paint thickness measured panel by panel. The original factory brochure to page through. A timeline from 4 March 1988 to today, with every owner and the mileage year by year in a single graph.

Every car here follows the same route: first pre-market, then the showroom, and finally the online auction on our own website. What changes is the way you buy, not the location - once a car has arrived, it stays with us in Katwijk. This car is going into our online auction on the HooG Selections website, not on this platform. The auction starts on 5 November 2026. Until then it is not for sale at the listed price: that amount is the expected auction price, not an asking price. It will be auctioned without a reserve: there is no floor and no hidden minimum, and when the clock runs out it goes to the highest bidder. Bidding is on the HooG Selections website, with a free account. Send us a message and we will send you the link and a reminder when the auction opens.

Within the EU no customs duty arises on this purchase. Registration tax and registration costs in your own country are not included. We supply the export documents and assist with the registration. The price shown is the full price for collection in Katwijk. We arrange insured door-to-door transport worldwide, cost quoted per destination beforehand.

Prefer a different colour or specification than this example? Tell us what you are looking for - another Mercedes-Benz we can often find through our network of marque specialists and collectors, outside the listings.

Our showroom measures 6,000 m�, with over 150 cars under one roof. HooG Selections, Katwijk, the Netherlands. Call or WhatsApp: +31 85 043 05 86.