Johnny Carson’s Old Mercedes-Benz 560SEC Is Up for Grabs
Here’s Johnny’s daily driver!
A 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC that belonged to the king of late night himself, Johnny Carson, is currently up for bid on Bring a Trailer. The white coupe didn’t just pass through the comedian’s collection, either. Instead, he hung onto it for well over a decade.
Carson bought this car brand new from Mercedes-Benz of Beverly Hills near the tail end of his award-winning, 30-year-run as host of NBC’s The Tonight Show. His choice of model shows that the comedian had as sharp an eye for automobiles as he did for punchlines. The SEC was the two-door, four-seat version of the second-generation S-Class saloon, which had been introduced in 1981. He certainly seems to have liked the car, keeping it as part of his personal collection until 2003.
Johnny Carson’s 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC
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This 560SEC left the factory in a coat of Arctic White. The stark finish is broken up only by the vehicle’s chrome trim and a set of 15-inch Gullideckel alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Defender tires. The interior is the inverse of the exterior and is upholstered in dark Anthracite leather, broken up by glossy wood inserts on the dashboard, center console, and door inserts. The cabin comes equipped with heated and power-adjustable seats, a climate control system that was renewed in 2023, and a Becker cassette stereo.
A 5.5-liter M117 V-8 can be found under the hood. The brawny mill is connected to a four-speed automatic and is factory rated for 238 hp and 287 ft lbs of torque, according to the auction listing. Carson’s coupe has 87,000 miles on it but appears to have been well taken care of over the years. The car was featured in the January-February 2022 issue of Mercedes-Benz Club of America’s magazine, The Star.
Inside Carson’s 1988 560SEC
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It’s also really been on the move over the last year. Carson’s 560SEC sold last June on Bring a Trailer for $36,750, and then again this past weekend at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale 2025 sale for an undisclosed sum, according to Autoblog. Here’s hoping its next owner spends a little more time with the car. As of press time, bidding for the Merc had reached $16,500, a figure that’s sure to climb over the auction’s final two days.
Click here for more photos of Johnny Carson’s old 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC.
