70's S-class Sedans

So what did Mercedes have to offer in 1972? They knew all about the muscle cars craze going in the US, and they had their own response.

Mercedes was selling two sizes of sedans and coupes, the smaller would evolve into the E-class, and the larger had already emerged as the S-class. Of these big S-class sedans, they had several versions: the 280S, the fuel-injected 280SE and 300SE, which came with a 2.8 liter inline six. The 280's were nice, and the 300's had air bag suspension and were nicer.

If you preferred, you could get versions with bigger engines in them. There was a 3.5 liter V8 for Europe, which also went into the the coupe and convertible, and a 4.5 litre V8 tailored for the US Market's increasingly restrictive emissions laws. The real beast of the bunch was the the top of the line 300 SEL 6.3. It hads, naturally, a 6.3 liter engine in it, lifted out of the 600 limosine, and apparently it could smoke a 'Vette, being the ultimate Teutonic wolf in sheep's clothing. This was evidenced by several prominent race car drivers of the day purchasing them as their daily drivers. The 6.3 was the Mercedes-Benz response to american muscle cars. Someday I may be insane enough to own one, expensive to maintain as they are.

These S-class sedans were the last of the hand-built Mercedes-Benz cars. After '72, they started using robots, like everybody else. Some say say that the 108-109 body sedans are the best cars that Mercedes ever made.

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