1985 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC | Retro Review

The 500 SEC was a bigger than life luxury coupe with a price tag to match. Unheard of features for 1985 included airbag and ABS!
Show 406 | Original Airdate 10-16-1984

[marco]

Almost 40 years later and this car is STILL stunning!

[palebeachbum]

The brown metallic SEC with tan interior in the showroom at the beginning has always been my dream car. Such a beautiful car.

[henryovalles]

40 years later you can pull up in this car and still get respect 🫡

[Marshal_Dunnik]

Back when Mercedes vehicles were made to a standard, not a price

[AmraphelofShinar]

My middle-school science teacher had a W126 turbodiesel. We all thought "she must be a millionaire". We didn't really take into account that the car was at least ten years old at the time. She was a cool teacher for sure. I remember one day we studied human digestion and this kid in front of me turned around and asked me "is feces turds?". "Yes", I replied.

[detonator]

Fact / Trivia: Four F1 world champions owned a Mercedes SEC in the 80's/90's. Ayrton Senna, Keke Rosberg, Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell. The fact that best drivers in the world chose this car speaks volumes.

[teds]

People who have never experienced one of these Mercedes from the '80's will never understand just how much better they were than the ones which came after the mid-'90's. All you need to do is close the door on one to sense the quality. These were masterpieces of class and while they exuded luxury, they did it in a way which wasn't flashy, overdone, and ostentatious like the "new money" luxury market of today.

[zahemi]

Remember this car when Sue Ellen Ewing drove it in Dallas, but my heart still stays with 350SL red Bobby Ewing's Merc

[davidsherrick]

Bruno Sacco's masterpiece! 1986 got the even better 560SEC with Euro lamps and wipers. Still beautiful than most cars made today.

[sachinmistry]

My dad had an 1987 560SEL. Smoked gold with maroon interior. That car was a big, beautiful tank. Everything about that car felt solid and high quality. I'm not sure if modern cars can compare when it comes to fit and finish.

[conservativejakemills]

Driver’s airbag and anti lock brakes in 1985? WOW!! Didn’t know these features were available on any car back then.

[Yormsane]

3:57 Those analog gauges from the 1980s are absoutely iconic. Never bettered - even by Mercedes - which now serves up some of the trashiest digital dashboards in the entire auto industry.

[doca]

Just picked one up
91k miles showing
Been garaged since 2014
Needs work
But it’s a tank and worth it

[robertc]

Yacht sized steering wheel - classic line 😂

[ztwntyn]

We had an 85 300D it would get you killed if you didn’t have about 4-5 seconds for the turbo to spool pulling out in front of traffic but when it got going it was surprising and start grabbing gears and locking the converter. It was a tough vehicle

[lucyfan]

Present day and this car still looks good and has an elegance that many new cars do not have. Just funny to see the difference in time. 9 seconds to 60mph was considered quick than compared to now. Funny how a V8 with 184hp and 270 lb feet was considered good then. Todays naturally aspirated 6 cylinders are cranking 300hp and 270 lb feet. Forget about twin turbos. Such a different time in car production but needless to say this is a great car and will always be

[jonlosito]

I wish more Mercedes Benz cars looked like this. Instead most of their cars have gotten ugly over the last couple years now :((

[tkewrestler]

I have always thought the SEC, S Class Coupe, and CL were the best of the breed! They are the ultimate grand tourer with a dash of sport.

[porthaon-]

Design-wise, so much better than any contemporary Mercedes..
That fact alone, is very surprising...

[BilllieverMinistry]

I would rather have this Mercedes from 39 years ago than any of the over-teched, fragile, Teutonic garbage they are peddling today. This is a Real Benz from an era of true quality and fine German engineering, built for both enthusiastic drivers and comfort-seeking passengers alike.