Entry #8: (S211) E500 Estate -

When searching for contents to post for Avantturous’ Instagram account, I came across Henry’s clean S211 E500. At the time, he was running a set of gold Work VS-XX wheels; a color that really popped against the black exterior color. Since my MKIV Jetta wagon is also running the same Black / Gold color combo, I told myself: “Great minds think alike!” I reached out to him about having his wagon featured on the Avantturous blog and he quickly agreed to the idea. He also mentioned that he would have a surprise on the day of the photoshoot / feature.

We decided to meet closer to sunset time to take advantage of the softer sunlight tone during the photoshoot. I arrived at the location early, and ten minutes later Henry pulled up in his freshly washed S211 rolling on NEW WHEELS! (The surprise that he had mentioned weeks prior). A set of “Work Equips 05” in full polished finish, paired with red center caps really spice up the exterior looks. A front bumper from E63 AMG was also added to complete this wagon!

While taking some photos, we started chatting and get to know more about him and the wagon. We also discussed about his future plan(s) for it. All I can say is BIG Things are coming for both Henry personally and the wagon!

Let’s get to it!

Introduce Yourself: (brief info that include your name, which country / state you live in, and may possibly include your work field / industry that you are in)

Name’s Henry, born and raised in SoCal but now reside in Arizona. I do marketing for an automotive company and remotely manage Benztec – Mercedes specialty shop in Bellflower, CA.

WHY A WAGON?

Share your unique story behind your WAGON ownership

Wagons have a special place in my heart for its unique look and practicality. You don’t see them on the streets often. After driving the Benztec s211 E350 loaner, I fell in love. There’s so much room for activities and we even fit a 41” toolbox in it! I decided to start putting myself in a better financial position, so I sold my beastly w212 E63 (M156 V8 N/A with headers, tuned by Benzworks, sponsored by Falken, on custom gloss black BBS CH-R). I took that money, paid off some debt, and my buddy Ho found me this decent E500 wagon and after spending more than what it’s worth on repairs, it’s now running and looking much better (after going through 4 sets of wheels).

Did you consider a different WAGON instead of this one?

I thought about an older Subaru Outback GT but the reliability of that boosted flat-4 haunts me. When I can afford a w212 facelift e63 wagon, that’ll be my next unless Subaru decides to start selling the Levorg in the states.

What was your original objective with your car and has that objective changed?

Originally it was to mod the car and “break some necks” as the car guys say, but now it’s to inspire others to be different and not care what society thinks. If you want to put TE37s on your basic family sedan, do it. Some might say it’s wrong to put JDM wheels on a Euro but if you want to, do it. Do you, boo.

What style would you say best describes your car?

I’d say a bit of stance with a touch of VIP.

Who assisted in the planning/building/modding of your car?

First and foremost, Ho for finding me the wagon, my team at Benztec that has helped me with build (Michael, Proctor, Matt, Chetra, Dara, and the other Mike aka M3OAgency), Frank and Pat at 5 Stars Automotive, Kuo, Binh, Jay, and the whole team at SSA Haus, Brian at Infinite Auto Design, good friend TJ for my tire needs, Paulo aka Roost_Lyf for his love and inspiration of his wagon, and lastly my girlfriend Crystal for her support with this wagon journey.

What do you feel makes your car unique / special in your eyes?

I might currently be the only s211 on Work Equips 05s!

What is your favorite part/feature/function of the car?

3rd row seats aka my mobile office that also folds completely flat so I can load up the car with my Costco haul.

If you could pick one thing you aren’t satisfied with about your car, what would it be?

Airmatic system as it is not cheap to fix, and functionality is limited compared to an Air Lift system.

What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve faced while building this car?

Figuring out why my main battery died and why my instrument cluster wouldn’t turn on! Took me hours of research to figure out that my old battery was bad and on my first start up with a new battery, the cluster worked but on the second start up, cluster was bad and had to be replaced too.

What one word best describes your car?