Mercedes W126 - a prestigious symbol of reliability

The class of cars with body W126 became the second and main forerunner of the present representative S-class of Mercedes Benz cars. "Sonderklasse" in German or "Special class" in Russian, usually means people with power, money and the desire to drive in big cars, stuffed with helpful automatics. Actually for such people and intended Mercedes Benz W126.

The first Mercedes W126 models were introduced in 1979. It was a representative sedan with a six- or eight-cylinder engine, as well as a turbodiesel to choose from. By order, extended limousines were made, and in 1981 the regular Mercedes W126 Coupe with a two-door body was shown. Cars Mercedes Benz W126 produced for 12 years and produced about a million, which is still a record for the Mercedes-Benz S-class.

The serial production of the 126th body was preceded by six years of development and testing in the wind tunnel, where the avant-garde designs of the Italian designer Bruno Sacco, who created the unique look of this car, were subjected to stringent aerodynamic tests. Thanks to these tests and only due to improved aerodynamics, the fuel consumption decreased by 10% at high speeds. Great attention was paid to security issues. I personally know a man who, with a friend in the front seat, experienced a head-on collision with a tree in a W126 coupe at a speed of 110 km / h. In the car, only the rear axle remained intact , and the guys got off with a concussion, a broken rib and scratches. And this - without airbags, only due to the competent folding of the body and the removal of the motor exactly between the passengers during a frontal collision!

The serially produced Mercedes W126 had only three body styles: a five-meter sedan, denoted by the letters S or SE, depending on whether the carburetor or injector was being used in the engine's power system; If the sedan was extended by 15 cm, the letter L was added, and it turned out - SEL; And the body of the coupe added C, and it turned out - SEC. The most popular and popular engine of the Mercedes W126 was a motor with index 110, volume of 2.8 liters, equipped with carburetor or injector fuel delivery system. This is a row "six" with an increased fuel appetite and an archaic stuffing box of the crankshaft. In 1985, the six-cylinder engine changed the design of the camshaft, the index by 103, and was produced in volumes of 2.6 and 3 liters. 103-th engine is more economical and quieter, but is afraid of bad oil. Eight-cylinder engines, with a volume of 3.8 to 5.6 liters, have an index of 116 and are usually on the cars of collectors who travel on items of their pride only for "walking" and "stirring up romantic moods."

The equipment of the Mercedes W126 is very modest by today's standards, but some options are still symbols of real comfort and prestige: heated front seats and their electric adjustment with a memory for two positions; Climate control, allowing to maintain the desired temperature in the cabin, and cruise control, which maintains the specified speed without touching the gas pedal. Even then, the Mercedes W126 did not accelerate on the descents and kept the speed on the lifts during cruise control. There were many other pleasant little things that are forgotten now, focusing on multimedia entertainment and indulging in a bad driving style.

Mercedes W126 is called the favorite car mechanic. Auto mechanics do not like to repair their own cars, as they are not paid for it. For many, the W126 is still a symbol of reliability, prestigious reliability.