Mercedes-Benz S600 (W140) | PH Heroes
35 years ago the first V12 S-Class was Mercedes' pinnacle - what's it like today?
There are two schools of thought when it comes to the W140 S-Class retrospective. The first is that it was something of a failure for Mercedes-Benz, costing the business far too much time and money as the development (and obsessiveness) spiralled. Lexus, from nowhere, created a genuine competitor much more efficiently; so spooked were Mercedes by the LS400 that the launch of the W140 was delayed so that more kit could be crammed in.
Then, by the time of its early 1990s launch, cars as excessive as a two-tonne S-Class had fallen out of favour as the world reeled from an economic downturn. Such conspicuous exhibitions of wealth weren’t cool anymore. XJ220 customers wanted out, most famously, and it’s equally easy to believe that a £120,000 V12 Mercedes saloon - more than a quarter of a million these days - would have struggled. A situation out of the control of the team and its car, undoubtedly, though another factor that will help a less favourable reputation. Add to all that a Bruno Sacco design that wasn’t as crisp as some others (apparently the roof had to be raised during development as some Mercedes execs banged their heads getting in, making it look a tad top heavy) and the case for the prosecution looks strong.
But the defence has plenty to offer, of course. The W140 took a long time to come to market because engineers were determined to create the very best saloon in the world, back when Mercedes really was the automotive pinnacle. Cars like this, the R129 SL and W124 are the last ‘proper’ Benzes, so folk like to say, where excellence was expected and the engineers were in control of development. However long it took. The S-Class was the car every other luxury maker wanted to beat, and despite some problems that was definitely true for the W140. Look at how the market changed from its launch to the (much less loved) W220 replacement: Audi launched its first A8 and BMW launched the most stylish 7 Series ever. Everybody strived to have the impact of the W140.
Its significance in terms of technology really can’t be understated. While today’s features can feel like fripperies, this S-Class ushered in properly meaningful equipment that’s commonplace today. As early as 1995, for example, ESP was becoming standard fit. That’s in addition to auto wipers (with heated washers), xenon lights, parking sensors, adaptive damping, voice control, sat-nav… while the S-Class wasn’t necessarily the first car with all of these, it was one of the earliest. Look how old fashioned a W126 looks compared to this, and how much less innovative a W220 seems, for the seismic leap made by the W140. It wasn’t so much dial up to broadband as telegram to iPhone, in one generation. And it all probably appeared unnecessary 30-odd years ago, so maybe there’s hope for appreciation of the current S-Class’s assisted driving tech in time…
The most important development for the W140 as far as PH is concerned, however, is the V12 engine. This S-Class was never meant to have one, because a 5.0-litre V8 was (probably correctly) deemed sufficient; but then BMW said the E32 7 Series would have a V12, and this was the late 1980s - the S-Class had to have a V12 as well. So the 48-valve M120 was born, and with it one of the great V12 dynasties: as well as making for the first 12-cylinder Mercedes saloon, there were equivalent SLs and CLs, plus the incredible evolution into the CLK GTR Le Mans engine and the Pagani Zonda. Attempting to outdo BMW really, really escalated.
For the S-Class, it meant the resurrection of the much-loved 600 name (famous from the old Grossers), one that would stick around once more for many decades. It didn’t matter that later V12s would be turbo units of less than 6.0-litres, ‘600’ denoted the ultimate Mercedes saloon experience - so that’s the badge they got. The first W140s with the V12 were badged 600SEL, before a 1993 refresh throughout Mercedes that put the class ahead of the engine designation.
This SEL is from the Mercedes-Benz Museum, and is as glorious as you might expect as a result. Panel gaps and paint are perfect, the impression more of a freshly built continuation than a 35-year-old exhibit. It’s still a curious looking thing though, the W140, somehow very large and yet unassuming at the same time. Those tiny - just 16-inch - wheels make the tracks seem narrow, so like a burly bouncer with tiny feet it never quite stands confidently. On the other hand, it isn’t half nice to see a Mercedes saloon from a pre-merger time, when not everything had to have AMG influence.
While familiar as a Mercedes of the era, it’s easy to see where some contemporary criticism of the W140 design may have come from. It’s like a relaxed fit W124, where the size has increased but some crispness and definition has been lost with it. Seldom has so much car, powered by so much engine, seemed so modest - diffident, almost.
The interior arguably reflects Merc’s confidence more accurately. While undoubtedly similar to the smaller Benzes of the era (shared elements and themes certainly isn’t a new phenomenon), there’s a feeling that only the very best of everything passed muster. With a stereo update it would be a pleasure to sit here everyday. And how cool does cloth now look? The veneers could have come from a royal household, the switches are solid, and everything - from rear blind to heated seats - works flawlessly. So beautifully assembled is a W140 that it feels like this is genesis for all the car cliches we now know. The doors do shut like a bank vault, the dash may well have been hewn from solid granite, the door locks clack like rifle bolts and so on.
Just one more: the V12 really does idle like a sewing machine. It’s a whisper quiet, eerily calm tick, a world away from its later, wilder installations and the perfect fit for opulence on four wheels. The SEL almost needs a ‘ready’ light, like an EV, to know that it’s on and ready to rock. It really is that silent.
There is something of the electric car in the initial powertrain feel of the V12, and that’s meant entirely as a compliment. There’s immediate torque, immense smoothness and the sense of plenty being kept in reserve. The four-speed auto inevitably dates the experience somewhat, though the shifts are smoother than you might expect, and with so few ratios it’s not interrupting all that often.
Locked in a gear gives you a hint at the V12’s potential that would later be unlocked. In place of V8 thunder is a cultured growl, a dozen cylinders rasping through their revs with the energy of a smaller six. All while retaining the sort of silky smoothness (the cliches are hard to stop once you’ve started) that this configuration is legendary for. The sensible money always went on V8 S-Classes, typically offering comparable performance for less money (with the muscle car soundscape), but the majesty of 12 really is unrivalled. The torque, the serenity and the feel are like nothing else.
The overall driving experience is equally as imperious. There seems to be nothing that a 1991 S-Class isn’t capable of, from corner carving to consummate cruising. There’s some wallow, of course, as you caress it from bend to bend, this hailing from a time before Active Body Control - though the 600 never really seems flustered by anything asked of it. Like the most dutiful servant, the task is done and no fuss is made. As a driver you become confident because this old car is still so capable, even if inevitably - appropriately, you might say - the controls are all a tad mute.
The ride, of course, is sensational, those huge rubber rings around the wheel (235/60 R16 all round) introducing a pillowy squidge to proceedings that nothing modern could match. Combined with the refinement of the shell, double glazed windows and all, it makes for sumptuous progress in an S-Class. No distractions, no gimmicks, no modes (apart from the damper switch), just the most peace possible on four wheels. It’s epic.
The fact that Maybachs continue to this day shows what an inspired bit of thinking (or oneupmanship, rather) making a V12 S-Class was. Mercedes’ four-door flagship really deserves nothing less than the most aristocratic of configurations. As the ‘124 was a couple of years ago, the W140 is a fabulous reminder of Mercedes at its very best, usefully more modern - and capable - than what preceded it as well as crafted with the kind of care that eluded replacements. Because so much money had been spent on this era…
Perhaps thanks to the design, the W140 hasn’t yet appreciated like the smaller W124 and W201. There are six-cylinder cars still around for £3k. Even those are rarer than ever, the formidable running costs often winning out when S-Classes were worth buttons and many discarded. A V12 anything will be expensive, let alone a V12 crammed with what was new technology at the time. Nevertheless, as probably the foundation of the modern S-Class, the W140 remains hugely significant. And with that V12 under the bonnet, hugely likeable as well.
SPECIFICATION | MERCEDES-BENZ S600 (W140)
Engine: 5,987cc V12
Transmission: 4-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 408@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 427@3,800rpm
0-62mph: 6.0 sec
Top speed: 155mph
MPG: 18
Weight: 2,190kg
On sale: 1991-1993 (then S600)
Price new: c. £120,000
Price now: £10,000+
Ye Gods! I often got to drive it and yes it was “ hewn of granite.
What a machine. The epitome of best in class without a doubt.
His S500 was the car I once drove from Essex to Hull and back in a day. It was later stolen and (presumably) packed into a crate and shipped off to Africa.
The insurance paid out unexpectedly well, so he replaced it after his next trip with a 600, like the one featured. The battery went flat which, due to its location in the boot, prevented anything meaningful in the way of access. I eventually worked out the emergency key in the fob and the fact that the power cables from the battery fed up to a point under the passenger's footwell (it was LHD). Upon removing the floor you can connect a jump pack and release the central locking. It had navigation pylons that rose from the rear wings when you engaged reverse.
Once that was sold he replaced it with another 600, but this one had been AMG-ed and was bored-out to 7.0 litres and somewhere far north of 400bhp. It ran on elastic band profile tyres and was lethal in the wet when I drove it, but never seemed to be functioning on all 12 of its coil packs at the same time.
So in a bizarre way I have experienced 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0 litre W140s. The 500 was the best.
Also think a W140 doesn't look great on those eight0hole alloys. Spotted this the other day. Theses are surely the wheels a W140 deserves, I think they are known as Gullideckel, or at least the interpeatation of that wheel for the W140:
Oh and the 600 SEL badge on the dash is unforgivable. A hint that the rot had already set in by the time they released the V12 version.
The Princess Squasher really is the greatest taxicab IN THE WORLD.
The sense of space, solidity and imperiousness of the rear seat was and remains amazing. It's heavy enough to ride and NVH well, too. That elusive 'sense of occasion' without being too pretentious, somehow.
Funny how Acura & Lexus later tried to emulate the style on a less massive scale and didn't quite manage to pull it off.
I collected press kits on both cars. Both very interesting from different perceptions.
It literally looks like someone inflated a W126 and in the process all the creases and nice design touches disappeared.
I collected press kits on both cars. Both very interesting from different perceptions.
I couldn’t agree more. In an attempt to bear BMW at their own game, Mercedes became obsessed with performance and lost much of their old qualities: being imperious, solid wafters that isolate you from the outside in a way only a rolls Royce could do. And the design is more often than not ruined by bloody AMG additions.
More Money spent on making them sporty, less money on making them well engineered, and don’t let me talk about the recent full screen horrors. I don’t necessarily miss the veneer, but it’s better than having an iPad for a dash (Mercedes is not the only one, of course. Blame Tesla first).
Grab those old Mercedes while you can. They really are from another era, and that’s a compliment.
I couldn t agree more. In an attempt to bear BMW at their own game, Mercedes became obsessed with performance and lost much of their old qualities: being imperious, solid wafters that isolate you from the outside in a way only a rolls Royce could do. And the design is more often than not ruined by bloody AMG additions.
More Money spent on making them sporty, less money on making them well engineered, and don t let me talk about the recent full screen horrors. I don t necessarily miss the veneer, but it s better than having an iPad for a dash (Mercedes is not the only one, of course. Blame Tesla first).
Grab those old Mercedes while you can. They really are from another era, and that s a compliment.
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