This car, Lot 214790, was sold for $152,250, including buyer’s premium, on Bring a Trailer’s online auction on October 14, 2025.
In SCM’s November 2025 issue, I suggested that the C126-series SEC was an undervalued opportunity in the classic Mercedes-Benz market (“Buy/Sell/Hold,” p. 54). Our subject 560SEC’s sale goes to show how much potential remains to be unlocked for great examples. The question is how much of the sales price is derived from the seller’s reputation, the competitive nature of bidding on Bring a Trailer and, of course, the car itself.
Best of the bunch
I have owned and driven many Mercedes coupes, and they all have specific attributes that make them memorable. Older models include the W111 coupe, introduced in the early 1960s. And recently we learned about Publisher Martin’s experience with a 1972 W114 coupe — a great car if you plan on keeping it for a long time, but not so great if you want to sell it in two years. If you are someone who enjoys working on your own car and values fuel efficiency and longevity, the 1978–85 W123 coupes, particularly the diesels, have a reputation for being economical and easy to maintain. The uniquely styled SLC (C107) is another undervalued Mercedes classic, as are the 1980s C124 coupe and the 1990s C140 coupe.
The diesel C123 (pristine examples of which command $40k or more) and the W111 aside, all of these cars are valued in similar price ranges, with similar levels of need and similar architectural traits, such as a pillarless design, upscale interiors and reliable engines instead of high-performance ones. These coupes were more like a 2-door S-Class than a hard-top SL.
But the 560SEC stands tall among all of these other Mercedes coupes. While offering reliable and sensible analog engineering, better fuel economy than all the other gas V8 coupes, exceptional serviceability and timeless elegance, it is stuck in the $15k–$25k price bracket, making it a great buy. While later variants have been faster, the SEC offers a practical level of performance that still makes it fun and easy to use today.
Just the facts
There are a lot of misconceptions about these big Mercedes coupes that may have held them back in the market. Some of these are not true and are based on either a misunderstanding of the cars or bad information perpetuated on internet forums.
For example, the Selective Leveling System used on the rear suspension gets a bad rap for being too stiff, when in reality there was a simple bushing update to make the ride less firm. Many poorly informed commenters perpetuate the notion that Bosch KE-Jetronic injection is undesireable, however it is more misunderstood than anything else. Maintained properly by a competent mechanic, it is generally a reliable and easy-to-service system. Most SEC owners are able to use their cars without any headaches, as items such as the climate control, cruise control, power windows, sunroof, ABS and power seats tend to work extremely well, even at 35 or more years old.
AMG money
An SEC that brought this kind of money, until recently, would almost certainly be some kind of AMG variant. Many AMG cars were a terrible value for their cost, and a flood of them on the market (some being poorly executed clones) damaged broader SEC values. This is a shame, because the pure form of the stock SEC is the more refined, enjoyable and durable vehicle. Excellent examples like our subject car get lumped into the same category as some very poor AMG replicas.
Stock C126 prices are weak for examples with 60k–80k miles, with many cars from careful long-term ownership being transacted on the insider’s market. On BaT, an auction platform that generates enough trust to frequently attract top-of-market bidding, a 15k-mile 1990 black/gray example from an extremely reputable seller only fetched $48k with buyer’s premium. And even our subject car previously sold on BaT in November 2020 for just $63k, with few miles driven and only routine service since. What gives?
Some of our subject car’s strong $152k result has to be attributed to its seller, SCM Contributor Dean Laumbach, who has a reputation of achieving above-market sales for many Mercedes he has offered. Still, this result was a top of the market price. Indeed, the top sale for a stock 560SEC in SCM’s Platinum database is $100k for a 7,500-mile example at Gooding & Company’s 2019 Amelia Island auction (SCM# 6897411).
An endangered species
Due to the SEC’s relatively low value, many examples are poorly and tastelessly customized. Unspeakable acts include engine conversions to later MB power units, suspension modifications with cheap, unsafe parts, and dubious personal touches that never get finished. One SEC owner I knew discarded his headliner so he could install a fiber-optic map of the solar system — until his transmission developed issues and he gave the car away.
While society at large keeps buying modern cars that have failure-prone and complex engineering, the SEC and similar Mercedes from this era offer a modern driving experience with sustainable, reliable and durable components, making them a great choice for those of us who want a “forever car.” While there will be few of these cars trading in the $100k area any time soon, increased values would help ensure they are conserved and repaired properly.
This unique sale of an SEC likely represents one person’s desire to preserve an outstanding example of Mercedes’ finest coupe. It is also unlikely that this sale will affect the SEC market as a whole. For those of us who are sitting on sub-20k-mile cars, this might be bad news, but for those who have always wanted to own an SEC, it is comforting to know that great examples do not generally cost six figures. While this example was well sold, it is only because of a broader lack of appreciation for the Mercedes W126 platform.
