Mercedes-Benz
500 E / E 500 “Limited” (W124)

Why it matters

The 500 E was the top W 124 saloon, combining the 5.0-litre four-valve V8 of the 500 SL with the mid-size body and part-built at Porsche in Zuffenhausen. The later E 500 Limited was a special edition of the face-lifted car built in small numbers in 1994 and 1995. The archive records a combined total of 10,479 W 124 E 50 cars including the E 60 AMG.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Mercedes-Benz 500 E / E 500 “Limited” (W124) (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Matti Blume · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Mercedes-Benz 500 E / E 500 “Limited” (W124) (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Matti Blume · CC BY-SA 4.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The car was first shown at the Paris show in 1990. The archive lists a pre-series from September 1990, series production of the 500 E from February 1991 until July 1993, and of the E 500 from July 1993 until April 1995. Bonhams says each car was shuttled between the Mercedes plant and Porsche's Rossle-Bau in Zuffenhausen during assembly and needed 18 days to build, and that it was left-hand drive only; the archive confirms that a right-hand-drive version was omitted. The list price rose from DM 134,520 in October 1990 to DM 145,590 in 1993. The engine rating fell from 326 hp to 320 hp from October 1992.

The E 500 Limited was built between 1994 and 1995 in under 500 units, according to Bonhams. It usually carried every available option and added a two-tone interior with bird's-eye maple trim, 17-inch EVO-II alloy wheels, driver and passenger airbags and stainless sill plates stamped Mercedes-Benz. Bonhams noted that a 1995 Limited was on display in the Porsche Museum in Zuffenhausen as of June 2011.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The factory type is 124.036 (design name W 124 E 50) with the M 119 E 50 engine, internal code 119.974, on 8 J x 16 wheels with 225/55 ZR 16 tyres. The Limited is identified by its special two-tone leather interior with dark bird's-eye maple veneer, 17-inch EVO-II wheels, airbags and stainless sill plates stamped with the Mercedes-Benz name; Bonhams also notes an Alcantara headlining as a rare factory option on one car. A documented Limited carries the chassis number WDB1240361C190951 (a 1994 car), showing the WDB124036 type prefix.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   500 E / W 124 E 50, 1991 - 1993 Level A Mercedes-Benz Public Archive (Classic M@RS)

   • Units produced : a total of 10,479 (until 04.1995, incl. E 60 AMG)
   • Engine type : M 119 E 50 / 119.974 (Specifications)
   • Number of cylinders / arrangement : 8 / 90° V; light-alloy block (Specifications)
   • Total displacement : 4973 cc (Specifications)
   • Bore x Stroke : 96.5 x 85.0 mm (Specifications)
   • Compression ratio : 10.0 (Specifications)
   • Number of valves / arrangement : 2 intake, 2 exhaust / V-shaped overhead (Specifications)
   • Fuel system : ... hot-wire air-mass sensor (Bosch LH-Jetronic) (Specifications)
   • Rated output : 326 hp / 240 kW at 5700 /min (Specifications)
   • Rated torque : 480 Nm at 3900 rpm; from 10.1992: 470 Nm at 3900 rpm (Specifications)
   • Rated torque : 480 Nm at 3900 rpm (Specifications)
   • Gearing : 4-speed automatic transmission (Specifications)
   • Gear ratios : I. 3.87; II. 2.25; III. 1.44; IV. 1.0; R. 5.59 (Specifications)
   • Final drive ratio : 2.82 (Specifications)
   • Driven wheels : rear wheels (Specifications)
   • Frame design : steel unit body (Specifications)
   • Front-wheel suspension : A-arm / shock-absorber strut (Specifications)
   • Rear-wheel suspension : multilink suspension with hydropneumatic level control (Specifications)
   • internally ventilated four-wheel disc brakes (Specifications)
   • Steering : recirculating-ball power steering (Specifications)
   • Wheelbase : 2800 mm (Specifications)
   • Length : 4750 mm (Specifications)
   • Width : 1796 mm (Specifications)
   • Height : 1410 mm (Specifications)
   • Front / rear track : 1538 / 1529 mm (Specifications)
   • Kerb weight : 1700 kg; from 10.1992: 1710 kg (Specifications)
   • Maximum speed : 250 km/h (electronically governed) (Specifications)
   • Acceleration 0-100 km/h : 6.1 s (Specifications)
   • Fuel tank: position / capacity : above the rear axle / 90 l (Specifications)

   Accessed 2026-11-12