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Broad Arrow Auctions, the collector car arm of Hagerty, is turning its attention to one of the wildest and most overlooked chapters of Mercedes-Benz history. Running August 10-21, 2026, the online-only sale dubbed "Global Icons: The Patina Collective" offers up 40 lots pulled from Mercedes' so-called Youngtimer era, and every single car crosses the block without reserve.
For the uninitiated, "Youngtimer" is the term German enthusiasts use for the flashy, widebody Mercedes-Benz builds of the late 1980s through the 2000s, the era when tuning houses like AMG, Brabus, and Koenig Specials transformed staid S-Classes and SLs into flared-fender showpieces. The Patina Collective leans hard into that excess, and the estimates on some lots prove just how seriously collectors now take the segment.
Topping the docket is a 1993 500 E AMG 6.0, carrying a $150,000-$180,000 estimate, followed closely by a one-off 1993 500 E Limited prototype estimated at $100,000-$150,000. A 1992 190 E 2.6 AMG 3.2 and a 1990 300 CE-24 Vitt Performance widebody are each pegged at $80,000-$90,000, while a 2008 Maybach 57 S rounds out the six-figure company at a $60,000-$70,000 estimate. Even the entry point is interesting: an unassuming 2005 E 55 AMG is offered at just $8,000-$12,000.
The lineup reads like a directory of forgotten German tuning houses. There's a 1973 450 SLC wearing a Koenig-Specials widebody kit, a pair of ABC-Exclusive widebody SECs from the 1980s, a 190 E finished by Schulz, another shaped by Getzke, and a 300 SL reworked by Carat by Duchâtelet. Throw in Brabus-built widebody G-Wagens, SLs, and off-roaders alongside Oettinger- and Zender-tuned coupes, and the sale becomes less a car auction than a survey of an entire subculture that most American collectors never knew existed.
Bidding opens Monday, August 10 at 10:00 a.m. ET and begins closing Friday, August 21 at 10:00 a.m. ET, with lots wrapping up in 60-second intervals until the final car is sold. Online registration is free, and a 10 percent buyer's premium applies on top of the hammer price. Full payment for winning bids is due by August 24, and Broad Arrow notes that some titles may still be in transit, so bidders should read each lot's documentation closely before raising a paddle.
This sale is part of a bigger trend at Hagerty's auction arm this year. The house also consigned a Le Mans-winning Porsche 924 Carrera GTR for its Quail sale, and Hagerty Marketplace regularly surfaces oddball gems worth watching. If widebody Youngtimers have you curious about the broader world of European collecting, our guide to buying vintage imports is a solid place to start before you register to bid.
