Mercedes-Benz W140

The Mercedes-Benz W140 is a series of flagship vehicles sold as the S-Class, manufactured by Mercedes-Benz from 1991 to 1998 in sedan and coupe body styles and two wheelbase lengths, SE and SEL. It was unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show in March 1991, with sales starting in April and the North American launch on 6 August 1991. Development began in 1981 and the design of Olivier Boulay was selected on 9 December 1986, with Bruno Sacco as lead designer. The launch slipped by eighteen months after BMW introduced a V12 in the 7 Series, which gave Mercedes-Benz time to develop its own V12. Priced up to 25 per cent above the W126, it sold slowly during the recession of 1990 to 1994. All models were renamed S in June 1993 and the coupe became the CL-Class in 1996. Production reached 432,732, with 406,710 sedans and 26,022 coupes, before the W220 superseded it in 1998.