DREAM MACHINE MERCEDES 500E

Enrique Martinez Sanchez & his son Camilo were on the look out for a Datsun 240z, until a Mercedes with the devil inside caught their eye

Photography by Gianfranco Tagliaferri

There’s no doubt it was love at first sight, some might even call it fate, but the very first time we saw her in the corner of the of the garage, we knew she was sitting there waiting for us. In 2012 Camilo, my son, with whom I share a mad passion for cars – by ‘mad’ I mean if a nice car comes past us Camilo instinctively drops the windows whilst I grab the radio - decided to turn our dream of buying a car with the DNA of a true classic into a reality.

Back then we had already seen some potential cars to buy. Top of the shortlist was a 1973 Datsun 240Z in lime yellow that had been imported from California, whose ‘pedigree’ showed that she only had one previous owner, for an asking price of U$27.000. Out of the blue, one of my dearest friends - Edgar - who is a real car connoisseur, phoned me and told me he wanted to show me a very special car, but refused to give us any further details. With such a build-up of anticipation, which one might compare to the feeling Howard Carter must have had when he was getting closer to discovering Tutankhamun’s tomb, Camilo and I embarked upon our journey to see the car. Whilst on our way we could not stop speculating, so excited that a simple one-hour journey seemed to take an eternity.

Finally, the intrigue came to an end when the vendor removed the protecting cover. From the depths of the darkest corner in the garage a 1992 Mercedes Benz 500E in graphite grey emerged displaying her beautiful AMG aluminium alloys and enlarged arches. Her dark grey interior and beautiful condition left us absolutely speechless. We could not believe that the car which multiple critics had referred to as a ‘wolf in a sheep’s skin’, was right in front of us. The owner tossed us the keys and the 5 litre, 32 valve V8 engine fired immediately, letting out a wonderful baritone howl causing the whole place vibrate at its core, giving us the kind of goose bumps that only petrol heads get. This wasn’t just any V8.

Camilo and I looked at each other, trying to disguise our emotions behind a poker-face so as not to reveal our hand and leave the door open for at least some sort of negotiation with the owner. We both saw ourselves waving goodbye to the 1973 Datsun, as its humble 6 cylinders were not able to produce this level of excitement or testosterone.

Instructed to put my foot down, she responded beautifully with her 326 hp and delivered 260 km/h without any hesitation in spite of being 20 years old. When we got back to the garage the owner revealed that the asking price was U$25,000. We proceeded to do some minor negotiations, as is customary in these situations, although deep inside we both knew that the car was ours already.

It was going to take 3 days for the car to be ready and delivered to our doorstep. We both felt the same mix of intrigue and butterflies in our stomachs that a child feels on Christmas eve waiting for their first bike after having included it in their letter to Father Christmas. To cope with what seemed an endless wait, we started researching everything we could about this car. We discovered that this model had been developed in partnership with Porsche on a W124 chassis and that Porsche had not only designed its powertrain & suspension but assembled the cars in its Zuffenhausen workshop. The manufacturing and assembly process lasted 18 days and in 1992 its retail price was U$81,100. Lastly, we discovered that it would do 0-100Km/h in 5.6 seconds, remarkable for a car that weighs over 1700 kgs.

This information filled our hearts with joy, and even she still makes us shake every time we put our foot down. Ever since we received her our 500E has become our true companion. In all honesty we would struggle to find a good reason to sell given all the history we’ve had together. In fact, every time we’re out, she always gets compliments and looks. She’s been invited to 3 Mercedes exhibitions ‘FUR FANS’ in Colombia where we reside. In fact, the last exhibit she attended broke the world record of the highest number of different types of Mercedes gathered together in one place - 370 to be exact. During all of these events we’ve received multiple offers from eager buyers that surpass by far what we paid for her, one of which in fact is her regretful former owner.

It has been a lifelong belief, just as it is the case with love, whatever we are truly passionate about in life, is waiting for us in some corner of the world and that the universe is conspiring to ensure that our paths cross - all we have to do is tap into our true desire and enthusiasm and it will just be a matter of time.