Mercedes-Benz launched the V-8 powered 500E in the year of 1991 when the talents of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche formed a synergy to build a super sedan. While it sets a precedent for future Mercedes-AMG sport sedans, the 500 E wasn’t developed by AMG. In fact, Mercedes brought in Porsche for development work and partnered with the firm on assembly.

This complicated process involved sending vehicles back and forth between Mercedes’ Sindelfingen factory and Porsche’s nearby Zuffenhausen. At that time, Porsche was battling recession and suffered loss on many stillborn projects, and was looking for some extra income. Consequently, they decided to build this low-volume, bespoke car in partnership with Mercedes-Benz.

This legendary car is still considered one of the best sedans that has ever been made. This exceptional car was in a class of its own; every single part of this car was put together by hand, the built quality of the car achieved excellence.

 

How Mercedes Benz 500E was manufactured

The way that the Mercedes Benz 500E was manufactured is exceptional. It was made with a combination of the suspension, drivetrain, and brakes of a Mercedes-Benz 500SL roadster paired with the chassis of a midsize sedan. On top of this, the car had a powerful V-8 engine which was never fitted in a midsize sedan car. The manufacturers shuffled the cars between the factories of Porsche and Mercedes in Stuttgart, Germany.

The chassis of this car was designed in such a way that it could fit the beefier V-8 driveline. The car had flared fenders made to accommodate wider tires and a wider track. The manufacturing time taken for this car was about 18 days, compared to that of an average Mercedes-Benz car, which was about 3 days.

This car left the factory with 16-inch alloy wheels, 1 inch more than the regular models produced. After the facelift of this model in the year 1994, The E500 now took the 12.6-inch front brake discs from the SL600. The manufacturing process included the bare bodies made by Mercedes-Benz’s Sindelfingen plant.

For structural mods, the body went to Porsche’s Rossle-Bau line at Zuffenhausen, just to the north of Stuttgart. Mercedes-Benz produced more than 10,000 models of the model.

 

The Exceptional Features of the Mercedes-Benz 500E

Launched in 1990, almost 30 years ago, the Mercedes-Bens 500E fitted with a V-8 engine had a very subtle and muscular body that made it into one of the most desirable models of the company. The car had a slightly lower body, a modified front apron, and inset fog lamps, making it unique compared to the other 124 series models.

The one feature that stands out is the engine capacity of this vehicle; this legendary car had eight cylinders in a ‘V’ configuration with a displacement of 5 liters, the car had 326 HP (240 kW) of power. This model of Mercedes is considered to be a wolf inside a sheep’s clothing because of its sheer power.

The 500E could make a sprint of 0-100 km/h in just 6.1 seconds, where the top speed of this car is automatically limited to only 250 km/h. The price of this vehicle was also very high because of its many exceptional features, which was 145,600 Deutschmarks which was almost twice the price of a 300 E model.

What made this car distinguish it from its competitors?

Compared with its competitors, the Mercedes-Benz 500E had a very discreet outward appearance at first glance, where the four-door saloon looked very restrained. Only those who had a taste for a premium car could distinguish between the 500E and its brothers. The Mercedes-Benz 500 E offered valued superior driving performance. Everyone surprised when they saw the car at the Paris show from 4 to 14 October 1990.

When the enthusiasts got a closer look at the car, they found the wings were flared outwards slightly. They were flared at both the front and rear to make room for the size 225/55 R 16 tires. The body, which lowered by 23 mm, and modified front spoiler with integrated fog lamps were also discreet characteristics. The published performance figures were even more exciting for visitors to the motor show.

In short

A car made with perfection, the Mercedes-Benz 500E was a project of Mercedes and Porsche. This car was a low-volume, high-performance model made to be a V-8 powered sports sedan. The E500 is simply a car that deserves to be driven and enjoyed. This car is fast enough to challenge a Corvette or Porsche 911 Turbo and has the luxury of 300E.

This model is a perfect choice for many car lovers even after 31 years. It is still in the market as a top-quality sports sedan.