Mercedes-Benz S Class Coupe, 1981 - 1991
Although the Mercedes company has been producing its luxury majors since the 1950s, the W126 was only a second-generation S-Class Mercedes. Stylistically, this model is very similar to its predecessor, only slightly rounded, because at that time car manufacturers began to widely apply the principles of aerodynamics in production cars. In total, 818,036 units of W126 S-class sedans were sold, and 74,060 units of coupe versions. In 1980, Mercedes introduced the driver's side airbag, patented back in 1971, seatbelt pretensioners, stability control and, in 1988, the passenger's side airbags. It was the first production car to be equipped with airbags as standard. At the time, this was a serious step towards safety, especially given that only a few manufacturers in Europe offered airbags at all. The W126 S-Class was equipped with a 6-cylinder in-line and V8 engines. Diesel-powered versions were the most sold in Europe, while V8 versions were offered on the US market. The cars did not show dynamics - even the most powerful version with a 5.0 L engine accelerated to 100 km / h in 7.3 seconds, and the top speed was just 222 km / h.