Brabus Built a Sleeper Mercedes Wagon So Rare Most Americans Have Never Seen One

Key Points

• Brabus modified the early 1990s Mercedes W124 300TE wagon for increased performance and looks.
• It comes with $30,000 worth of mechanical overhaul.
• The car was imported from Japan, overhauled in the UK, and rarely driven since 2015, it has almost 85,000 miles.

Early Brabus

Nowadays, we all know Brabus as one of the go-to tuning firms outside Mercedes-Benz. We’ve all seen its numerous creations over the years, of very high-performance, yet visually striking, takes on Mercs.

Back in the 1990s, though, Brabus was still carving out a name for itself in the industry, content to experiment and fiddle under the radar. One of its builds of the time has just reached the auction block – and it’s as rare as they come.mercedes-benz e class brabus w124

W124 Wagon Brabus

In the early ’90s, Brabus unleashed a tune for the rather humble W124 300TE wagon. It featured many very interesting upgrades and custom parts that weren’t all for show, but were also performance-oriented in true Brabus style. Simply put, when AMG builds aren’t enough, Brabus fills the gap.

Let’s start with the performance, the 300TE comes equipped with a 3.0-liter 24-valve straight-six (M104) engine, but the Brabus team felt it could be more; it was stroked out to 3.6 liters, and power was bumped from 220 hp to 280 hp. The transmission is a standard 4-speed automatic, but it comes with a limited-slip differential for improved drivability. When it comes to handling, this car comes with Bilstein shocks and Brabus springs.

Aesthetically, this car has a full Brabus body kit, which actually blends really well with the original W124; it doesn’t ruin that Sacco iconic design; it merely adds more presence. Its rims are a very familiar Brabus Monoblock V design, center-capped with the famous “B” logo.

Inside, there is some noticeable wear on the Buffalo Brown Leather seats, but no visible cracks or damage, a certain patina, if you will. There are also Brabus touches added to the steering wheel, instrument cluster, floormats, and the very cool (but sadly non-functioning) Brabus Tempamatic system. Tempamatic was a short-lived feature that displayed the oil and outside temperature.

An Import from Japan

Of note, the car itself was imported from Japan to the UK in 2015. The Brabus tuning was done during its time in the UK – a staggering £22,000 (or $30,000 in today’s money) worth of mechanical overhaul. The seller also claims this W124 Brabus has traveled only about 500 miles after importation, adding very little to the listed 84,953 overall mileage.

As far as we know, fewer than 30 AMG-tuned versions of the Mercedes W124 wagon were ever built. This Brabus-tuned version was even rarer.

The listing can already be viewed on Pistonheads, but the auction is set to begin on February 1, 2026, with no expected price yet. However, back in August last year, a 1991 model of the same car sold for $57,555, and with W124 prices on a steady incline, something as rare as this might go for a little more.