True car enthusiasts appreciate old cars, even if they are diesel cars. We also have an S-124 (Mercedes-Benz E 250 Diesel T-Modell) owner on our editorial team, who particularly enjoys vintage car adventures, but we secretly suspect that if the opportunity arose, he would also install the version seen in the photos in the garage.
In fact, we probably all feel the same way, because an old-fashioned, honest, high-performance gasoline V8 is a rare treasure.
Six-liter V8 engine with 310 horsepower
Before Audi unveiled the RS2 Avant and BMW the first M5 Touring, AMG's North American division was already working on its own high-performance Mercedes station wagon. This particular model, nicknamed “The Mallet,” is a custom development model from 1988 and is now going under the same hammer.
The noble name of the Mercedes-Benz 300 TE 6.0 AMG begins with Richard Buxbaum, founder of AMG North America. He was commissioned to build a V8 station wagon in 1987, and since the car was commissioned by a very wealthy client, it featured a 6.0-liter engine with a 32-valve cylinder head that produced 375 horsepower.
The car immediately made a sensation in the press and received the name “Hammer”, but due to the high cost of tuning the engine, Buxbaum did not feel commercial success. However, he thought it might be worth putting together a limited series with a simpler and cheaper design.
So he bought the Mercedes 300 TE pictured and used it as a prototype to test conversions. In addition to the 16-valve cylinder head and 310-horsepower V8 engine, the 124 station wagon also received 16-inch AMG wheels (which have since been replaced with 17-inch wheels), a stainless steel exhaust, and a unique interior. .
In addition, an S-Class self-locking differential was also used and the car's ground clearance was reduced.
The modifications were also received favorably by Car and Driver's John Philips, who called them “The Mallet (which is actually the name of the special rubber mallets)”. In his opinion, even with a lower-powered engine, it was capable of surpassing the contemporary drivability of the Porsche 911 Carrera, Chevrolet Corvette, and BMW M5.
Unfortunately, the project never got off the ground, so this is the only example of this design to be offered to buyers at the RM Sotheby's auction.
Mercedes Benz S124
The Mercedes-Benz S124 represents the upper mid-range station wagon model produced between 1985 and 1997, with a longitudinal engine, rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The 124 series received 4-5-6-8 cylinder engines, 105-381 hp gasoline (200-E60 AMG), 72-147 hp diesel (200D-300D Turbodiesel).
Among the more affordable models, the four-cylinder M110 (220E), M102 (230E) can be recommended, M103 and 24-valve M104 (300E and 320E) are good among inline engines. The good thing about the 124 diesel is the one you spent money on with 1.5 million kilometres. The 5- and 6-cylinder diesels are fun, the naturally aspirated engines also have manual transmissions, and the Turbos are all four-speed automatics.
