A collection of 40 gloriously mad Mercedes youngtimers is going under the hammer, all without reserve
When Mercedes was weird, wide and wonderfully excessive
Before Mercedes-Benz became quite so sensible, the 1980s and 1990s gave us hand-built AMG monsters, widebody kits, Brabus V8s and coachbuilt oddities. Now 40 of the very best examples of that gloriously unhinged era are heading to auction together, and not one of them has a reserve.
The sale, and the no-reserve twist
The cars come from The Patina Collective, a collection built around preserving rare Mercedes models from the 1980s and 1990s, and they are being offered by Broad Arrow as the first North American instalment of its Global Icons online series. Bidding runs from 10 to 21 August 2026. Crucially, every one of the 40 lots is offered without reserve, which means each car will sell to the highest bidder no matter what. Many were never officially available in the US when new, which adds to the appeal.
The headline acts
The top lot is a 1993 500 E AMG 6.0, a pre-integration AMG build with a 6.0-litre V8 in triple black, complete with its original purchase agreement and service history, estimated at 150,000 to 180,000 dollars. Close behind is a 1993 500 E Limited prototype, a genuine factory show car from the 1993 Frankfurt IAA with 68,578 km and a two-tone leather interior, at 100,000 to 150,000 dollars. A 1992 190 E 2.6 AMG 3.2 is estimated at 80,000 to 90,000 dollars.
Widebodies, wagons and proper oddballs
Further down the list it gets even more entertaining. There is a 1990 500 SL Brabus 6.0 at 60,000 to 65,000 dollars, and a 1986 560 SEC ABC-Exclusive widebody in Barolo Red over Palomino leather on Gotti wheels at 55,000 to 60,000 dollars. Estate fans get a 1995 E 36 AMG Touring, one of roughly 30 built to that specification in the final year of the S124, while a 1973 450 SLC by Koenig, a 1985 190 E Schulz-Cabrio and a 1983 250 Limousine AMG round out a wonderfully strange line-up.
Patina included, literally
The collection's name is a warning as much as a description. Several cars show genuine age-related wear, and some will need mechanical servicing before they can be used properly after long periods in storage. That is worth factoring into any bid, but it is also part of the charm: these are honest survivors rather than over-restored show ponies. Broad Arrow's William Cooper summed the era up as "wild design and true excess, combined with incredible performance."
AutoNext Take
This is one of the most fun auction catalogues we have seen in a while. The 1980s and 1990s were when tuners like AMG, Brabus, Koenig and ABC Exclusive turned staid German saloons into wide-arched, V8-powered statements, and those cars have aged into genuine cult objects. That all 40 are selling without reserve makes it properly interesting, because no-reserve sales are where surprises happen, in both directions.
It is also a reminder of how strong the youngtimer market has become, at a moment when the big auction houses are dominated by seven-figure hypercars like the McLaren F1 GTR heading to Monterey. If you have ever fancied a widebody 560 SEC or a 500 E with AMG's finest V8, August is the month to be brave. Just budget for the recommissioning.
