Mercedes-Benz 280S/Mercedes-Benz 280SE/Mercedes-Benz 280SEL/Mercedes-Benz 300SD/Mercedes-Benz 350SE/Mercedes-Benz 350SEL/Mercedes-Benz 450SE/Mercedes-Benz 450SEL. 1972–80 (prod. 473,035, incl. 6,9). 4-door saloon, 4-door LWB saloon. F/R, 3005 cm³ diesel (I5 OHC), 2746 cm³ (I6 DOHC), 3499, 4520 cm³ (V8 OHC). Large Mercedes-Benz saloon, second only to the 600 in the company’s line-up. Very well built, autobahn-fast and luxurious; helped Mercedes-Benz further its reputation for large cars. Safety features contributed to outward bulk; interior room not that different from W108 predecessor. First of the ‘S’ class (Sonderklasse), denoting its full-size range. Most petrol models fuel-injected with exception of 280S. Diesel model (300SD) for export to US and Canada from 1978. Formed the basis of 450SEL 6,9, covered separately.

Manufacturing location: Sindelfingen, Germany

Marque: Mercedes-Benz | Model: Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse | Predecessor: Mercedes-Benz W108 | Successor: Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse (W126)

Off-site links

• W116.org