1985 Mercedes-Benz 280SE Sedan

Mercedes-Benz launched its new S-Class in 1979 with the object of retaining the title of the "World's Best Luxury Car" for the next decade. The W126 range succeeded admirably, achieving critical acclaim the world over - including Australia, taking out Wheels Magazine's coveted "Car of the Year"award for 1981. The engineers at Stuttgart paid greater attention to aerodynamics (the W126 had a class leading 0.36 Cd) for better economy and pioneered a number of safety systems like ABS and SRS airbags, helping make the new S-Class the first production car able to meet stringent new regulations for surviving a frontal offset collision. The S-Class was commercially successful and a total of 890,000 were sold worldwide in 13 years of production. The W126 range consisted of the 280SE/SEL six-cylinder models and two V8 variants, the 380SE/SEL and 500SE/SEL. In 280 guise, the W126 was powered by the proven M110 six-cylinder engine with twin overhead camshafts and Bosch fuel injection, a motor capable of delivering ample performance without sacrificing fuel economy. Inside, the W126 range was typically well thought out and equipped with every luxury amenity available at the time, all built to the highest possible standards. Indeed, the superb build quality, combined with the relative lack of electronic gizmos, has contributed to the extraordinary number of W126s still in daily use around the world and they are now remarkably good value.