The 560 SEC Mercedes-Benz C126 Coupe is a Masterpiece of Form and Function

Full review and test drive of a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC.
Review by Bill of Curious Cars
Vehicle provided by Dave the Wholesaler, and will soon be auctioned on Bring a Trailer
Prior related reviews:
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• The Last Classic Porsc...
1988 Mercedes-Benz 300SE:
• This 1988 Mercedes-Ben...

[@JamesSheridan-td4ci]

As the owner of a 1991 560SEC it is nice to see the C126 get some love! I firmly believe this is "Peak Mercedes".

[@EndeavorsDnB]

For u, it just may b.

[@Liplip40]

CEO car

[@Gr8thxAlot]

@@Liplip40 First owner: CEO/Pope Second owner: Insurance agent Third owner: Bill

[@VideoAmericanStyle]

R129 is up there, too. This whole era for MB was filled with legendary engineering.

[@ace7821]

This was definitely peak Mercedes. I have more expensive faster cars and simply won’t let this one go.

[@BoothsEurotrash]

“It’s gonna be a short take” is code for “it’s gonna be a good video”

[@eddstarr2185]

Rush hour traffic in the 80's was worth the time when a Mercedes 560 SEC came into view. Truly the King of Cars, whoever was behind the wheel had that, "just taking my time", expression.

[@smithraymond09029]

That Mercedes is an absolute gem.

[@dawndelrocco2078]

Laughed my head off at your humor!! Please don't isolate yourself in the mountains, Bill...we would all miss your videos.

[@alfderbabybenz7092]

we would all have to move to the mountains with him then!

[@darylancrum]

I was living in Connecticut in the mid 80's and was asked to fly down to Boca Raton Florida to drive a 1986 560 SEC back to Connecticut. What a wonderful experience, and I was encouraged by the owner to stop in South Carolina to visit relatives on the way back.

[@charlestimmis273]

Italian design and German engineering to the fullest..... One the nicest coupes with no doubt that Mercedes ever designed in their history.....

[@steeldandansteely1027]

What a lovely machine. I'm glad you did it, Bill. A great finishing touch on the W126 lineup. The top of the line maybe forever.

[@tylernewton7217]

Nice! The famous Roadhouse Dalton-mobile! Looks like I’m not getting any work done for the next 50 minutes!

[@KP-zi6jx]

Great to see Dalton again! Feels like the world is righting itself w/mention of Dalton, an early Christmas gift! That Caddy and the flat tire that time, he was adorable coming to your rescue. You should adopt Dalton.

[@lawrencefearon6830]

FACT: 560SEC designer Bruno Sacco drives his own model just like this daily. Powerful statement for every Mercedes he could choose from.

[@charlestimmis273]

Bruno Sacco , Paul Bracq, Friedrich Geiger, Werner Breitschwerdt are irreplaceable. The new designers Gen Z are a big joke... No more real Mercedes since 1991....

[@lawrencefearon6830]

@@charlestimmis273 Bruno Sacco retired in 1999 and his last model’s were sold until 2012 -the R230 SL’s and you can tell from the taillight language thereafter.

[@charlestimmis273]

@@lawrencefearon6830 I believe the last classic real Mercedes were the w124 and w126 until mid 1990s.. everyone have their own opinion.... Saccos main success was the C126... I am not a fan of the R230, like I mentioned earlier.....

[@robertjames6640]

I did my auto apprenticeship in my grandfather’s Mercedes Benz dealership: the W126 was indeed the last of the real German Benz’s. Since they are marginally mass produced equals to a host of Japanese cars. This model was the most attractive of the W126 range and in spite of German inability to make decent A/c, to drive one was heavenly.

[@ddoyle11]

Beautiful car, timeless, elegant, understated design. I wish they still made them like this. I remember riding in an SEC in 1981 that had the seatbelt presenter. Very futuristic. Enjoy the weather while it lasts!

[@ghenrycars]

We come for the South Florida weather reports. We STAY for the W126 reviews. Keep ‘em coming.

[@TheTussman]

"Everything a wounded German might need.". LMFAO every time!!

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

Good day Bill hope the week is going well for you

[@saabstory69420]

My neighbor had a black one of these with chrome monoblock wheels and a beautiful caramel interior. It was amazing.

[@rpm773]

Those interiors were so gorgeous, and today I find them very relaxing on the eyes. No in-your-face infotainment screen, no RGB LED performance.

[@rpm773]

Oops, I guess Bill said the same thing at 38:25.

[@andrewgregg1235]

Greetings from Australia I have just finished using my 500 sec for six months as a daily drive . 11 years in . Now back to my non turbo 300d .

[@BHBeckenbauer]

My favourite Curious Cars videos are old Mercedes

[@Gr8thxAlot]

One of my favorites! By the mid 1990's these were actually affordable on the used market. And, they're still surprisingly cheap.

[@curbozerboomer1773]

Love your eventual escape plan!. My 60y0 mechanic, who was independently employed for many years, finally retired, built a home on a remote piece of land, put up a wire fence on his property, and has a pit bull on patrol! He told me he was done with society...and I think he means it!

[@Gr8thxAlot]

Fixing modern cars will do that to you!

[@firefighterps2]

Love these short, rant free videos, Bill.

[@joebrito2066]

I miss this MB era of design. Thanks for this video Bill.

[@allenwayne2033]

"And I had inklings then." Bwahaha! Bill, you crack me up Dude!

[@johan8724]

Have 1 here in the Netherlands from 89. Its parked up in a old growhouse. Drove it for 9 years and has over 200000 miles on it. Did a lot of topspeed in germany and never failed. Big steel v8 very durable engine.

[@randomenthusiast6898]

The 560 SEC AMG has got to be my favorite Mercedes ever built.

[@Gabesafish]

In pop culture, Bobby Brown -Every Little Step I Take “My name is Brown, that's what they call me Yes, I drive a 560 SEC And when I'm on the mic, you gotta see me”

[@gkstanfield]

I first witnessed the 380SEC in 1982 @ the Chicago Auto Show… There was nothing else like it… It was simply elegant…I’m not sure Mercedes made more beautiful S-Class Coupés since then…FIGHT ME!!

[@ace7821]

Fully agree with you. This was peak Mercedes in terms of comfort, ride, power especially for long trips. Smooth as silk. Beyond comfortable on the inside.

[@TheMcesar84]

You’d love it up in Skokie today.. 52 and sunny. Great day for a drive on these miserable roads.

[@ljfire100]

26 minutes and we still haven't made it into the car. i love this guy,.

[@BlackPete...]

Thank you so much for the heads up. I love the 560SEC, but I've only watched 34 seconds of this video and I'm already sick of this guy. He's just blathering about the frickin weather. I am so glad I didn't waste another boring second of this crap video. Some people obviously just love the sound of their own voice. Actually, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and skip the first 26 minutes of irrelevant crap and see if there is any worthwhile content here at all. Skipped and he's talking about covid and Jack Daniels. Fuck this loser.

[@reitsmaassociates]

Remember these as a teenager in the mid 1980’s, you really had to be someone to own an S class let alone the SEC ! Cheers from Brisbane

[@egold2071]

First! What a lovely and proper 50 minute screed on a legendary piece. An early XMas gift to us all. Thanks Bill!

[@narrowhwy114]

Another great "short" review at 49+ mins 😅 I agree with everything you said about this timeless beauty as well as what you said about the current Mercedes especially the snowflake interior lighting...what a pointless, tacky gimmick, like perhaps an aftermarket lighting kit you might find at an auto parts store. I remember the first one of these 560SEC's I encountered that slowly blew the doors of my then malaise era choked down '79 Monte Carlo w/ anemic 267ci (4.4L) V8. Thanks Bill. Really enjoyed this one...

[@scottsullivan1464]

I agree with your take on this generation of S Class. I love the smell of them, the dash, the clean lines, the way the doors open and close. They are fantastic

[@dennisbrookssr2903]

Absolutely, the most beautiful exterior design, finest quality, most fun to drive, most elegant, and finest interior, of all Mercedes Benz, is the timeless 126 Series, and especially the 560 SEC…I loved the SEC, from the introduction, and even more after the refresh in 1986. I was blessed, to be offered the opportunity to purchase, a 1991 SEC one owner, from an Estate, in 1996…It was a dream come true, Signal red, with the Palamino interior, all the amenities, including the chromed rims, like this white SEC. I purchased it, with every intent, to Keep it until, until I no longer drove…Sadly, I was hit by a fellow, who was not driving as he should, and hit my gorgeous coupe, full on, just 18 months after I purchased it. I am still looking for a comparable SEC, to take its place. Thanks much for your, as always great review, of one of the finest, without a doubt, Mercedes Benz, ever produced, a Bruno Sacco masterpiece 👍 PS: I absolutely love, the perfectly laid out, perfectly functional dash design, with the Mercedes Benz familiarity, thruout many great years, of owning Mercedes Benz, and so much more elegant, Without a ‘Big Screen’ dominating the entirety…again, much Thanks for sharing, I am sorry I missed this one, love the color combination.

[@josemares6886]

This guy is afraid of birds but his reviews are gold 🥇

[@richardelson3261]

When I was a junior guy in the office back on an IT contract, the finance team used to look for someone to drive the accounts books and payments to the bank. I volunteered. The reason is that the 3 owners of the business each had one of these. Imagine I’m 24 and I’m driving around in one of these CEO only monsters. What a joy. Obviously the banking took a lot longer than it should have done…. I’d love one to revisit it and have one of these for myself.

[@rdsreference]

Never ever get tired of 80s Mercedes Benz. A truly Beautiful car. The most Beautiful review from a most beautiful man and not in a romantic way although that could change for a W126.😋

[@steeldandansteely1027]

I've always loved the look of that lower front-end treatment with the group of maybe 5 horizontal descending lines that form possibly a multilevel spoiler (?)or some other aerodynamic device. I don't know but It's tight and I'll say precise looking visual effect was a standard feature across the lineup from those years and I'm surprised they only kept it around for that era. Whatever it was for.

[@tomsilven]

My favorite Mercedes. I have never owned a coupe model, but I had a sedan in the 90s. Greetings from Finland, this is the best car channel.

[@georgeestrada4076]

“ Fantastic, plastic” is the best words to sum up today’s cars we get on the road

[@martinsvensson6884]

In Europe you could get it in a 300hp version also, without cats. I had one in my younger days with one of the smaller AMG conversions. Suspension, wheels, AMG cams + headers and exhaust. 320hp, 500Nm. Black with cream interior. Sadly crashed it being young and stupid. Still miss it +20 years later.

[@vettezeppelin]

Bill- You can review and re-review any car you want and we are gonna watch it. You could probably review the same car over and over every week and we would still watch it. You always educate us on the weather and the animals and Dalton and current events and past events and most importantly Corona Virus Whiskey so we are here for you thru thick and thin no matter what you review and no matter how long it takes!! 💯🥃

[@johncornell3665]

So great to see a video from you. Glad the weather is so good in Naples. I hate the humidity too. Nice Mercedes. Thanks Bill!

[@zach359]

So glad you added the c126 to your reviews

[@feg3akatrey144]

I first fell in love with the SEC when Sue Ellen Ewing drove one on Dallas, in the early 80s… first the 380 then 560 (JR always drove the S-Class sedan). I got to drive my mom’s ‘87 560SL for 11th/12th grade years, and a family S into the 90s, but the first of now-14 Mercedes-Benzes that I’ve bought for myself was a 2001 CLK430, because I was still in love with the v8 coupes by MB. Great review and memories ❤

[@user-ue2ys1gx6e]

Gotta be one of your best videos Bill. I can tell your in a good mood😉. Thanks for all the entertainment you’ve provided over the years.

[@palletwizard]

Thanks for mentioning the Twiztid Nitwits MC. I happen to be the Vice President. Thanks Uncle Bill for the shoutout

[@Kmzhr]

It’s always a good morning indeed when Bill uploads a video

[@andretv2308]

I miss this type of Mercedes 👍 Cape Canaveral is pretty good weather here too I love it. Funny how people keep asking me if I’m cold yet no one ever asks me if I’m hot in the summer 100 plus heat index. Party on Let’s Go Cold Front 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@johnnypeacock69]

I am never tired of your reviews Bill!

[@jamesdonald7485]

A beautiful machine. Plenty of nostalgia for me as I had a 1987 W126 420SEC in New Zealand bought in 2002 at 44,000 kms. Now I jive in Colombia and have a 1993 W124 4 door saloon - E320. Also a great car and number 7 Mercedes for me since 1978. I wish I still owned them all..........

[@wadeperlot671]

70's 80's and 90's are amazing. Now before 70's always works but after 90's I would need Corona whiskey.

[@lawrencelieberman2278]

I had a1986 500SEC Euro./ Greymarket... One of the few imported new from Antwerp, Belgium to the US (because the US version 560SEC was out/ released) w/ 9 km on it before federalization. Great car w the 240 hp version engine. So much more than the US 380SEC. The entire euro 500 line were the best cars ...about 43K USD and 5k for federalization/ imported at the time.

[@tonychavez2083]

“Synonymous with the high end of life” exactly right my friend..

[@3264wildman]

So much for the short video😂😂. It makes my day listening to the stuff Bill comes up with. Beautiful car, love Mercedes Benz cars. Keep the videos lengthy. Have a Merry Christmas Bill 🌲🌲

[@allenwayne2033]

Dude! Of all the stellar vids you've done over the years, I think this is your best one yet!!!!

[@jacutin5033]

Thanks Bill, I've been waiting for this one ever since I started watching your channel.

[@brianbillow]

Bill, I love your commentary! Great review on this 560 SEC!! It truly is a Masterpiece!

[@orkoto6057]

Anything a wounded german might need on the road.... you are a true gem sir!!! keep up the good work and the nice whisky

[@gregdesena7362]

I love all of your videos, but nothing gives me joy like getting a notification that you have done another Sacco Mercedes!

[@jamesmurmurzancone4532]

Bill the kind of guy who calls a mobility scooter an EV

[@egold2071]

Bill the kind of guy who will weld an ashtray and a gun rack to his mobility scooter when he's older.

[@5amH45lam]

560 SEC. My favorite Mercedes of all time. Thanks for the review and great work, as ever, Bill. 👍

[@ronmccullock1407]

Good evening Bill from Ron in cold and wet Manchester in England. Glad your weather is to your liking, glad to see you are chipper. What a fantastic car to review

[@christopherkraft1327]

Hey Bill, it sounds like the animals are at bay & the weather is gorgeous!!! Be careful, there's only one reason that Dalton stares at you, He Loves You!!! 🥰

[@miiikehansonn]

Excellent video, entertaining as always. Gorgeous piece of machinery. Love it!!

[@philip4193]

Finally; I've been waiting for Bill to review one of these C126 coupes! Have a mint '83 380SEC myself and they're wonderful, classy old cars that drive & handle surprisingly well for a large car, even by today's standards.

[@Mr_Al_131]

Great vid as always I love everything Mercedes S-class & yours u showed was stunning 👍🏽🔥

[@ED-zc2um]

Love your reviews, you made man!!!!! Keep it up!

[@stevensumner3146]

Another timeless classic vid by Bill 🎉

[@camillosteuss]

Love you man... Hearing you is always such a pleasure...

[@AnthonyPsomas]

One of best looking 2door coupes ever!! Always loved these S Class coupes. People used to say that one had to be employed with the SEC ( Securities Exchange Commission) to own one. Great vid!!

[@ljfire100]

Needed that update on Dalton, glad he's still being himself.

[@hertzair1186]

I thought Dalton was sent to Boys Town….

[@ljfire100]

@@hertzair1186 guess he made bail, i’m sure he’ll be back sadly.

[@johnmills2134]

Merci, Bill, the weekend has arrived early! Best to you and your watchers!

[@douglasthompson9482]

A gorgeous car…thank you Bill.

[@paulchristie4904]

The Bobby Brown mobile! I drive a 560 sec and when I’m on the mic you gutta see me.

[@JeffreyRandell]

What an amazing car Bill thank you so much for sharing !

[@n750il]

Don’t change a thing bill! Love your work as is!

[@johnbradford8871]

Wonderful monologue of a great era

[@Ar1AnX1x]

another great segment of back in my day

[@theworstpersonintheworld923]

My favorite car of all time. Thank you for reviewing this one, Bill!!!! Edit- Saw where you mentioned if you could drive one car, this would be it. Excellent taste! :)

[@donaldclary846]

I LOVE these SHORT videos!!😊

[@manueldarby3160]

Great review, no mention of the mechanical self leveling system

[@tomtomer1294]

Love it. I’ve got amS550 2015. Thanks for the memories!

[@davesouthall3834]

Love your reviews. I'm UK so a lot don't really apply but I watch em anyway. Keep goin.

[@jamessims9475]

keep the 126 vids coming!!! i love them

[@shasha1873]

Excellent review

[@bob808]

I still have fond memories of my 380SEC. The dual horns were always a laugh in traffic :D

[@dondemar5334]

Have a Merry Christmas, Bill.

[@mikehitchcock707]

Just found you!.. & subscribed.. i love it ❤

[@johnwood5150]

great review

[@richardelson3261]

Naples at Christmas is perfection and a fabulous respite from the horrendous weather everywhere else. I know I've done it.

[@markyamaguchi9571]

Love any 80s car you review 👍

[@joegarcia54]

I’m happy you decided not to starve us without a video. Thanks

[@vukasakhecapitalvsc7085]

First time watcher and OMG I love him 😂🤣 he just lets his internal thoughts fly out

[@orkoto6057]

Peak beauty and elegance. Timeless...

[@deeplyclosetedindividual]

Wonderful car and presentation. I will own an SEC one day.

[@thepodbaydoorshal]

These rants are legendary

[@MrKHarris]

Clicked right away! That’s the only 126 I want! One day 😊 Thanks Bill you a real one.

[@johnsexton7621]

Swimming in November and December is awesomesauce