Beschreibung:

The W140 range was a series of flagship vehicles manufactured by Mercedes-Benz. The car premiered at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1991, with the first examples rolling off the production line on August 6, 1991. The SE/SEL/SEC cars were renamed the S-Class, with alphanumerical designations inverted. The W140 was the first of the 'next generation' of Mercedes-Benz models to feature the company's new design theme. Development on the W140 began in 1981, originally set for an autumn 1989 release. From 1982 to 1986 several designs were reviewed, until December 1986 when the final design was approved. Several prototypes were tested from early 1987 onwards. The W140 introduced innovations such as double-pane window glazing, power-assisted closing for doors and boot lid, electric windows which lowered back down upon encountering an obstruction and a heating system which, if desired, continued to emit warm air after the engine was turned off. For details like this, the W140 is often known as the last Mercedes-Benz to be 'over-engineered;' a trait that was costing the company in product delays and over-budgeting. The W140 was to feature air-suspension as an option, but it was dropped shortly before launch because the company were still perfecting the technology at the time. Mercedes-Benz chose to launch air-suspension in the next generation S-Class in 2000. The W140 instead used a hydropneumatic rear suspension, first introduced on the W126, to be used on the S500 and S600 models. In 1993, the 408 horsepower V12 engine was slightly detuned to 389 horsepower to comply with tighter emission control regulations. The W140 600SEL was available with wooden rear ash tray covers, wood/leather shift knob, leather dashboard and a suede headliner. Following the new Mercedes-Benz tradition of mid-life facelifts (starting with the W126 in 1986), the W140 received a minor facelift in 1994. This magnificent one owner example, was supplied by Smac Continental in Southend-on-Sea to Al Maktoum at The Dubai Office in London, in August 1993. Having covered only 14,000 miles since then, it is surely one of the best examples available anywhere today. All of the previous MoT test certificates are supplied to verify the mileage. The coachwork is grey, complemented by the luxurious black leather trim and benefits from having an incredibly high specification, with virtually all of the available options supplied to this car at the time of delivery. Previously sold by Historics at Brooklands, the vendor no longer has garage space for the car and has decided to let a new owner enjoy this splendid piece of engineering. Supplied with a V5 document and a current MoT test certificate, this Mercedes-Benz 600 SEL is sure to grace any collection. Recently featured in a Mercedes-Benz enthusiast magazine, this car was acknowledged as being near perfect.