Your excellent description reminds me of the AutoWeek article that I mentioned in another thread.

The May 13, 1996 article on the E50 (an E55 predecessor) says: "However, when it comes to the US, it will fall short of the 500E in the category of lacking an edge. The 500E was something special, a brutish, beastly Mercedes-Porsche, perhaps the ultimate tuner sedan. Maybe it was the influence of Mercedes' cross-town partner. Porsche didn't just assemble the car. It breathed in life, and there was a thrilling wildness, an edge to the car, just as there was to a 911 Turbo of the same generation."

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'94 E500 Anthracite
'92 300E 4Matic (donated to charity)
'90 300TE 4Matic