I always used to enjoy searching for our Shed of the Week, but as editor Ollie settled in, the feature became his. Today though, I have managed to win back SotW for one week only and we see a welcome return to German metal.
My love of large German barges has landed me in some trouble in the past. As you may know, behind the scenes we have been buying and selling our own sheds to see how much money can be made and the last one we bought was a W126 300SE. It looked great in the ad but when Ollie and I visited the dealer it wasn't as pretty as we'd hoped. However I persuaded Ollie that we should go for it and we bought it anyway. That decision cost us dearly, and we still haven't recovered. After the 50% loss we suffered when we sold it on, the PH kitty is now so low that we are struggling to get back in the game.
But still, that was a few months ago now, so this morning I headed to the Benz section of the PH classifieds to find our weekly theoretical shed for £1,000, and as usual it delivered. Yesterday a PHer gave me a tip off that there was something sitting in the Merc classifieds that I would like, and he wasn't wrong. For under £1000 you can get a 5.6-litre Mercedes SEC, only this one is a little different.
When I was at Le Mans in 2007, I regularly saw a W126 saloon that had the roof chopped off it, making what I imagine to be a very flexible S class cabriolet. It looked fun while the sun shone, doing burnouts and cruising around. Sadly the weather didnt hold and the last time I saw it the car was heading back to the Tunnel, in the pouring rain with the driver sheltering under a brolly as he drove along.
I didn't make Le Mans '08, but it seems that another 'chopped' Merc did, this time using a 560SEC as a base car, and both cars were owned by the same chap. Looking at the videos below, the pub beer garden brolly made a return too.
When I first saw the advert I was a little sad that someone had taken an angle grinder to something as beautiful as an SEC. We all know that you can pick up a 126 slaoon for next to nothing (as I know all too well now) but surely the SEC shouldn't be messed with? If you are like me, you will remember wide arched versions of these cars appearing on the cover of 'Fast Lane' in the eighties - at that time they were certainly the favourite of German tuners. Similarly I recall seeing their graceful shape wafting around London with the pillarless windows down and slight burble from the tailpipes. At that time I was just a boy, but my love for these cars has never waned.
Despite the nostalgia, I find myself loving this week's 'Shed'. It captures the spirit of Le Mans perfectly, and dare I say it also captures the spirit of PH too. You have to admit that it also looks pretty good? Well I certainly think so, and as a big fan of this era of Benz, if I can overlook the fact that we now have one less SEC, I hope you can too.
If I was fortunate enough to have a second home in the sun, I would be very tempted to have this sitting in my garage. Instead I live in London with on-street parking so I won't be the lucky owner, but I defy anyone with the garage space not to be tempted. If you buy it please let us know as PH would love to have a drive.
Advert Says: 'Mercedes 560SEC (1986) £999. Extremely rare roofless Mercedes 560SEC. Good condition for year. Resprayed. Good engine, body and electrics and all new tyres. New sports stainless exhaust. Still stickered from recent trip to Le Mans but these can be removed prior to sale. First class fresh air system makes it a joy to own. Year MOT and Tax.'
LM 07 Video here LM 08 Video here
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