Mercedes-Benz S 500 W140 Is A V8-Powered Luxury Cruise Ship On Wheels

Mercedes-Benz S-Class W140 was manufactured by the carmaker between 1991 and 1998 and remains to this day one of the most legendary luxury flagship models to ever come out of Stuttgart. Mercedes worked on this car for a long time, with development beginning as early as 1981 and the final design patents getting filed in 1988.
 

When it was all said and done, roughly 430,000 units had been sold, a number that its successor, the W220, did eventually surpass, but not by a lot.
 
Still with us? Great, because we just found a very interesting example through Cars & Bids. It’s a 1997 model with 147,000 miles (236,000 km) on the clock and the following modifications: replica 19-inch monoblock wheels, a Lorinser exhaust system, Bilstein dampers, H&R springs, an S600 grille, aftermarket rear spoiler and tinted windows.
 

Meanwhile, some of its most notable amenities include the xenon headlights (with wipers), power sunroof, soft-close doors, leather upholstery, wood trim, a power-adjustable steering column, power-adjustable and heated front seats (with memory function), heated rear seats, automatic climate control and cruise control.
 
It’s also worth noting that the W140 was the first S-Class to feature double-paned soundproofed glass, electrically operated exterior mirrors, progressive power steering, GPS satellite navigation, a sonar-based parking system (Parktronic) and an available Bose sound system. The W140 also came with a self-levelling suspension, adaptive damping and quite a few other fascinating features.
 

As for performance, models such as this S500 were powered by a 5.0-liter V8 engine, good for 315 horsepower and 347 lb-ft (470 Nm) of torque. How quaint, you say? It’s not that bad, considering how a 2022 Mercedes S 500 4MATIC only has 429 hp and 384 lb-ft (520 Nm) of torque.
 
Anyway, however much power this car still has will be going to the rear wheels via a five-speed automatic gearbox – you obviously shouldn’t be bothered to change gears yourself in a luxury sedan.