Mercedes-Benz S600 (W221) | Spotted

But as all the focus on the residual value of electric cars plummets, attention is being diverted from what was once a depreciation royalty: the super sedan. The appeal of the fast four-door at a fraction of the new price was clearly visible to everyone: palatial luxury, supersonic speed, space for the whole family and the purchase price of a supermini. So do the operating costs of a naval fleet, but nothing was risked, nothing was gained…

Combine the talk around the depreciation of electric cars (especially when it comes to the practical, performance-oriented ones, actually) with a shift from sedans to SUVs and it can feel like there’s less interest in the traditional bargain. But not around these parts, especially when this is a Mercedes S-Class this good for £15,000.

With a new model recently announced, it’s inevitable that the old ones will be looked up in the advertisements. It happens to all fresh metal, but especially to those cars that start for so much money and end up for so little. You might even think that £15,000 seems quite a lot for a 20-year-old S-Class, but this isn’t just any luxury Mercedes car. It’s an S600, which means a turbocharged 5.5-liter V12, the kind of powerplant now reserved for ultra-exclusive Benzes. It won’t be in the new S-Class, let it be that way. I haven’t actually been there in a while. And it’s exactly the kind of engine that makes old sedans extremely tempting.

This isn’t a high-mile hack either. This W221 comes from one owner and has just over 90,000 kilometers on the odometer, many Mercedes stamps in history and a flawless MOT until 2027. Someone once specified this long-wheelbase S600 as an absolute champion, with travertine beige paint, Sahara beige and black nappa leather, radar cruise, a panoramic roof, the AMG wheels and more. In 2006 it was optioned up to £113,000, or almost £200,000 in today’s terms. It was one of the most luxurious cars in the world at the time and will surely still make glorious company today.

Also terribly expensive, with 19mpg consumption, but what bargain cost a pittance to exploit? Precisely. This is part of the course. It’s seemingly as well cared for as any S-Class, and there will certainly always be buyer interest in a V12 Mercedes as the engine becomes increasingly rare. For the price of some of the cheapest new electric cars around, what a fantastic tribute to whisper-quiet combustion an old S600 looks.

Engine: 5,513 cc turbocharged V12
Transfer: 5-speed automatic transmission, rear wheel drive
Power (hp): 517 at 5,000 rpm
Torque (lb⋅ft): 612 at 1,900-3,500 rpm
MPG: 19.8
CO2: 340g/km
Year registered: 2006
Registered mileage: 61,895
Price new: £113,000
Yours for: £15,995