1997 Mercedes-Benz CL 420

Sammlung Sonderklasse - Auction

Lot 077: 1997 Mercedes-Benz CL 420

Vehicle description

ONE OF ONLY 2,496 EVER MADE

RARE NAPPA-LEATHER INTERIOR

DELIVERED NEW TO THE NETHERLANDS

ONLY 166,834 DOCUMENTED KILOMETERS

Technical details

Year: 1997

Chassis N°: WDB1400631A372847

Engine N°: 119.981-12-011128

Production N°: 9821673

Paint: 572 RUBY METALLIC

Interior: 231 NAPPA LEATHER BLACK

Options

284 SHIFT LEVER IN WOOD/LEATHER COMBINATION

289 WOODEN/LEATHER STEERING WHEEL (DIA. 390 MM)

302 FOLDING ARMREST IN THE REAR WITH STORAGE TRAY

303 FRONT FOLDING ARMREST WITH TRAY

306 ACTIVATED CHARCOAL FILTER (ODOR FILTER)

351 AUTO-PILOT-SYSTEM (APS)

404 ORTHOPAEDIC FRONT SEAT BACKREST (MULTIPLE CONTOUR BACKREST IN MODEL 140), LEFT

405 ORTHOPAEDIC FRONT SEAT BACKREST (MULTIPLE CONTOUR BACKREST IN MODEL 140), RIGHT

414 ELECTRIC TILTING/SLIDING ROOF IN GLASS VERSION

540 ROLLER BLIND, ELECTRIC, FOR REAR WINDOW

819 CD CHANGER – ALPINE – IN TRUNK

884 TRUNK LID ADDITIONAL LOCKING MECHANISM (HZS)

Provenance

23/05/1997 ILLEGIBLE, EMMEN, NL

14/12/2021 PATRICK GRAEFFLY, HERNE, DE

Documents

GERMAN REGISTRATION PAPERS (2021)

ORIGINAL SERVICE BOOKLET

About the model line

C 140

Following the success of the C 126 Coupés, there was never any real question whether the new S-Class would once again be joined by a sporting two-door model. As it had with its predecessor, Bruno Sacco’s design team refused to take the path of least resistance. Instead, it created an entirely new body on a wheelbase shortened by almost ten centimetres. Hardly a single body panel behind the windscreen was shared with the saloon.

As before, the headlamps and radiator grille were redesigned so that a large Mercedes star once again dominated the front end. The absence of a B-pillar and window frames was already a familiar Mercedes Coupé hallmark. New, however, was the completely independent rear styling, featuring bespoke tail lamps of its own design. Like the saloon, the proportions appeared more substantial and more imposing than before. What the Coupé may have lost in elegance in the eyes of some critics, it gained in presence and authority.

Beneath the elegant bodywork, Mercedes-Benz spared no effort, just as it had with the saloon. Double glazing, soft-close doors and boot lid, driver’s airbag, seat-belt pretensioners, automatic climate control and virtually every conceivable comfort feature came as a matter of course. When the car made its debut at the North American International Auto Show in January 1992, only the two largest engines in the Mercedes-Benz portfolio were offered beneath its long bonnet: the 5.0-litre V8 in the 500 SEC and the 6.0-litre V12 in the 600 SEC. Series production of both models began in October 1992.

Following the saloon, Mercedes renamed the Coupés in 1993 as the S 500 Coupé and S 600 Coupé. A third engine variant, the S 420 Coupé, followed at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1994. In 1995, the V12 Coupé was the first to receive a new electronically controlled five-speed automatic transmission, soon followed by both V8 models. The new gearbox not only reduced fuel consumption but was also less expensive to manufacture. The C 140 also introduced several technological firsts for a production Mercedes-Benz, including the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and the GPS-based Auto Pilot System (APS) navigation system.

The 1996 facelift brought yet another change of name. Rechristened CL 420, CL 500 and CL 600, the Coupés simultaneously gave birth to an entirely new model line. The concept itself, however, remained untouched. The update also introduced xenon headlamps with dynamic headlamp levelling, automatic seat-occupancy recognition, PARKTRONIC and standard side airbags.

Building the large Coupés was an expensive undertaking, with much of the work still carried out by hand. Unsurprisingly, this was reflected in their price, ensuring a high degree of exclusivity. Production numbers fell well short of those achieved by the previous generation. Fewer than 27,000 examples were built by 1998. Yet for Mercedes-Benz, its most exclusive two-door model was anything but a failure. Prestige, after all, has never been measured in production numbers.

Auction information

Auction: 07 November 2026, 14:00

Auction house: Humer Granner & Co

Starting price: 5,000 EUR

Reserve: No reserve

Viewing: 05. November 2026 10:00 – 18:00, 06. November 2026 09:00 – 18:00, 07. November 2026 ab 09:00

Location: Gewerbeparkstraße 17, 4101 Feldkirchen an der Donau, AT

Bidding: In person · Online live · Telephone · Written bid

Auction registration: Schriftliches Kaufangebot, Als Telefonbieter, Online - live

Contact: Wolfgang Humer, +43 650 7262524 / Reinhard Granner, +43 699 17127272

About the auction

This Mercedes-Benz is part of the Sammlung Sonderklasse, one of the largest private Mercedes-Benz collections in Europe. The entire collection will be auctioned from 5 to 7 November 2026 in Feldkirchen an der Donau, Austria. All 83 cars are offered without reserve.

The collection also includes around 1,000 automobilia items and several fully furnished rooms, which will be auctioned on 6 and 7 November by Ni-Cola Classics. Please note that if you want to bid on automobilia, you must register in advance at nicola-ac.de. You can also view all lots at https://auction.nicola-ac.de/

The car auction starts on Saturday 7 November at 14:00, and you can bid in person or online. The cars can be viewed on Thursday 5 November from 10:00 to 18:00. Please note that if you want to bid on this car, you must register in advance with Humer Granner at https://hg.auction/auktionen/auktion-november-2026/.

You can order the catalogue at metropole-auction.com. It also serves as your admission ticket for two people. The catalogue does not replace registration with the auction house.

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Auction overview

Auction catalogue