Is the Mercedes-Benz 500E / E500 a good investment?

The thesis

The hand-assembled 500E, co-engineered by Porsche at Zuffenhausen, represents a watershed in understated performance sedans—the direct spiritual ancestor of today's AMG E-Class. Only 10,479 were built, each taking 18 days to complete as bodies shuttled between Mercedes and Porsche. Its rarity, Porsche pedigree, naturally aspirated 326 bhp V8, and 'Wolf-in-Sheep's clothing' Q-car character position it squarely in the collector crosshairs. The market has already re-rated good examples from the £30k floor, but genuinely pristine low-mileage cars approaching £100k suggest this cycle still has runway. Investment-grade examples sit comfortably inside the stated budget, with excellent cars in the £30–£60k band showing strong recent momentum.