All Entries Tagged With: "560SEL"
Vintage Benz Photo Montage For The Enjoyment of Online Teutonophiles
By Gunnar Heinrich
I could go on writing posts about late 80s Benzes. So, I will.
What registers most about the amount of good content featuring old German cars is that there’s a severe lack of good content featuring old German cars.
For the Teutonic aficionado, the online absence of professional photos, thoughtful commentary, and accurate data on the late model cars that many of us love is sad, to be sure.
So, ADL is doing its part to fix that.
And considering the number of ADL posts written last week that featured some of Stuttgart’s finest, yours thought it best to consolidate the various scanned images from my own 1986 Mercedes-Benz North America brochure and to create one, centralized post to encapsulate the whole lot.
Click to enlarge. And enjoy.
You know I do.
Completing The 560 Range: Benz’s Magnificent 560SEC
By Christopher P. Davis
IN a perfect world, the elves from the Black Forest pictured a three-car garage.
In it sat a 560SEL – which would propel you to your daily slayings in the corporate world – to the right, a 560SL – for open-top boulevard cruising and of course the occasional weekend picnic – and, finally, the 560SEC.
Sporty yet refined. Classic yet modern. Sadly, one of Benz’s best is now just some forgotten coupe. Perfect for a night at the opera, and maybe a Friday car, like the current CL-Class, the SEC was an expensive, low volume choice. So much so, the “E” is SEC should have stood for “exclusive.”
Arriving in an S-Class coupe, you made a statement, frankly, that money was no object and that practicality was for “the little people.” Sure, for a little less money (the coupe’s MSRP was north of $70,000) you could have a 560SEL and two more doors, but who bothered to count? You had accountants for that.
Confronted by a 560SEC, there’s little room to doubt that it is a true Mercedes-Benz. The Tri-Star logo, representing land, air, and sea is prominently featured, much in the way it currently is on the CL and on the new C-Class Sport.
The star has an angular front, which through former Benz Design Chief Bruno Sacco’s genius avoids being overtly “sporty” or ostentatious. Simply told, it’s the embodiment of the balanced design ethic that was part of every model Mercedes produced in the 80s.
On the headlamps rest diminutive wiper blades, a feature that I always thought to be rather cool and somewhat practical, but overall, just plain cool. On top of the hood where a star ornament would usually stand, is a larger blue-white star and laurel roundel that’s featured on nearly every Mercedes two-door.
From the side, your eye sweeps across the car, as the design is completely fluid, there is no rough spot, just one beautiful automobile. The 560 SEC is a pillarless coupe, a fact that greatly enhances that sweep.
In a December 2006 edition of British Mercedes-Benz magazine Mercedes Enthusiast, Bruno Sacco was reported to have recently acquired, as the writer put it, “(A) low mileage 560SEC in Anthracite with black leather and burr walnut. ‘It is now almost perfect,’ he murmured, eyes twinkling.”
From the rear, the 560SEC is very similar to any other W126. The only difference between the rear of sedan is that the coupe sports a slightly larger rear windscreen.
On the interior, a 560SEC has all the sharp fit and finish of its four door sibling.
One novel feature is a seat belt presenter – a think black plastic arm that extends the belt out for you from a chrome ringed cavity beneath the rear window sill. Although novel in the 80s, it’s a feature that time has shown to be just a tad temperamental.
Between the back seats of the SEC was a beautiful burled wood retractable console. Similar to that found on current CL-Class models, although on the 560SEC it is much larger; the amount of burled wood is stunning!
The 560SEC is a big car by any measure. It weighs in at over 3960 pounds and covers just over 199.2 inches of asphalt stem to stern.
In today’s world of Prius’ (or is it Prii?) the 560SEC is a throwback to a bygone era – the decadence of the 80’s.
Supreme excess.
Owning one today is as much a statement as it was then. It denotes success, style, intelligence, and class. It’s a designer tank, engineered unlike any other car in the world and styled to please even the most fashion conscious.
“Luxury cars” abound, but 560SECs do not – with only 28,929 of these beauties made. What’s more, a well cared-for example will mechanically stand the test of time at least as well as its classic good looks.
The 560SEC is the perfect coupe to complete anyone’s garage.
[Images: 1986 Brochure by Mercedes-Benz of North America, Inc.]
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*Note* An avid reader since early 2007, Mr. Davis is a new contributor to Automobiles De Luxe.
Mercedes-Benz 560SEL US Brochure Pictures
By Gunnar Heinrich
“REPOSING in the rear seat of the 560SEL Sedan, basking in near-limousine spaciousness and an atmosphere of blissful peace and quiet with almost every conceivable amenity at hand, you might find it difficult if not impossible to think of this as anything but one of the most supremely livable automobiles ever built.”
When can I move in?
Truth in disclosure, your faithful publisher owns one 1986 navy blue over grey 560SEL which helps fuel an everlasting adoration of three box German sedans.
These are some scanned images from a period US brochure showcasing the former flagship that set the modern benchmark for what a solid luxury grand touring motor car should be.
The standard of excellence that Bruno Sacco penned and the volk auf Stuttgart manufactured has endured long after the W126 series ended in 1991.
Perhaps that’s why so many are still in service, cared for, and remain “supremely liveable.”
[Linked: fuenfkommasechs.de]
AutoBild: 560SEL 6.0AMG v. S63 AMG
By Gunnar Heinrich
FOUND this gem over @ Funfkommasechs.de. Apparently, German auto rag AutoBild has elected to compare and contrast two generations of AMG tuned Mercedes-Benz S-Classes: the W126 560SEL and the W221 S63.
The old generation Benz, dressed up in nasty vintage AMG kit, rocks the road with a 385 horsepower V8. The new generation with more subtle AMG cues and 525 bhp, simply destroys it.
Regrettably, all the content is written in Teutonic tongue so the Anglophonic will have to rely on either Google’s gobbled web page translation or simply marvel at pictures of two great Benzes rocketing down a slip of asphalt somewhere in Germany.
Worth a look.
[Linked: AutoBild via Funfkommasechs.de]
Schlöerb Captures Stuttgart’s Finest: The W126 S-Class
By Gunnar Heinrich
JOHANNES SCHLÖERB is an artist. What’s even better is that he’s an artist with a tremendous appreciation for Stuttgart’s best.
Herr Schlöerb, who owns an immaculate Mercedes-Benz 560SEL, publishes his own German site – Fuenfkommasechs – which focuses on the late model flagship and the W126 generation S-Class.
What’s so great about his work and why I’m thrilled that he’s a friend to Automobiles De Luxe is that Mr. Schlöerb understands that in order to dynamically capture a great car’s virtues such that they actually register with non-enthusiasts and enthusiasts, you have to a) be creative, b) be diligent, and c) own a sense of style.
If you have a look at his latest gallery featuring a gathering of W126 aficionados and their affable dogs at a specialist garage in Cologne, I think you’ll agree that it’s a car club event that’s been cataloged unlike any other.
[Linked: Schlöerb Galleries | Fuenfkommasechs]
Weekend Snapshot > Triumph
Gladzend S-Klasse
Benz’s Best > Top Ten Postwar Models
10) Geländewagen a.k.a. “G-Wagen” W460/461/463 (1979 – )
The ultimate survivor. Built to military spec., there’s solid reason why the UN and NGO peace organizations use the G-Wagen to get the job done. Utilitarian looks as timeless as the Range Rover County and Hummer H1.
9) S-Class W116 (1972-1979)
This solid, stolid generation of flagships included the legendary might-makes-right 450SEL 6.9. The classic three box German saloon, the 70′s S-Class rolls on as a great vestige of the marque’s grand heritage.
S-Class W140 (Sedan) (1991-1999)
Despite being chastised for running out of step with the times, the W140 saloons set the standard for the 90s. Big and beautiful, these chariots were commodious, luxurious, and represented the last generation of Mercedes sedans to embody the vaunted “vault-like” feel.
7) E Class W210 (1995-2002)
Not as solid as its W124 predecessor, but miles ahead in style. No other model in contemporary Mercedes history generated as much excitement or so revolutionized the marque as this generation E. Hugely popular, the line included the torque rich E55 AMG.
6) SL Class R230 (2002- )
Elegant yet sporty, the current generation SL embodies a classic blend of pure style. The SL is the most comfortable and luxurious roadster Mercedes-Benz has yet built and is also the most powerful. The SL55 and 65 AMG models lifted the bar on performance.
5) 300S W188 (1951-1958)
The start of the greatest flagship series the world has known. Subtle design belies solid quality and luxurious craftsmanship. The first of postwar Benz’s opened topped tourers stands as one of the 20th Century’s grandest.
4) SL Class R107 (1971-1989)
An icon for two generations. Greater than the previous W113 “Pagoda”, this roadster rolls with class, style, and substance. The 500SL and 560SL V8s produced performance times that rivaled Ferrari and Porsche. Among the ultimate boulevardiers of all time.
3) 250/280/300SE cabriolet W111/W112 (1961-1967)
Perhaps the best 2+2 convertible ever built. Precious few cars can rival the SE cabriolet’s classic panache. Instantly collectible and reliably solid, this generation will be remembered as among the finest cars Stuttgart ever built.
2) 300SL Gullwing and Roadster W198 (1954-1963)
Sex on wheels. The roadster may rank as the most beautiful car ever built. The Gullwing may rank as the most iconic Benz ever. The symbol of revival to postwar Germany’s auto industry. The straight-six’s performance set the bar for supercar performance for more than 30 years. It’s easy to justify six to seven figure price tags.
1) S Class W126 (Sedan and Coupe) (1979-1991)
The greatest generation. The longest lived S-Class and among the most commercially successful model lines in Mercedes history. Part of Benz’s golden era of over-engineering, the 80s S-Class rank among the most solid cars ever built. The 300SD, 500/560SEC, 500/560SEL are icons. Bruno Sacco’s grand sedan and coupe – penned in the 70s – influenced industry design through the 90s.
