Not even the Germans know. Because the car here may well be one of only two Mercedes 500 TE AMGs ever built.
When even the Germans are in doubt, there must be something to say. At least when it comes to the Mercedes 500 TE AMG.
A car that, in the estate car form S123, was only built in two copies in its time. At least the very few cars are confirmed. So far so good.
But according to Autobild, there is still reason to raise an eyebrow over the car that has appeared at the auction house Bonhams in the USA.
The auction house says well enough that it is an S123 500 TE AMG. It looks the same right down to the tail rudder with the double rudder tails and the multi-spoke BBS rims.
READ ALSO: Rare Porsche disguised as a VW bus is looking for a new owner
But Autobild still believes that it is a rebuild. So not an original. The media maintains that AMG conversions of this kind were very popular 'over there' in the 1980s. The car here is from just before that time – i.e. 1979.
At least according to the auction house. The car is part of the "AMG Rediscovered" auction, which features numerous very rare Mercedes and actual AMG models.
Until 2020, the entire collection was owned by the same man, Mercedes mechanic Barry Taylor. However, he passed away the same year, and now the bereaved family is trying to sell the collection.
In addition to a sea of Mercedes parts, the collection consists of 20 cars. And among these is perhaps/perhaps not one of the world's rarest AMGs. The S123 is in the color Astral Silver Metallic. Under the bonnet we find a 5-litre V8 engine from the S-Class of the time.
However, the engine had to be bored up to 5.2 liters. But there is no immediate proof of that. Something that can be proven, on the other hand, is the mileage. The car has no more than 82,894 kilometers in its 45 years.
If the car's perhaps rare status is compared with the rest of its history, Bonhams believes that it must be extremely expensive. The auction house expects to fetch somewhere between 150,000 and 180,000 dollars for the car.
If the auction goes well for the auction, which begins today, Monday 24 June, the car could therefore end up costing just under DKK 1.3 million.
Read more exciting news from and about the world of cars right here!
