A Mercedes E420 modified by the American tuner Renntech in Florida and christened Renntech E60 RS, borrowed to the famous comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who would have driven it about 10,000 miles (16,093 km), has returned to the USA under the “Show and Display” law. It now has 18,000 miles on board and its story is fascinating.
Photo: capture VINwiki youtube channel
The story began in 1997 when a Mercedes E420 W210 was modified by AMG and US tuner Renntech in Florida. The Mercedes E420 was powered by a 4.2-liter V8 engine developing 279 PS (275 HP) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft). It reached a top speed of 250 kph (155 mph) and accelerated from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 7 seconds.
Mercedes cooperated with AMG, which at the time was an independent company, and the US tuner Renntech founded by Hartmut Feyhl, former head of AMG North America.
6.0 liter modified V8 with 440 PS
The modifications were extensive and cost $115,000 while the new car was priced at $55,000. The 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine was replaced with a 6.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine that develops 426 PS (420 HP) and 640 Nm (472 lb-ft). The 6.0-liter V8 engine has been tuned by Renntech who fitted a full stainless steel exhaust and a high-volume carbon fiber air intake. This further improved performance to 440 PS (434 HP) and 712 Nm (525 lb-ft).
In order to cope with the 80% increased torque and transmit it efficiently on the road, a modified 5-speed gearbox with limited slip differential was fitted. Larger brake disks were also fitted inside the 18-inch magnesium monoblock wheels.
Even more exlusive: Wide body
Major modifications were also made to the bodywork. To make room for the larger and wider wheels, the Renntech E60 RS features hand-crafted steel wide-body fenders. The Renntech body kit gives it a more aggressive road presence. Ground clearance has been reduced, thicker anti-roll bars have been fitted and the rear subframe has been resized.
The interior features a new Renntech instrument cluster in white with a graduated speedometer up to 200 mph (322 kph), a Renntech sport steering wheel, blueberry leather upholstery, and maple veneer inserts.
But why is this Renntech E60 RS so special? According to Renntech, only 60 E420 examples were converted to the E60 and only a handful of them were wide-body. Of those even fewer were RS versions. But only one was driven by the famous comedian Jerry Seinfeld and this is certified by the plaque on the car, J.S. Edition.
Jerry Seinfeld, who in those years earned $1 million a week, was a big Porsche fan. Apparently, Mercedes lent the car to Jerry Seinfeld who would have driven it about 10,000 miles (16,093 miles). During that time Seinfeld filmed some commercials for the C-Class W202 and the ML SUV.
Street legal under “Show and Display” rule
However, after modifications, the Renntech E60 RS no longer met US pollution standards. There’s also a story that we don’t know how true, which is that someone from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) saw Seinfeld driving and made a report.
So Seinfeld returned the car to Mercedes who kept it at the Mercedes Classic Center division, a subsidiary of MBUSA. The car can still not be legally driven on the street but since now it is more than 30 years old, it can be registered under the “Show and Display” rule.
This rule allows historic vehicles to be registered to drive legally on the road but only a limited number of kilometers per year of 2,500 miles (4,023 km). This explains why the car has so few miles on board, only 18,000 miles (28,968 km) of which 10,000 miles (16,093 km) were apparently traveled by Seinfeld. The car was present at the 2025 Moda Classic, which took place in Coral Gables, Florida.
