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Top Ebayer Mad Car!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The search now begins for E60 (yes, E60!). If you know of such a beast, let me know.

Developed in conjunction with Porsche, the Mercedes E500 was based on the popular 300E model which had been released in 1986. Each E500 was transported back and forth between the Mercedes plant and Porsche's Rossle-Bau plant in Zuffenhausen during assembly and hand built, taking a full 18 days to complete each model. It was produced between 1992-94 in which time approximately 7200 cars were built. The 500E/E500 was a limited production sports sedan created in a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. In the grand line of sports sedans from Mercedes dating back to the 300SEL 6.3 of the 60's and 450SEL 6.9 of the 70's came the next generation. Production ran from 1992 to 1994 model years and yielded only 1505 total cars imported to the U.S. The line was renamed E500 in 94 in addition to some minor bodywork changes. Special suspension, interior, and bodywork caused the price to skyrocket to approximately 80K during its run. With 326HP and 354 lb-ft of torque on tap combined with 2.82 gearing caused 60 to come in less than 6 seconds and the car was electronically limited to 155. The W124 chassis was fortified with Porsche's help to ensure this car performed flawlessly in all aspects.

Introducing the E500

This car needs no introduction in the motoring world. They call it the "4-Door Porsche". Besides the V-8 5.0L engine taken from the popular S 500 and SL 500 models, the E500 was also equipped with a hydraulic self-levelling suspension, 11.8 inch vented discs in the front and 10.9 inches in the back, wider 16" wheels and 225/55 tires and shorter and stiffer springs which lowered the E500 nearly an inch over the 300E. While the resulting slalom time is nothing to boast about (61 mph), the E500 still manages a healthy 0.84g on the skidpad and a sports-car-like 116 ft stopping distance. The engine was the same unit used in the SL500 but with a Bosch LH Jetronic fuel injection replacing the KE Jetronic and a redesigned intake manifold with longer runners that resulted in an additional 22 lb-ft of torque over that power plant. The four speed Automatic transmission and rear axle were also sourced from the SL500 and the E500 was also equipped with standard ASR (traction control). While there was no factory option for an override switch, many aftermarket tuners could provide this, lowering 0-60 mph times into the 5 second ranges. There were a few other slight faults with the E500 as well. The single windshield wiper arm was not very efficient and the interior ergonomics were less than perfect while for the price, the E500 could still not deliver the same amount of all-out performance as the BMW E34 M5.

E500 Specifications & Technical Data

Base Price	$80,000 or £60,000	Engine Type	DOHC V-8
Displacement, CC	4973	Horsepower@rpm	326@5700
Torque lb-ft@rpm	345@3900	Curb Weight, lb	3919
0-60 mph, sec	5.6	1/4 mile, sec@mph	14.7@96.6
60-0 mph, ft	116	600 ft slalom, mph	61.0
Top Speed, mph	155 (Restricted)

Max power and Max torque graph above shows the E500 to be a very worthy opponent.

The Brutal V8 Engine

The M119.974 engine in the E500 displaced 4973cc or 303 cubic inches. This engine made 322 horsepower at 5700rpm and 354 lb-ft of torque at 3900rpm. Torque band is flat as can be with 90% available as low as 1500rpm. By approximately 1200 rpm the 5.0 mill was producing more torque than even the 4.2 M119 E420 cousin did at its peak! Long intake runners, variable valve timing on the intake cams, silicon crystal cylinder liners, alloy construction of block and heads, antiknock control, a 10:1 compression ratio, and a CAN computer system to harmonize all of this made this engine the strongest in Mercedes' line-up save the V12.

The Classic Interior

The E500 has a special interior, compared with the other W124 series cars. Updated Recaro racing seats, heated & 2-way memory power seats, both front and rear wood consoles, rear electric sun blind, snow chain option, extra storage pockets, climate control and many more extras. The euro W124's also had the added option of and Sports and Economy switch on the gearbox. This feature allows quicker gear changes. Almost all W124's from 1993-1995 in Europe had this.

The Mean Exterior

The exterior is also special for the E500 only. The E500 has the rare wide wheel arches which allow a bigger and deeper wheel to fit, which also helps the car looks meaner! The E500 suspension is also changed. Mercedes & Porsche decided to put the self levelling hydraulic suspension system which is pretty solid, but not as hard as AMG has done theirs. E500 suspension setting is very brutal but relaxed at the same time, the whole chassis is slightly wider and longer in order to fit the big V8 engine in, the front bumper has additional fog lamps and the headlights have wash wipers. My E500, which is shown for illustration has additional BBS 18" wheels and V8 chrome badges on the arches. The 16" 8-Hole wheels are the ones which originally would have came with the car unless if it was an 1995 E500 Limited they would have had the special EVO-II 17" rims which are also featured on the Mercedes Benz 190E EVO I & II. The E500 Special Edition or E500 Limited was in production in 1995 only and it also included remote central locking system by IR sensors on the drivers door handle and trunk lid by the key hole.

Thank you for reading the E500 informative article. This article sums up mostly all you need about the W124 E500. If you need to know more or have any issues about the text on this website, please contact me at e500@e500.org.

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