Five decades ago, the new W116 S-Class saloon raised the cult of Mercedes-Benz ownership into F something akin to a religious order, reaffirming Stuttgart's pre-eminence in the realm of large saloons. There were faster saloons, quieter saloons, and prettier saloons, but even those who struggled with the cold rationalism that underpinned this design found it difficult to fault. Like it or not, there was no other four-door luxury car available in the 1970s that was so complete and so painstakingly engineered.
Launched at the Frankfurt show in 1972 as the 280S, 280SE and 350SE, its sales would pass 470,000 units by the end of production in 1980. By then the W116 series was a nine-model family comprising carburetted and injected twin-cam straight-sixes, three flavours of single-cam-per-bank V8 and a five-cylinder turbodiesel (the latter for the USA only).
Work on the 1972 S-Class had begun in the mid-'60s, with the styling 'frozen' in 1969. It was 2in longer and wider than the outgoing W108 saloons, but sat an inch lower. With its trademark double bumpers, rain-dispersing windscreen trims and large, dirt-resistant tail-lights, the shape had evolved under the guidance of the quietly masterful - and soon to retire - Friedrich Geiger.
It had a 5in-longer wheelbase than before, with the fuel tank behind the rear seats - rather than in the boot floor - for crash-resistance. A more steeply raked windscreen and extensive safety engineering meant it was no roomier inside than the W108/109; tycoons looking to stretch out in the rear seats would have to wait until the introduction of the 450SEL of 1973, with its 4in wheelbase stretch. The longer V116 shell was eventually made available with almost all of the engine options in the car's home market and in much of mainland Europe but the British importer elected to keep the Lang exclusive to the 450.
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Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A Breath of Fresh Air- Alfa Romeo's exotic, V8-powered Montreal was like nothing the marque had made before, but can it compare with a Porsche masterpiece, the 911S 2.4?
The stereotype of the ItaloGermanic automotive rivalry is that the Latin car will be brilliant to drive, but poorly built and ergonomically flawed, while the Teutonic will be the opposite. Yet these 2+2 sports coupés both ran against orthodoxy. In the Montreal, Alfa Romeo created an outlandish-looking two-door more comfortable, more powerful and more refined than anything it had produced for decades. Meanwhile, Porsche continued to refine its back-to-front, austere and increasingly aged 911. Neither took a traditional development path, but both created thrilling and individual cars that have echoed through the decades.
Daring to be diminutive
AMC's Gremlin and Pacer, and Ford's much-derided Pinto, led America's response to the threat of imported European compacts
THE LONG WAY ROUND
There is a great tradition of overland trips by Land-Rover, but the tale of this 70s Aussie epic and the car itself was discovered by chance
Handsome cab
The Phantom V limousine marked the beginning of the end for coachbuilder James Young, but this Rolls-Royce represents the craft at its very best
DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
Racing for their own F1 teams brought some drivers success and an enduring legacy. For others, it turned into a nightmare
20 30 LITRES CYLINDERS, 400BHP......AND MORE THAN A CENTURY OLD
Thunderous torque, flame-spitting stub-exhausts, white-knuckle thrills - and hopefully no spills - aboard a trio of Edwardian racing titans
ICON.
The three top-selling vehicles in the USA in 2023 were pick-ups, topped by the Ford F-Series. This is the truck that started it all
Blurred Lines
lan 'Del' Lines blended the V8 burble of Triumph's open GT with real practicality in his Stag V8 saloons and estates
Home of the brave
The innovative Silverstone proved a hit with keen amateur drivers. To mark its 75th, Healey's club racer returns to the circuit for which it is named
PLAYING ALL THE ANGLES
Alfa Romeo's wild RZ eschewed the jellymould styling of the period to offer a striking, wedge-shaped take on open-topped performance motoring