Mercedes-Benz W126 (1979 – present)

Background

The Mercedes-Benz W126 is a series of passenger cars made by Daimler-Benz AG. It was marketed as the second generation of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and manufactured in sedan/saloon (1979–1991) as well as coupé (1981–1990) models, succeeding the company's W116 range. Mercedes-Benz introduced the 2-door C126 coupé model, marketed as the SEC, in September 1981. This generation was the first S-Class to have separate chassis codes for standard and long wheelbases and for coupé (C126).

Text adapted from “Mercedes-Benz W126” on Wikipedia ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ · retrieved 2026-07

Specification

Produced: 892,123 units
Engine: 2.6-3.0L inline-6 petrol, 3.8-5.6L V8 petrol, 3.0L inline-5 diesel, 3.0/3.5L inline-6 diesel (turbo on later variants)
Power: 295 hp
Weight: 1,600 kg

Notes

Second-generation S-Class (plus C126 coupe), the longest-running S-Class generation (Dec 1979-Oct 1991), built at Sindelfingen with additional assembly in Malaysia and South Africa. 818,063 sedans and 74,060 coupes produced. Defined the 1980s luxury-sedan benchmark worldwide.

Production years

1979

Sources

Wikipedia ↗Wikidata ↗ WIKIDATA · LIMITED_EDITION_RESEARCH confidence: high

Research sources (1)