1984 Mercedes-Benz 380SEC

Mercedes-Benz SEC (Coupe), 1981-1991

The Mercedes-Benz SEC was in production from 1981-1991. Styled in house, it is a front-engine, rear wheel drive two door saloon range seating up to 4 adults.

The SEC was Mercedes-Benz's replacement for the SLC C107 - and a return to the tradition whereby the largest Mercedes coupe was based on the largest saloon, rather than the sports model. It harked back to the days of cars like the 280SE 3.5 coupe - and like that car, all SECs (or C126s, to use their development code) would use V8 engines. At first there were two options, the 380SEC and the 500SEC, using engines drawn from the S-class. However, from the 1985 facelift the 380SEC was dropped and replaced by the 420SEC, plus a new range topping 560SEC was introduced using a 5.6 litre V8 also introduced in the SEL limousine at the same time. All models came as standard with automatic transmission, though it was possible to order a five speed manual in the 420SEC it is believed that only a handful were produced.

In 1991, Mercedes would replace the C126 with a coupe based on the new S-class, the C140. This would add a V12 to the spread of V8 engines, targeting an even more exclusive clientele. But the C126 SEC was no stranger to the whims of the exclusive, with scores of European tuning companies offering everything from engine tuning to bodykits, convertible conversions to gullwing doors. It's important to note that these conversions are too specialist to fall within the scope of values in our price guide and should be assessed individually.

The closest competition at the time was the BMW 635CSi, though smaller and with a smaller engine it shared the cachet of the Mercedes. If you want the same chassis with four doors, a W126 S-class in either SE or SEL flavour would undoubtedly be appealing, while if you want a classic Mercedes coupe the SLC would be of interest. If the era isn't an issue and you just want a large and imposing two door saloon, we'd consider looking at the Jaguar XJC.