The Peter F. Baumberger Collection of Motorcars
* All sold with No Reserve *
20 Aug 2010
Gstaad Palace Hotel
Switzerland
Lot No: 2
One owner from new
1991 Mercedes-Benz 500E
Chassis no. WDB1240361B648605
Estimate: CHF5,000 - 8,000
Footnote:
The Q-car is accorded a special place in the hearts of many enthusiasts and Peter Baumberger was a leading one of them. There is, after all, something appealing about a car that looks like it wouldn't swat a fly but actually kicks like a mule.
Meet the Mercedes 500E – an ordinary E-Class equipped with a 326bhp 5.0-litre V8. That may not sound particularly impressive, but back in 1991 when it was launched, a Porsche 911 Turbo only had 316bhp...
The Porsche analogy is a fitting one since Merccedes turned to the sports car marque for help creating the 500E. Each car was hand built at Porsche's Zuffenhausen facility and took 18 days to complete. This was a bespoke, specialist car. Track widths were widened by an inch and a half, the wheelarches were fla