Mercedes-Benz W126 – A superstar of the 80’s

Today, I’m going to tell you the story of the longest-produced and best-selling ever S-class of Mercedes-Benz – the Mercedes-Benz 126 produced from 1979 to 1994.
892 thousand cars were produced – 818 thousand 4-door sedans and 74 thousand 2-door coupes. This makes the W126 the longest-produced and the most popular generation of the S-Class ever. And the best-selling luxury car in the whole history, as well.
It was in development for 6 years, and the result of that huge engineering and design work was stunning – the W126 was and is one of the most beautiful Mercedes-Benz cars in history. It still looks attractive even today – and, frankly speaking, we cannot say the same thing about many other cars of the 80s.
Daimler Benz specifically emphasized in their brochures that the 126 was a much more economical car compared to the previous generation. And the 126 was named the safest car on the planet by many car journalists and officially was declared the safest car on North American roads in 1988 and 1989 by the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
On the road, the 126 was much more than you may expect from a large luxury sedan. With V8 engines, it was able to compete in dynamic driving with many sports cars of its time. At the same time, it was a very comfortable and smooth car which gave great pleasure to its driver and, what is probably even more important in this case, to its passengers.
No surprise that the 126 series gained great appreciation among the most powerful and richest people on the planet, from bankers and businessmen to politicians, royals, and dictators. In the 80s, it became a real symbol of wealth and luxury.
The 126 established a new landmark, a new standard for luxury cars – in design, in engineering and equipment, in quality of ride, comfort, and in quality of build.
And above all that, the Mercedes-Benz 126 was just a pretty good car, probably the best one in the 80s, and one of the best cars ever made.

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Original paintings: https://yuliaarts.com/
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All pictures used in this video belong to their rightful and respected owners.
I use these pictures on the basis of the fair use principle: only for the purposes of research, teaching, and education.

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Links to my other videos mentioned in this video:
Mercedes-Benz 190 (W201):    • Mercedes Benz 190 (W201) – The bestse...  
Mercedes-Benz 124:    • Mercedes-Benz W124 – The masterpiece  
Mercedes-Benz 107:    • Mercedes-Benz 107 SL/SLC – When elega...  
Lancia Delta:    • Lancia Delta 1st generation – The bes...  

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Music used in this video:
“Hurts So Good Blues” by Unicorn Heads
“Helium” by TrackTribe
“Remember September” by Freedom Trail Studio
“Peacefully” by E's Jammy Jams


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