Stylish, solid, fast, refined, safe and practical, the first Mercedes-Benz S-Class was a true giant of the luxury genre
WORDS MARTIN BUCKLEY PHOTOGRAPHY LUC LACEY
Five decades ago, the new W116 S-Class saloon raised the cult of Mercedes-Benz ownership into something akin to a religious order, reaffirming Stuttgartʼs 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-ʼ60s, with the styling ʻfrozenʼ 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 carʼs home market – and in much of mainland Europe – but the British importer elected to keep the Lang exclusive to the 450.
Thanks to improved roll-over and side-impact protection, the new S-Class was a stronger but necessarily heavier car than the old model, by 225lb. With its more rigid roof frame, pillars and reinforced doors, it not only exceeded the existing safety requirements but also any known pending legislation. In 1978 the 116 would become the first Mercedes to be offered with anti-lock brakes, too.
Thoughtful details such as fully integrated front and rear seatbelts, a first-aid kit on the rear shelf and a warning triangle on the inside of the bootlid helped promote the
