Photo: Carandclassic
This 1980 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL probably isn’t the sweetest thing out there, but if you’re on the lookout for an ex-celeb car, then it might just do the trick.
Bought by the famous U2 frontman not long before production of the W116 ended, which was replaced by the W126 and then by the W140 in 1991, which eventually evolved into the W220 S-Class seven years later, the 450 SEL is about to hit the auction block, estimated to change hands for roughly £15,000 ($20,770).
Offered for sale by Carandlassics in the UK, part of an online-only event that kicks off on July 18 and will end seven days later, the classic luxury sedan has a grey exterior paint that needs some love. In fact, pretty much everything inside and out requires some work, because it is not in the best shape.
Even so, the cow hide does seem to look pretty decent for a 41-year old vehicle, and while that sound system appears to have seen better days, it is an absolute jewel, with Bono paying around £12,000 ($16,600) back in the day, or approximately £47,000 ($65,100) in today’s money. The audio was so powerful that a fire extinguisher had to be added inside, just in case.
The 450 SEL in question has clocked over 163,000 miles (262,323 km), according to the vendor, and was recently serviced, getting a new starter motor and battery; the tires are also new.
Bono parted ways with the car in 2000, when it was bought by Pepsi at auction and used to raise money for Ethiopian aid projects. Three years later, Boyzone’s Keith Duffy offered it via charity auction, so one could say that its ties to the music industry didn’t stop at its original owner.
As Carandclassic’s Chris Pollitt put it, “this isn’t your regular classic Mercedes from the ‘80s, it is a piece of modern rock music history.”
Offered for sale by Carandlassics in the UK, part of an online-only event that kicks off on July 18 and will end seven days later, the classic luxury sedan has a grey exterior paint that needs some love. In fact, pretty much everything inside and out requires some work, because it is not in the best shape.
Even so, the cow hide does seem to look pretty decent for a 41-year old vehicle, and while that sound system appears to have seen better days, it is an absolute jewel, with Bono paying around £12,000 ($16,600) back in the day, or approximately £47,000 ($65,100) in today’s money. The audio was so powerful that a fire extinguisher had to be added inside, just in case.
The 450 SEL in question has clocked over 163,000 miles (262,323 km), according to the vendor, and was recently serviced, getting a new starter motor and battery; the tires are also new.
Bono parted ways with the car in 2000, when it was bought by Pepsi at auction and used to raise money for Ethiopian aid projects. Three years later, Boyzone’s Keith Duffy offered it via charity auction, so one could say that its ties to the music industry didn’t stop at its original owner.
As Carandclassic’s Chris Pollitt put it, “this isn’t your regular classic Mercedes from the ‘80s, it is a piece of modern rock music history.”
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