The Mercedes-Benz S-Class ‘W126’ was the second generation of the brand’s flagship S-Class luxury saloon and its gestation began in 1973, not long after its predecessor, the W116, had gone on sale.
The next generation was based off the same platform, but Mercedes wanted to improve the ride, offer better handling and improve fuel efficiency, not least because of the fuel crises of the 1970s that focused buyers’ minds towards cars being more efficient.
The styling was led by Mercedes's legendary designer Bruno Sacco and was conceived to be more aerodynamic, yet just as large and stately as its predecessor. As such, it was one of the first cars to be aerodynamically developed in a wind tunnel, while it also used high tensile steel - an innovation that other manufacturers didn't adopt until the 1990s due to its expense.
The W126 was revealed at the 1979 Frankfurt Motor Show in both short and long wheelbase options, with a choice of six-cylinder and V8 engines.
It continued until 1991, when the W140 S-Class appeared, billed as the world's most technologically advanced car at the time. By 1991, the W126 was a bit of an anachronism albeit a truly adorable one thanks to its old-fashioned values.
This is one of the very last examples built, with the most efficient iteration of the 3.0-litre straight six. On its own, that makes it a surprisingly efficient luxury cruiser and a wonderful amalgam of traditional and modern technology.
J777 PUB was first registered in August 1991 and although the number plate may look like a cherished registration, the car has always worn it.
It is being sold after being recommissioned by a well-regarded Mercedes-Benz specialist in Essex, who acquired it last year and has recently fettled it to its current rather impressive standard. The vendor will supply the car with a full MOT at the point of sale.
While the service history supplied with this car isn't comprehensive, the vendor says that there is an extensive file of bills and receipts that weren’t available for us to photograph, but will be supplied with the car.
It will also have a full UK V5C that will be filled-in and applied for in the new owner’s name at the time of collection.
It has covered 147,000 miles, which isn’t guaranteed but is partially verified by a comprehensive MOT history.
Finished in Pewter Grey, the W126 is a stately and handsome-looking beast and still looks fabulous over 30 years since it left the production line, its grand but discreet styling ageing beautifully.
It's an extremely good looking car with no obvious distractions, and is overall remarkably solid.
Up close, there's a very small rust bubble on the inside lip of one front wheel arch and some very, very fine bubbling at the very top of the rear screen surround, while there are also a couple of small stone chips in the paint. None of these are major, though, and overall it presents really well, especially given that the majority of the paintwork is original.
All of the chrome is in good condition, as are the nine-spoke alloy wheels.
Inside, this car is absolutely wonderful and shows only very minimal wear despite having covered a fair mileage. The cream leather looks fantastic and is complemented by matching door cards and beige carpets.
There's a little bit of rubbing to the driver’s side seat bolster, but this is only very minor and will probably come back with some leather treatment. Otherwise, it's excellent and all of the trim is present and correct, while the wood veneers are in great condition.
Mercedes’s 2,962cc straight six is a wonderful engine that is renowned for its longevity and reliability.
It fires up instantly from cold and holds good oil pressure, with no excessive smoke or untoward noises, while all of the fluids are at the correct levels. It's renowned for being a tough unit, and we could find no cause for concern with this particular example.
It's also a lot more frugal than the V8 S-Classes, which makes it a much more viable proposition as modern classic daily transport.
The brakes, steering, suspension and automatic transmission appear to be in good working order.
If you want a relatively modern and usable classic that has a wonderful mixture of both retro and cool about it, then this is well worthy of consideration.
The body and interior are both excellent and between them must make this one of the most desirable W126s on the market, despite being the small-engined variant, which in itself has a lot to recommend given today's fuel prices.
This is a fabulous example of a truly luxurious retro car that you can happily use every day.
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