As I was on my way out of the showroom today I stopped in front of the new E class Coupe and just looked at it. Each line, how one meets the next flawlessly, the low roof line, it’s such a racy looking car. How did the designers manage to make it look fast while it’s standing still? Are two door cars inherently more attractive than sedans? I’m not sure why two door coupes have always looked so good.
I admire Mercedes-Benz for allowing their cars to evolve over time, it seems as if they’ve taken an approach of evolution over revolution. If you look back, each car has built upon the one that came before it. From the inside out, you can always trace the next model back to the ones that have come before it.
Here’s a look back at what could be considered 50 years of E class coupes from Mercedes-Benz. They didn’t always call it the E class coupe, but these are some of the mid sized coupes that have worn the three pointed star since the early 1960s.
Mercedes-Benz 220se - 1961 (more of an S class coupe really, but it looks so good!)
The 250c 1968 -1973 an amazingly affordable entry level collector Mercedes.
The W123 series coupe 1976 - 1985 a long production run, many survivors still on the road.
The W124 Series, late 80s in to the mid 90s, we still see these in for service at Feldmann's
First generation CLK 1996 - 2002 still one of my favorites, especially the 55 AMG version!
Second generation CLK 2003 - 2009 a great value today and available as a Certified Pre Owned car.
2010 E class coupe 2010 - The future is now. Wonderful driving dynamics, a big step forward!