1997 Mercedes-Benz E 220 Cabriolet

Lot details
Registration No: P544OLB
Chassis No: WDB1240622C292314
Mot Expiry: April 2010

The lineage of Daimler-Benz's range of executive-sized cars now commonly known as 'E-Class' can be traced all the way back to the W120 'Ponton' of 1953. The now common 'E' nomenclature first appeared in the '70s. It was then used as a suffix in relation to the engines, and stood for Einspritz (fuel injection) - eg 230E. It was not until the facelifted W124 cars of the '90s, however, that the E first stood for E-Klasse (E-Class) and was used as a prefix - eg E220. Introduced in 1984, the W124 range was built to last and thousands can be found in everyday use today. Petrol engines ranged in size from 2.0 to 5.0-litres and diesel ones from 2.0 to 3.0-litres. Body options comprised: Saloon, Coupe, Estate and Cabriolet. When introduced, the model's drag coefficient of 0.28 was one of the lowest of any car on sale and the range featured many items of advanced technology - eg its single windscreen wiper with eccentric pivot, and its exhaust oxygen sensor. The cabriolet variant was launched in 1991 and offered with either 2.2 or 3.2 petrol engines until 1997. The E220 example on offer is one of the very last to leave the production line. Finished in Midnight blue with a matching blue interior and black power hood, it is reportedly equipped with: "4-speed switchable automatic gearbox, driver and passenger airbags, heated seats, illuminated vanity mirrors, newly refurbished 8-hole alloy wheels, nearly new Pirelli P6000 tyres, original Blaupunkt Bologna radio/cassette, infra-red remote central locking, all original tools and manuals, full Mercedes service history and all the original keys". 'P544 0LB' is said to have had just two owners and is believed to have covered a mere 47,000 miles. The Mercedes has apparently seen very little use since its last service. The vendor describes the four-seater as being in "excellent" condition with regard to its engine, automatic transmission, electrical equipment, interior trim, bodywork and paintwork. Few such full-size sports convertibles have been made in recent years, irrespective of the manufacturer. That alone makes the Mercedes a sought-after proposition - especially when combined with Mercedes' acknowledged build quality of the period.