There was a listing for another W140-chassis Mercedes-Benz CL600 on craigslist I had intended to write up (thanks to Barn Finds reader Rocco B. for the tip). As predicted, the listing disappeared – and I believe that’s because this is one of the more collectible Mercedes models out there at the moment that has yet to explode in value. However, my prediction is that within a few years, decent examples will be fetching more than $20,000, so lay your eyes on this 1996 Mercedes-Benz CL600 V12 listed here on eBay.

The car we intended to feature was very similar with one big distinction: this is a European-market example, which came with bumpers that sit closer to the body and turn signals mounted in the fenders. There might be a slight performance boost as well due to less restrictive emissions equipment, but that may have been less of a factor in late-model imports. In this photo, you see one of my favorite features of a big body Mercedes coupe: the pillarless design with no B-pillar present. Put the windows down and you can see clearly from side to side. The seller’s car comes with a set of color-matched factory wheels, which look slick against the black paint.

Even better than the striking exterior is the stunning cabin. Acres of leather and real wood trim, deeply bolstered bucket seats, and two buckets in the rear for a backseat. The seller’s car has over 100,000 miles but looks like it has about half that. Now, one of the reasons these W140s became cheap and disposable over the years is because these are complex machines, loaded with high-end features, and once they begin to fail, the 2nd- and 3rd-string owners start ignoring the car. The seller is correct to point out that the fact all of those high-end features still work – refrigerated compartment, soft-close doors and trunk lid, back-up sensors – is a clear sign that this CL600 was maintained.

The development costs of this top-shelf model were enormous, reportedly clocking in at $1 billion. The 6-litre V12 was pure excess, and actually may have caused sales to suffer as consumers started to pay more attention to their environmental footprint – but with close to 400 horsepower, it made the CL600 one of the fastest production 4-seaters of the day. Production of the coupe was fairly limited for a mass production offering, and that has contributed to its relative rarity today. This CL600 looks like an absolutely  stunning example and will likely be a $25,000 car before too long. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Rocco B. for the find.