Mercedes S-Class in the back of W140 - a legend from the 90s

Not a single Mercedes has deserved such popularity as the famous "Six Hundredth", aka "Boar" or "Stosoroket". The car became the hero of jokes from the 90s, “Zaporozhets” crashed into it, “brothers”, businessmen and officials drove it. None of the Mercedes S-Class models could repeat the success of the W140, especially in the hearts of Russians and residents of the countries of the former Soviet Union.


Today you will learn the full history of the famous "Six Hundredth", although, in fact, few models with a 6,0 liter engine were released. Not every W140 had such a motor - there were more S320s.

The story of

The development of a new body for the flagship Mercedes S-Class began in 1981. Then the W126 was at the peak of popularity, and it had no competitors, except for the BMW E23. But Mercedes is head and shoulders better, it was in demand among the powers that be in different countries.



In 1984, a prototype of the new body was ready, although it was made on the W126 chassis. But they were in no hurry to release a new version until a strong competitor appeared - the BMW E32.

In 1986, the flagship model of Mercedes against the background of the new BMW looked already outdated. Sales began to drop, a couple of years later the Audi V8 debuted, and then the Lexus LS400.



They developed the model on a grand scale - they immediately prepared the V12 engine, and in 1987 20 prototypes were ready.

The first pre-series Mercedes S-Class in the back of the W140 was made towards the end of 1989. Full production began in 1991, although the first batch of cars left the assembly line in 1990.

Public appearance

The debut of the new flagship from Mercedes took place at the Geneva exhibition in March 1991. Surprisingly, a month later the model "arrived" in the USSR.



The Mercedes S-Class turned out to be huge even in a short body, and the design was admired. The length exceeded 5 meters, the weight of most modifications was more than 2,5 tons.

The extended version L (Lange) even outwardly differed - the body is 100 mm larger.

Body and interior

Mercedes S-Class W140 did not look revolutionary. Rather, it was traditional and harmoniously fit into the design of the C and E class models. Then they were produced in the bodies of W201 and W124.

The appearance of the brand's flagship even now attracts admiring glances, and in the early 90s it was a "bomb". Despite the fact that the design was criticized, calling it heavy, this made Mercedes so popular and unlike competitors' cars.

If we compare the prototype of 1984 and the serial Mercedes S-Class W140, you can immediately see how heavy it is. Most likely, the massive Lexus LS400 is to blame for this, they decided to outdo it.



Inside the car is luxurious, and there are many technical innovations. Again, there is an opinion that this is an attempt to get around the Lexus.
The power package on the Mercedes S-Class W140 has become the benchmark for years for the class.

As additional options, you could order a lot of interesting things:

• ? Orthopedic chairs with pumping zones
  
• ? Separate climate control
  
• ? Door closers, they are also "suckers"
  

It is possible to list what was in the most expensive trim levels of the Mercedes S-Class W140 for a long time. If you compare it with the previous W126 body, then it turns out to be simple.

Range of engines

Motors on the new Mercedes were put in six varieties in terms of volume.



A 3,2-liter gasoline engine developed 231 hp. With. Initially, a model in the database was produced with this motor.
In Russia, they did not like such low-powered specimens - there the “Boar” began with a V8, and preferably with a V12.



Engines of 2,8 and 3,2 liters were not enough for a heavy Mercedes, but 4,2 could already provide dynamics. This engine developed 279/286 hp. With.
The second V8 has a working volume of 5 liters with a power of 320/326 hp. With.

The top-end engine was a six-liter V12 with 394/408 hp. With. This engine was created in defiance of BMW with their twelve-liter five-liter unit. By the way, even in the next body, BMW failed to compete - the E38 V12 received a working volume of 5,4 liters. Only the E65 / 66 finally became a full-fledged six-liter.

For thrifty Europeans, they produced the Mercedes S-Class W140 with a reliable OM 603 diesel engine. This engine has a working volume of 3.5 liters and a power of 150 hp. With. You should not expect dynamics from him, but there is traction on the bottoms and fuel consumption pleases.



The most popular were the S320s, with more than twice as many productions as the S420/500.

Unique motor

In the late 1980s, when the Mercedes S-Class W140 was just being prepared for serial production, engineers were working on an unusual engine. It was an eight-liter sixteen-cylinder engine, which already developed 540 hp in development. With.

The unit was created using the same technology as the V12, only instead of two V6s they took two V8s.



But environmental requirements in Germany were already strict in 1991 - the engine was “slaughtered” at the development stage, it did not go into series. It was possible to try to modify it, but the cost of the car would then go off scale, especially since 200 German marks were asked for the "Six hundredth" Mercedes in 000.

Special Versions

As the most luxurious production sedan, the Mercedes S-Class W140 has become popular with businessmen, politicians and criminal elements.
The most interesting of the special versions were the armored Sonderschultz with a B6 + / B7 protection class.

For the most serious customers who wanted a car that was not like the others, they offered the Pullman version - with an even longer body. The device was produced both armored and conventional.

It is worth noting the version created specifically for the Pope - this car was the only one of its kind - in a landau-type body.

Couldn't reach W126 popularity

Although in Russia the Mercedes S-Class W140 is many times more common than cars in the previous body, the Boar could not become as popular. In total, about 400 copies were sold worldwide. This is two times less than the W000, more than 126 units were sold.



But in Russia, it was Stosoroket that became a legend - it just so coincided with the collapse of the USSR and the opening of borders.
Having a "Six hundredth", regardless of the size of its engine, was the ultimate dream for any serious Russian businessman or "brother".



The average cost of "Boar" is about 500 rubles. In this price range, you can find a decent copy. But buying a Mercedes S-Class W000 is one thing, but maintaining it is more difficult.

Details are expensive, bodywork will have to be searched for dismantling for a long time and dreary, but a car in good condition will invariably attract the eyes of other drivers and passers-by.

If someone has always dreamed of the "Boar", then it is worth looking for a copy in which each button will work. It’s easier to initially overpay and then maintain the car in this form than to look for the missing parts and try to return the “zakolhozhenny” Mercedes to the factory state.