| Manufacturer | Daimler-Benz (1991–1998) DaimlerChrysler (1998–1999) |
|---|---|
| Production | 1991–1999 432,732 built[1] Saloon: 406,710 Coupé: 26,022 |
| Assembly | Stuttgart, Germany |
| Predecessor | Mercedes-Benz W126 |
| Successor | Mercedes-Benz W220 Mercedes-Benz C215 |
| Class | Full-size Luxury car |
| Body style | 2-door coupé 4-door sedan |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Engine | I6
V8
V12
|
| Transmission | 4-speed 4G-TRONIC automatic 5-speed 5G-TRONIC automatic 5-speed manual |
| Wheelbase | Sedan
|
| Length | Sedan
|
| Width | Sedan
|
| Height | Sedan
|
| Curb weight | Sedan
|
The Mercedes-Benz W140 was a series of flagship vehicles manufactured by the German automotive company Mercedes-Benz. The car premiered at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1991, with the first examples rolling off the production line on August 6, 1991. Short (SE) and long (SEL) wheelbase sedans were offered initially, as well as the coupé (SEC) body style from October 1992. Like all Mercedes-Benz lines, the W140 S-Class was rationalized in late 1993 using the new "letter-first" nomenclature. The SE/SEL/SEC cars were renamed the S-Class, with alphanumerical designations inverted. For example, the 500 SE became the S 500, and the 500 SEL became the S 500 L. In 1997 the coupé models following a mid-life update were separated into the CL-class. The W140 series S-Class was superseded by the W220 S-Class in 1999 after an eight year production run, the coupé by the C215 CL-Class for model year 2000.
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As with its predecessor, the W140 was the first of the "next generation" of Mercedes-Benz models to feature the company's new design theme. The car is famous for being the model in which Princess Diana died following a car crash due to her driver being believed to be under effects of antidepressants and due to her not wearing a seat belt.
Development on the W140 began in 1981, originally set for an autumn 1989 release. From 1982 to 1986 several designs were reviewed, until December 1986 when a principal design was approved. Several prototypes were tested onwards from early 1987 and the final production exterior design was approved in February 1988. A delay was made to accommodate a V12 engine and resulted in the final prototype being completed in June 1990. Pilot production models were made from July 1990 to January 1991. In 1991, to compete with the Lexus LS 400, a series of additional features were rushed for the launch of the W140.[2] The W140 introduced innovations such as double-pane window glazing, power-assisted closing for doors and boot lid, electric windows which lowered back down upon encountering an obstruction, rear-parking markers which rose from the rear wings (discontinued on later vehicles, and replaced with sonar-assisted parking) and a heating system which, if desired, continued to emit warm air after the engine was turned off. For details like this, the W140 is often known as the last Mercedes to be "overengineered," a Mercedes trait that was costing the company in product delays and overbudgeting. According to Motor Trend, this action reportedly caused project cost overruns and resulted in the departure of Wolfgang Peter, Daimler-Benz's chief engineer.[2] The vehicle is believed to have cost Mercedes-Benz over $1 billion to develop. For the consumer, the W140 cost a considerable 25 percent more than its predecessor, the W126.
The W140 was to feature air-suspension as an option, but it was dropped shortly before launch because Mercedes was still perfecting the technology at the time. Mercedes chose to launch air-suspension in the next generation S-Class in 1999. The W140 instead used a hydropneumatic rear suspension, first introduced on the W126 to be used on the S500 and S600 models. Following the mid-year facelift in 1994, Mercedes-Benz made Electronic Stability Control an optional fixture to both sedan and coupé body styles in the W140 range. Both the sedan and coupé body styles were equipped with Acceleration Slip Regulation (ASR) as a standard feature.
Like its predecessor, the car was available in two wheelbase lengths (short W140 and long V140) along with the C140 coupé. In 1992, a new 6 litre 402 horsepower V12 engine joined the lineup for the first time with the 600SEL and 600SEC. A "V12" badge was affixed to the C-pillar.
In 1993, the 402 horsepower V12 engine was slightly detuned to 389 horsepower to comply with tighter emission control regulations in the United States and Europe. The V8 models were tuned down from 322 horsepower to 315 horsepower.
The W140 600SEL was available with wooden rear ash tray covers, wood/leather shift knob, leather dashboard and a suede headliner, unlike the V8 and inline 6-cylinder models. Following the facelift in 1994, the rebadged S600 was updated with a wood/leather steering wheel, a V12 badge on the wood/leather shifter, double needle stitching all over the interior and two tone nappa leather seating – further distinctions from its lower rung siblings.
Following the new Mercedes-Benz tradition of mid-life facelifts (starting with the W126 in 1986), the W140 received a minor facelift in 1994. The clear turn signal indicator lenses on the front were the most obvious change, as was the grille including a new and distinctive one for S600's. Headlamps were fitted with separate low H7, H1 fog, and high H1 beam reflectors in 1995, pre 1995 used an H4 bulb and H3 for the fog lamp. In April 1995, "Parktronic" replaced the parking guiders on the rear boot lid. In June 1996, the two tone exterior bumpers were painted to match the upper portions of the vehicles and the rear indicator lenses became clear.
Height of the W140 production models varied between years (1992-94 W140 Sedan: 58.7 in; 1992-94 V140 Sedan: 58.9 in; 1995-96 W140 Sedan: 58.4 in; 1997-99 V140 Sedan: 58.3 in; C140 Coupe: 56.7 in; 1997-99 W140 Sedan: 58.5 in).
| Body style | Chassis code | (Cal.) Years | Model | Engine | Notes | No. Built[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sedan | W140.135/W140.134 | 1996–1998 | S300‡ | 3.0 LOM606 I6 | Turbo-Diesel | 7,583 |
| 1991–1996 | 300SD/S350‡ | 3.5 L OM603 I6 | Turbo-Diesel | 20,518 | ||
| W140.028 | 1993–1998 | 300SE 2.8/S280‡ | 2.8 L M104 I6 | 22,784 | ||
| W140.032 | 1991–1993 | 300SE | 3.2 L M104 I6 | 183,441 | ||
| 1991–1993 | 300SEL | |||||
| 1993–1999 | S320 | |||||
| W140.042 | 1991–1993 | 400SE | 4.2 L M119 V8 | 49,468 | ||
| W140.043 | 1991–1993 | 400SEL | 4.2 L M119 V8 | |||
| 1993–1998 | S420 | |||||
| W140.051 | 1991–1993 | 500SEL | 5.0 L M119 V8 | 87,006 | ||
| 1993–1999 | S500 | |||||
| W140.057 | 1992–1993 | 600SEL | 6.0 L M120 V12 | 35,910 | ||
| 1993–1999 | S600 | |||||
| coupé | W140.063 | 1994–1998 | S420/CL420 | 4.2 L M119 V8 | 2,496 | |
| W140.070 | 1992–1993 | 500SEC | 5.0 L M119 V8 | 14,953 | ||
| 1993–1999 | S500/CL500 | |||||
| W140.076 | 1992–1993 | 600SEC | 6.0 L M120 V12 | 8,573 | ||
| 1993–1999 | S600/CL600 | |||||
| ‡ Note: swb only (119.7 in), SEL and all other sedan models also lwb (123.6 in) | ||||||
The W140 S-Class introduced several safety innovations which have since become commonplace among many vehicles.[3]
Some innovations for the W140 included:
| Engine | Cyl. | Power | Torque |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.8 24V | I6 | 193 PS (142 kW; 190 hp) | 270 N·m (199 lb·ft) |
| 3.2 24V | I6 | 231 PS (170 kW; 228 hp) | 310 N·m (229 lb·ft) |
| 3.2 24V | I6 | 231 PS (170 kW; 228 hp) | 315 N·m (232 lb·ft) |
| 4.2 32V | V8 | 279 PS (205 kW; 275 hp) | 400 N·m (295 lb·ft) |
| 4.2 32V | V8 | 286 PS (210 kW; 282 hp) | 410 N·m (302 lb·ft) |
| 5.0 32V | V8 | 320 PS (235 kW; 316 hp) | 470 N·m (347 lb·ft) |
| 5.0 32V | V8 | 326 PS (240 kW; 322 hp) | 480 N·m (354 lb·ft) |
| 6.0 48V | V12 | 394 PS (290 kW; 389 hp) | 570 N·m (420 lb·ft) |
| 6.0 48V | V12 | 408 PS (300 kW; 402 hp) | 580 N·m (428 lb·ft) |
| 3.0 24V TD | I6 | 177 PS (130 kW; 175 hp) | 330 N·m (243 lb·ft) |
| 3.5 12V TD | I6 | 150 PS (110 kW; 148 hp) | 310 N·m (229 lb·ft) |
Article citations
Model history
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