Motor Car Location : Greater London As the successor to the W116 range, the Bruno Sacco-designed W126 Series was the second generation of flagship vehicles to bear the S-Class name, which stood for 'sonderklasse' or, in English, 'special class'.

The initial Saloon versions were launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1979 and offered the choice of straight-six or V8 petrol engines and a straight-five diesel unit, and either standard or long-wheelbase bodies.

The newcomer was notably more capacious than its predecessor and also heralded several safety innovations including airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners and traction control - technology we take for granted even on lesser marques of car these days, but were truly pioneering at the time.

Safety features carried over from the W116 were anti-lock brakes, crumple zones and fluted tail lights.

The fuel crises of the early and mid-'70s had awoken manufacturers to the urgent need for lighter, generally more efficient car designs...