Last updated on: 04/09/2023
As development for the new W140 S class was coming to an end in 1991, Mercedes had made an advertising campaign using a model car of a four-door Sauber C9 to entice new customers of what was to come. The campaign would focus on incorporating the known limousine with the previously unattainable sporty driving capabilities that are now synonymous with large luxury German flagships.
This new generation of S Class was Bruno Sacco’s (design director for MB) direct response to the new Lexus LS which was eating up German flagship sales, as it was providing a better experience all around for a fraction of the price. The W126 had been on sale for almost a decade at that point, and the new W140 could not rely on its reputation as the highest echelon of executive vehicles. The S Class would need to provide everything all other cars could, no matter the cost. This included the spirited driving capabilities you would expect from the car world leaders would be seen in.
The model car was only made to entice the imagination of the new S class, as it was never supposed to be an accurate representation. With this in mind, it is unknown how this body kit on a W126 came to be. More likely made by a dealer than a factory-endorsed venture, few pictures of this frankenstein are available on the internet. The proportions of the model car and the car at the dealer showroom are way off, you can tell by the long hood that houses the presumably original engine, and the gap between the rear fender and the rear door. The only parts which are assumed taken from the Group C car are the rear spoiler (noticeably wider than the rest of the car) and the center lock wheels. The windshield wiper has also been mounted in the middle to mimic the racer.
The car's history is unknown, and its time in the public eye is a mystery. Rumors have it that it was dismantled over the coming years.
Below is a translation of the advertisement by my friend
Not every driving style can be put together
When you drive a big Limousine for business reasons, you probably look at a sports car and get a bit mad, and ask yourself, why doesn't there exist a big car with as much driving pleasure and handling as a small one?
Our Engineers at Mercedes Benz also have been asking this themselves for years and got to work putting these completely different physical designs into one.
There is nothing to complain about the necessities: Cars like the S Class from Mercedes have always been used on long road trips.
And not because it's fun, it's because businessmen need to get to business meetings.
And as well the chassis of such a car class is way longer and can carry more passengers, way more than the average.
In short: You need a bigger size. And that stands in the way of a more sporty driving style.
Yet, this 100-Year-old thinking that big cars and handling can't get together, will look old after the premiere of the new S class.
Even though, the question is how we do it: from the adverts seen "Sporty" driving style can push a driver to get a driving style, they're not comfortable with or don't want to drive.
Or at least: not all the time. The Driving conditions are completely different from what they were in the wild 60s and 70s.
Mostly, you want to have the smooth driving of a Limousine.
Everything that the S Class has that even our harshest critics think we give the best.
The new S Class will get these Characteristics to a whole new level.
But she will also make the incompatible, compatible, and give plenty of driving pleasure, which the picture above cannot describe enough.
And it isn't just meant for such moments, it is also meant for moments when the street is a bit clear, and you are hungry for pure driving pleasure.
Get excited for the new S-Class
