-
Mercedes 500E
Back in the early ’90s, Mercedes produced the successful but docile W124 E-Class. The elegant sedan was known for its comfort and refinement rather than performance and speed. The team of crazy German engineers was soon to change that and in 1991, they presented the mighty 500E model. This was a high-performance version of their main sedan. It featured a totally different drivetrain, suspension, brakes and engine.
In fact, the 500E was so demanding for production that Mercedes asked Porsche to assemble this car. The main feature of the 500E was the 5.0-liter V8 engine which developed 326 HP. This isn’t an impressive number by today’s standards, but it was a crazy figure for the early ’90s, especially in a formal sedan. The 500 E could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just six seconds which was almost as fast as a Ferrari 348.
The best thing was the design because the 500 E looked identical to the regular W124 Sedan. Only if you looked carefully, you would notice the bigger wheel arches and brakes, but nothing else revealed there was a monster under the hood. Mercedes offered badge delete as a no-cost option for its customers. And if you chose a black or silver color, you got a stealth sedan that ate Corvettes for breakfast.
Interestingly, you can pick up one of those German muscle sedans for around $20,000 in decent condition. There is no excuse not to buy one of these super sedans and go on a high speed, cross country trip in luxury.