1986 Mercedes-Benz 300 SE · carnation green metallic · 167.000 km · Automatic · No reserve
1986 Mercedes-Benz 300 SE · carnation green metallic · 167.000 km · Automatic · No reserve
**Sale by auction This vehicle is being sold as Lot 048 at Humer Granner & Co's Sammlung Sonderklasse auction. - Starting price: 4,000 EUR - No reserve - Auction: 7-11-2026 14:00 - Viewing: 5-11-2026 to 7-11-2026 - Location: Gewerbeparkstraße 17, 4101 Feldkirchen an der Donau - Bidding options: In person | Online live | Telephone | Written bid **
**Vehicle data - Chassis number: WDB1260241A30125 - Fuel: Petrol - Colour: 261 carnation green metallic - Mileage: 167000 km - Transmission: Automatic - More images and details: **https://hg.auction/lots/1986-mercedes-benz-300-se/
For the W 126 series, Bruno Sacco took over the Styling department from Friedrich Geiger in 1975. His mentor had bowed out with the “Car of the Year”, and this had to be replaced at the end of the 1970s. This involved nothing less than the brand’s flagship, the S-Class. While its predecessor had set new standards in terms of safety, economy now entered the picture. The oil crisis had left a lasting impression, fundamentally shaking faith in limitless growth and inexhaustible resources. The aim, therefore, was to save weight, reduce aerodynamic drag and ultimately save fuel. Even in the automotive luxury class, common sense was suddenly no longer a dirty word. In terms of its exterior, Bruno Sacco dispensed with any kind of showmanship.
Clean lines, large glass surfaces and an elegance that sought less to impress than to appear completely natural. Sacco later formulated his famous credo, according to which a new Mercedes must never make its predecessor look old. Hardly any series embodied his philosophy of “vertical affinity” as perfectly as the W 126. Under the skin, Mercedes consistently continued along the path it had chosen. Weight reduction was the order of the day. High-strength steels, aluminium and a construction optimised down to the last detail saved around 100 kilograms. At the same time, the aerodynamics were significantly improved. With a drag coefficient of just 0.36, the new S-Class was among the most aerodynamically efficient luxury saloons of its time. ABS was now standard, or at least available for almost all variants.
The driver’s airbag and belt tensioners also made their debut here during the production period, as did ASR, ASD and a multitude of electrical aids that would only become standard elsewhere much later. The new era was also evident in the engines. The large-displacement eight-cylinders remained the benchmark, but more economical six-cylinders were also offered. The carburettor engines disappeared after the first series.
Fuel injection, overrun fuel cut-off and electronically controlled idling were now in vogue. With the 1985 facelift, an entirely new generation of light-alloy V8 engines finally made its debut. From then on, the 560 SEL sat at the top of the series. Five and a half litres of displacement, up to 300 hp and performance that, only a few years earlier, would have done a thoroughbred sports car credit. Yet the S-Class’s true strength remained unchanged.
Its speciality was not acceleration, but effortless authority. It was difficult to travel more effortlessly. Customers enthusiastically embraced the new S-Class. Statesmen, entrepreneurs, industrialists and diplomats appreciated it just as much as discerning taxi drivers. Hardly any other luxury saloon shaped the streetscape of the 1980s more strongly. Almost 900,000 saloons were produced by 1991. This makes the W 126 the best-selling S-Class generation to this day and one of the most successful luxury saloons ever. The W 126 was not a revolution. Nor did it need to be. It perfected what Mercedes-Benz had developed over decades: safety, quality, comfort and technical maturity. That is precisely why many still regard it as the S-Class par excellence – an automobile that never needed to draw attention to itself because it simply did everything a little better.
This description has been automatically translated. Original language: German.
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