1972 Mercedes-Benz 350 SE W116

In September 1972, Mercedes-Benz premiered now no longer best a brand new era of its flagship luxurious-magnificence car however additionally a brand new call - the sedans had been now formally referred to as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The 'S' abbreviation for one of the best Mercedes-Benz fashions were in use because 1949. But now, the 'S' (now no longer to be burdened with the supercharged motors of the 1920s) had end up the badge for a whole own circle of relatives of motors. In 1993, the nomenclature changed into prolonged to encompass different motors withinside the Mercedes-Benz variety, starting with the C-Class, E-Class, and G-Class.

Long earlier than the S-Class changed into given its professional designation, however, the recognition of the Mercedes-Benz logo for supplying high-give up automobiles with an emphasis on luxurious, comfort, and protection were firmly established. The direct ancestral line of the S-Class starts withinside the post-conflict length with the Mercedes-Benz 220 (W 187, 1951 to 1954). Before the Second World War, it contains an unbroken background of numerous version collection that had been evolved in parallel and which date lower back to the origins of the Mercedes logo withinside the early twentieth century. An early and beautiful instance is the Mercedes-Simplex 60 hp released in 1903. The then top-of-the-variety version is now one of the best well-knownshows withinside the Mercedes-Benz Classic collection. The fashionable and high-priced traveling sedan from 1904 changed into as soon as the private belongings of Emil Jellinek, a key protagonist withinside the tale of the Mercedes logo.

Model collection 116 - a entire variety

The version collection 116 changed the W 108/109 collection and to begin with comprised 3 fashions - the 280 S, 280 SE, and 350 SE. The 280 S and 280 SE fashions featured the six-cylinder M one hundred ten engine with twin overhead camshafts that had made its debut withinside the W 114. An M 116 V8-engine powered the 350 SE, which six months later changed into observed with the aid of using the 450 SE with its large M 117 4.5-litre V8-engine. The 450 SEL and 350 SEL regarded in 1973 with a wheelbase lengthened with the aid of using an additional one hundred millimetres. This extra area served to boom legroom withinside the rear. The long-wheelbase model changed into released in April 1974 because the 280 SEL.

Model functions, most important innovations

One noteworthy engineering innovation first featured as general withinside the 116 collection sedans changed into the double-wishbone the front suspension with zero-offset guidance and anti-dive control, as trialled withinside the C 111 prototype. This significantly progressed how the car dealt with and accordingly represented a large enhance in energetic riding protection. The rear suspension of the fashions with the 2.8-litre and 3.5-litre engines changed into greater or much less similar to the diagonal swing arm kind that had tested its really well worth over a few years withinside the W 114/a hundred and fifteen 'Stroke Eight' fashions and which had additionally been in use withinside the 350 SL because 1971. The 4.5-litre fashions had been outfitted with a coupled-hyperlink axle - a eparticularly designed model of the diagonal swing rear axle that avoided the car rear from dipping whilst riding off and accelerating.In phrases of passive protection, too, the S-Class with its included protection idea changed into on the engineering forefront. The gas tank, for instance, changed into now no longer located withinside the rear give up however above the rear axle to shield it from collisions. In the interior, most safety changed into presented with the aid of using the closely padded device panel, yielding or recessed switches and levers, and a four-spoke protection guidance wheel with effect absorber and huge padded boss. The maximum large development over the previous collection changed into a fair more potent protection passenger mobileular with stiffened roof-body design, high-energy inflexible roof and door pillars, and bolstered doors. By controlling the deformability of the the front and rear give up, it changed into feasible to significantly enhance electricity absorption withinside the the front and rear collapse zones.

Special wind deflectors at the A-pillars assured precise visibility. In moist situations those served as channels for grimy water, preserving the aspect home windows easy in awful weather. Other protection functions blanketed wrap-round signs that had been quite seen even from the sides, and huge rear lights, whose ribbed floor profile presented extremely good resistance in opposition to dirt.

New flagship version: the 450 SEL 6.nine

In May 1975, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the 450 SEL 6.nine - the brand new flagship version withinside the collection and real successor to its superb three hundred SEL 6.3 (W 109) high-overall performance sedan. The effective 6.nine-litre V8-engine, evolved from the quite a hit 6.3-litre unit of its predecessor, completed an output of 210 kW (286 hp) and most torque of fifty six mkg (549 newton metres). The self-levelling hydropneumatic suspension - featured for the primary time in a Mercedes-Benz passenger automobile - assured the maximum in journey comfort. Other functions blanketed withinside the general specification for this top-of-the-variety version had been the imperative locking system, air-conditioning and headlight wiper system. As changed into the case with its direct predecessor, the 450 SEL 6.nine proved a direct achievement; even though it changed into greater than two times as luxurious because the 350 SE, a complete of 7380 devices had been constructed all through its four-and-a-1/2 of yr manufacturing run.

The three hundred SD: a diesel withinside the luxurious magnificence

In May 1978, the version variety of the version collection 116 changed into increased even further. As the modern addition to the own circle of relatives, the three hundred SD attracted simply as plenty interest amongst connoisseurs because the 450 SEL 6.nine had carried out 3 years earlier, notwithstanding its role at the other give up of the overall performance scale. For the primary time withinside the records of this car category, the brand new S-Class changed into powered with the aid of using a diesel engine - making it a trendsetter manner beforehand of its time. The 3.0-litre five-cylinder unit, which had proved so a hit withinside the mid-variety 240 D 3.0 (eighty hp/fifty nine kW) version, changed into given a turbocharger for its new project withinside the S-Class, growing the output to eighty five kW (a hundred and fifteen hp).

Development of this uncommon S-Class variation, to be had completely withinside the USA and Canada, changed into a reaction to the gas intake requirements that had currently been added with the aid of using the United States government. The important component right here changed into the 'Corporate Average Fuel Economy', an invention of the Carter administration, which denoted the common gas intake of all passenger automobile fashions in a manufacturer's variety. By extending the variety to encompass diesel fashions, which had been historically greater economical, it changed into feasible to carry the fleet's common gas intake beneathneath the criminal limit.

Braking and guidance: ABS - a international innovation

The ABS anti-lock braking system, an engineering innovation of importance that factors the manner beforehand, changed into presented as a global exceptional withinside the S-Class sedans (version collection 116) from autumn 1978. Developed in collaboration with Bosch, it ensured that the car could reply completely to the driver's guidance movement even in an emergency brake situation, accordingly creating a crucial contribution to energetic protection. The marketplace release of ABS changed into visible as not anything brief of sensational on the time. Today, it's far nearly universally gift throughout all segments and has been to be had even in small motors for lots years.

S-Class with unique safety

Safety of a as an alternative specific nature changed into presented with the aid of using the armoured model of the 116 version collection. The current generation had passed through upgrades primarily based totally at the revel in won all through improvement of the armoured 280 SEL 3.5 (W 108). Taking the eight-cylinder fashions as a whole - the 350 SE, 350 SEL, 450 SE, and 450 SEL - a complete of 292 devices had been constructed as armoured automobiles for shipping to a pick out institution of clients, which includes many nation establishments in Europe and overseas.

Unit income of 473,1/2 for the S-Class sedan version collection 116

The successors to the primary S-Class collection - the version collection 126 - had been unveiled in September 1979 on the International Motor Show in Frankfurt. Production of the numerous version collection 116 changed into steadily phased out among April and September 1980. Of the 473,1/2 devices constructed on this version collection, the final car to go through very last inspection on the Sindelfingen plant changed into a three hundred SD. The maximum a hit variation withinside the collection has been the 280 SE sedan (150,593 devices), in comparison with income of 4,266 devices for the 350 SEL version. The three hundred SD, made for the North American marketplace, offered a complete of 28,634 times.

The new version collection set new requirements withinside the luxurious automobile phase proper from the begin and its new call proved an immediately achievement as well - taking place to go beyond its which means in the automobile global. The S-Class designation quickly have become the closing superlative. If some thing changed into defined as 'the S-Class of its field' you knew that it changed into the quality of the quality. Another first-rate success with the aid of using Mercedes-Benz.