1991 Mercedes-Benz 300 SE · beryll-metallic · 220.000 km · Automatic · No reserve
1991 Mercedes-Benz 300 SE · beryll-metallic · 220.000 km · Automatic · No reserve
**Sale by auction This vehicle is being sold as Lot 060 at the Sammlung Sonderklasse auction by Humer Granner & Co. - Starting price: 3,000 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 - Vehicle identification number: WDB1400321A037282 - Fuel: Petrol - Color: 888 beryll-metallic - Mileage: 220000 km - Transmission: Automatic - More images and details: **https://hg.auction/lots/1991-mercedes-benz-300-se/
About the W 140 model seriesAs early as 1981, when the S-Class of the W 126 model series had only been on the market for two years, development work began on a successor series. No less than 3 billion Deutsche Marks were budgeted for it, with the launch planned for 1989. The team around chief designer Bruno Sacco presented several designs, one of which Olivier Boulay had already selected as the final version by the end of 1986. Then the unimaginable happened. BMW presented the 750i, the first German production twelve-cylinder of the post-war era, which made the 560 look literally old in initial comparison tests. All the high-tech electronics that had been built into the new S-Class suddenly seemed secondary. Mercedes had to follow suit; a twelve-cylinder was needed. And it had to be available right from the market launch, which was postponed by two years.
They took the same approach as their Bavarian competitor. Two six-cylinder engines were combined to create a V12. Six litres of displacement was one more than in Munich, and with 408 hp they also made no concessions in terms of power, relegating the competition. This suited the exterior, which consciously departed from the filigree elegance of its predecessor. Broad surfaces, gently rounded shapes and imposing proportions gave the W 140 a presence that was almost impossible to overlook.
Not everyone liked it at first sight, but that was precisely its message. The new S-Class did not want to be pleasing. It was meant to radiate authority.Under the bodywork, Mercedes-Benz drew on its full resources. Double glazing provided a level of sound insulation that had been virtually unknown until then, while the doors and boot lid could, if desired, close almost silently with power-assisted closing. The air conditioning, seats and suspension achieved a level of comfort that made even luxury cars from the competition look outdated. Electronics found their way into virtually every area.
The W 140 was no longer an automobile consisting exclusively of mechanics, but a rolling high-tech centre. Mercedes also knew virtually no compromise when it came to the engines. Alongside the V12, refined inline six-cylinder and commanding eight-cylinder engines formed the backbone of the model series. Speed was not the S-Class's greatest strength, but the complete effortlessness with which it handled every driving task. You never had to call upon the W 140's power. It was simply always there.The wealth of technology did, however, come at a price. The W 140 became larger, heavier and more complex than any S-Class before it. Extendable guide rods at the rear helped when manoeuvring, because even experienced chauffeurs could barely judge where the limousine ended.
At the same time, its presentation in 1991 came amid a worldwide recession. While austerity was the order of the day in many places, the new S-Class appeared to some critics to be a symbol of excessive opulence. Hardly any Mercedes polarised its contemporaries more strongly.Over the years, however, this judgement changed fundamentally. The 1994 facelift brought visual restraint and, at the same time, the new nomenclature with the S 280, S 320, S 420, S 500 and S 600. By the end of production in 1998, more than 400,000 saloons had been built. The W 140 was not a modest S-Class. It never intended to be. It was probably the most uncompromising interpretation of what Mercedes- Benz
understood a luxury automobile to be at the beginning of the 1990s. The S-Class was once again the benchmark for everything.
This description has been automatically translated. Original language: German.
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