fastfivecars TRIVIA: The History of the S-Class - PART II

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart, Germany, May 19, 2005

Technical highlights of the S-Class

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has always been in the avantgarde of automotive technology. Over the years it has brought many innovations to market which subsequently found a widespread application. What follows is a brief overview of the distinctive design features found in the individual model series.


220, 187 series (1951 to 1954)
- Newly designed six-cylinder engine with overhead camshaft
- Safety door lock to prevent doors bursting open
- Heater blower available
- Duplex drum brakes at the front

220 a, 219, 220 S and 220 SE, 180/128 series (1954 to 1959)
- Self-supporting chassis/body structure
- Front axle subframe
- Single-joint swing axle with a lowered pivot
- Brake drums with "turbo cooling"
- Hydrak" hydraulic-automatic clutch

220 b 220 Sb, 220 SEb, 300 SE, 111/112 series (1959 to 1965)
- Safety passenger cell with crumple zones (front and rear)
- Padded steering wheel
- Wedge-pin door locks
- Disk brakes (300 SE)
- Three-point seat belts
- Four-speed automatic transmission
- Air suspension (300 SE)
- Long-wheelbase version available (300 SE)

250 S � 300 SE, 300 SEL - 300 SEL 6.3, 108/109 series (1965 to 1972)
- First premium-class post-war sedan with eight-cylinder engine
- First independent premium-class model series
- Patented safety steering system
- Hydropneumatic balancer spring on the rear axle

S-Class 116 series (1972 to 1980)
- Officially designated "S-Class" for the first time
- Anti-lock brake system (ABS) from 1978
- Largest post-war passenger car engine with 6.9-liter displacement in the 450 SEL 6.9
- Double-wishbone front axle from the C 111 experimental vehicle
- Fuel tank located above the rear axle for protection in case of collision
- Safety design in the interior
- First premium-class car with diesel engine (300 SD)

S-Class 126 series (1979 to 1991)
- New safety concept, first production car worldwide to meet the criteria of an offset crash
- Driver's airbag and seat belt tensioner from 1981
- Front passenger airbag from 1985
- Three-point seat belts for rear seats
- Automatic locking differential
- Acceleration skid control (ASR)

S-Class 140 series (1991 to 1998)
- Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
- Brake Assist (BAS)
- Adaptive Damping System (ADS)
- Front axle subframe
- Soundproofed windows
- Parameter steering with speed-sensitive steering moment
- Seat belt system with automatic height adjustment
- Sidebags
- First Mercedes-Benz twelve-cylinder production engine in a passenger car, at the time the brand's most powerful passenger car engine

S-Class 220 series (1998 to 2005)
- Seat belt tensioners and belt force limiters in the rear
- Automatic child seat recognition system
- Window bags
- PRE-SAFE occupant protection system
- DISTRONIC autonomous intelligent cruise control
- Automatic cylinder shut-off
- Co-efficient of drag rating = 0.27
- Keyless-Go access system
- Air suspension with AIRmatic adaptive damping system as standard
- At the time world's most powerful passenger car diesel engine in the S 400 CDI

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