Johnny Carson’s 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC Is For Sale

This 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC was bought brand new by Johnny Carson at Mercedes-Benz of Beverly Hills. He must have had genuine affection for the car, as he kept it for many years, not selling it until 2003 when he was 77 years old.

Best known as the host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, which ran for 30 years between 1962 and 1992, Carson was also an avowed car guy with an impressive collection. A collection that included an early DeLorean DMC-12 as he had been an investor in the company.

Fast Facts – Johnny Carson’s Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC

• Johnny Carson, the host of “The Tonight Show,” purchased this 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC brand new from Mercedes-Benz of Beverly Hills. He owned the car for 15 years, only selling it in 2003 when he was 77 years old, possibly an indication of his love of the vehicle.
• Introduced in 1985, the Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC was a luxury two-door coupe derived from the W126 full-sized sedan model. Known for its exorbitant price and exceptional build quality, the 560 SEC was favored by celebrities, including Johnny Carson, Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell, and NBA legend Michael Jordan. It featured a pillarless coupe design and a 5.6 liter V8 engine capable of producing 295 bhp and 336 lb ft of torque.
• The 560 SEC had numerous high-end features including heated electric seats with memory, electric windows, climate control, an AM/FM cassette stereo, a limited-slip differential, power steering, self-leveling rear suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes with ABS. Its M117 V8 engine, with Bosch KE-Jetronic continuous multi-point fuel injection, enabled a 0-60 mph time of 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph.
• The ex-Johnny Carson 560 SEC is currently for sale in Williamsburg, Virginia. It has 87,000 miles on the odometer and retains its original Arctic White paint and anthracite leather interior. The car includes a 4-speed automatic transmission, sunroof, heated power-adjustable front seats, a Becker cassette stereo, cruise control, and a set of 15″ Gullideckel alloy wheels. It comes with a window sticker, the owner’s manual, service records, and a clean Virginia title.

The Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC

The Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC debuted in 1985 as a luxury two-door coupe based on the Mercedes-Benz W126 full-sized, four-door sedan model that was produced in parallel. At the time of its release, it was one of the most expensive cars of its kind in the world, pricer than some Ferraris, but it offered ample performance, palace-like grandeur, and build quality that’s been compared favorably with a bank vault.

Above Video: This episode of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” features Michael J. Fox in his first appearance on the show. Here was there to promote both the first “Back to the Future” film, and “Teen Wolf,” as both films were released in 1985.

Perhaps confusingly, a 560 SL model was also offered at the same time, based on the Mercedes-Benz R107 platform that was smaller and perhaps a little more sporting, but not by much.

The 560 SEC sat above the 560 SL both in terms of price and status within the Mercedes-Benz model family, and it soon became a favorite of A-list celebrities on both sides of the Atlantic including Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell, NBA legend Michael Jordan, and of course, late night talkshow host Johnny Carson, among many others.

Engineers at Mercedes took the W126 sedan’s unibody chassis and created a largely new outer body, with a new front end, rear end, and roofline. The original four doors were gone and replaced with two longer coupe doors, and the B-pillar was removed altogether, creating a pillarless coupe.

Power was provided by the Mercedes M117 5.5 liter V8, a single overhead cam per bank design with an alloy block and heads. For a luxury car engine, this V8 was noted as being quite reliable so long as the owner remained on top of all recommended maintenance.

The M117 V8 had Bosch KE-Jetronic continuous multi-point fuel injection and it was good for 295 bhp and 336 lb ft of torque, with a 0-60 mph time of 6.9 seconds and a listed top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). The cars came very well-equipped, with heated electric seats with memory, electric windows, climate control, an AM/FM cassette stereo, a limited-slip differential, power steering, self-leveling rear suspension, and four wheel disc brakes with ABS.

The 560 SEC would remain in production from 1985 to 1991, the 1986 to 1992 model years, before being replaced by the C140, based on the Mercedes-Benz W140 platform.

The Ex-Johnny Carson Mercedes 560 SEC Shown Here

As noted up top, this 560 SEC was bought brand new off the showroom floor by Johnny Carson, host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, which was the preeminent late night talkshow for decades from the early 1960s right through to the early 1990s.

Carson kept this car for 15 years from 1988 to 2003, this was most of the rest of his life as he passed away in 2005 at the age of 79. It’s passed through the hands of a small number of owners since this time, and it now shows 87,000 miles on the odometer.

It’s finished in Arctic White paint over an anthracite leather interior. It has the 4-speed automatic transmission, self-leveling rear suspension, a sunroof, heated power-adjustable front seats, a Becker cassette stereo, cruise control, automatic climate control, a limited-slip differential, and a set of 15″ Gullideckel alloy wheels.

The car is now being offered for sale out of Williamsburg, Virginia with a window sticker, the owner’s manual, service records, and a clean Virginia title. If you’d like to read more about it or place a bid you can visit the listing here on Bring a Trailer.

Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer