1971 - 1980 Mercedes S-class 1971-1980 (W116)

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 1971 - 1980 Mercedes S-class 1971-1980 (W116)
  • Horsepower: 286@4250
  • Torque: 3000
  • Transmission: 3 speed automatic

One noteworthy engineering innovation first featured as standard in the Mercedes W 116 series sedans was the double-wishbone front suspension with zero-offset steering and anti-dive control, as tested originally in the C 111 experimental vehicle. This permitted further dynamic handling improvements. Rear suspension was essentially the same as the design that had by this stage been tried and tested over many years in the Stroke Eight models and which was also in use in the 350 SL.

The 280S and 280SE were even more imposing than the original car and had a slightly longer wheelbase to improve passenger space. Some of the suspension components were actually shared with the SL sports models which really improved handling, sadly this time there were no Coupe or Cabriolet versions.

The 280 used a 2.8 litre, six cylinder engine mated to either manual or automatic transmission.

Models of the S class 116 series:

  • 1973-1975 450SE/450SEL 6.9
  • 1975-1976 280S
  • 1976-1980 450SE/450SEL
  • 1977-1980 280SE
  • 1977-1979 450SEL
  • 1978-1980 300SD

The 450 SEL 6.9

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In May 1975 the company presented the 450 SEL 6.9 - the new top model in the series and true successor to the 300 SEL 6.3. The powerful 6.9-liter V8 engine, developed from the highly successful 6.3-liter unit, achieved an output of 286 hp and maximum torque of 450 lbs-ft. The hydropneumatic suspension with self-leveling - featured for the first time in a Mercedes-Benz passenger car - guaranteed the utmost in ride comfort. Other special equipment included in the standard specification for the top-of-the-range model were the central locking system, air-conditioning and a headlamp wash/wipe system.

As was the case with its direct predecessor, the 450 SEL 6.9 proved an immediate success; although it was more than twice as expensive as the 350 SE, a total of 7,380 units were built during its four-and-a-half year production period. Between November 1975 and February 1976 the direct fuel injection system in the 2.8-liter, 3.5-liter and 4.5-liter injection engines was converted to fall in line with more stringent emissions standards now in force in most European countries. The electronically controlled Bosch “D-Jetronic” was abandoned in favor of the newly developed mechanically controlled Bosch “K-Jetronic”. In all three cases conversion was achieved with only minor loss in output; at the same time, compression was slightly reduced in the 2.8-liter and 3.5-liter engines.

For ease of maintenance these modifications also included breaker-less transistorized ignition and hydraulic valve clearance compensation for both V8 engines. As with the 2.8-liter injection engine, compression was reduced also in the carburetor engine, similarly causing a slight decrease in output. Two years later, from April 1978, the original output was once again offered in all three models with injection engines. In contrast to the carburetor version, compression in the 2.8-liter injection unit was raised to its old value, and the previous output in the two V8 models was achieved largely by modifications to the exhaust system.

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A Diesel In The S-Class

In May 1978 the model range in the W 116 series was expanded even further. As the latest addition to the family, the 300 SD attracted just as much attention among connoisseurs as had done the 450 SEL 6.9 three years earlier - although it was positioned at the opposite end of the performance scale. For the first time in the history of this vehicle category, the new S-Class model was powered by a diesel engine. The 3.0-liter five-cylinder unit, that had proved so successful in the 240 D 3.0 and 300 D models, was given a turbocharger for its new role, enabling output to be increased to 85 kW (115 hp).

Development of this unusual S-Class variant, which was offered exclusively in the USA and Canada, was begun with the aim of meeting the fuel consumption standards recently introduced by the US government. The most decisive factor here was the so-called Corporate Average Fuel Economy, an invention of the Carter administration, which denoted the average fuel consumption of all passenger car models in a manufacturer's range. By extending the range to include conventionally economical diesel models it was possible to bring the fleet's average fuel consumption under the legal limit. A technical innovation of ground-breaking significance was offered as a world exclusive in the S-Class sedans of the W 116 series from fall 1978: The anti-lock brake system (ABS), developed in collaboration with Bosch, which guaranteed a vehicle's unrestricted steering response even under emergency braking and thus made a vital contribution to active safety. Today almost a commonplace and available even in small cars, at the time the market launch of ABS was seen as nothing short of sensational.

Safety of a rather different nature was offered by the armored version of the W 116 series. Protection design underwent further improvements based on the sum of experience gained during development of the armored 280 SEL 3.5. Taking the eight-cylinder models as a whole - the 350 SE, 350 SEL, 450 SE and 450 SEL - a total of 292 units were built as armored vehicles for delivery to special customers, including many state institutions in Europe and overseas. The successors to the first S-Class series - the W 126 models - were presented in September 1979 at the Frankfurt IAA. But that did not put an immediate end to the W 116 series; production was gradually phased out for each model between April and September 1980. Of the 473,035 units built in this model series, the last vehicle to leave the Sindelfingen plant was a 300 SD.