The flag of class and wealth
The W116 broke with the more discreet luxury of its predecessors. The model displayed class and wealth in a completely different way than its predecessor, the discreet W108. Even the Mercedes W111 "Heckflosse" seems discreet compared to the W116.
Model history
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class W116 was produced from model year 1973 to and including 1980. The variants consisted, among other things, of the 280 S, 280 SE (injection) and 280 SEL (long), – 350 SE and 350 SEL, as well as the 450 SE and 450 SEL . In 1975 came the flagship 450 SEL 6,9 – a very special car with a high collector's value today. The car was very expensive in its time. In retrospect, it can be difficult to spot a 450 SEL 6,9 from a more ordinary 280 SEL, since many of the subtleties - and the engine - are hidden from the street. Look for the number "6.9" on the tailgate. No coupé variant of the W116 was ever made.
W116 as a hobby car
There are many W116s on European used car exchanges. My impression is that the market now consists of "survivors" with relatively low mileage and a past as representative cars. A number of large Mercedes-Benz ended up as youth cars and pilsner cars. In terms of price, you can get a clean 280S with around 100.000 km on the odometer for around NOK 100. A 000S or 280SE will hardly ruin the economy and can offer color shades with a lot of 280s nostalgia.
About the pictures
The yellow car was photographed at Maritim outside Oslo (main photo) and in Skien. There are three years between the photos of the yellow car. The silver-gray car with "BL" plates is a late edition, photographed at Kulturgaten in Fornebu on the occasion of the Stjerneløpet 2018. The silver-gray car with "RK" plates and baroque rims was also photographed near Kulturgaten and the old air traffic control tower in Fornebu, 2024. They are both 450SEs equipped with the large 6,9-liter V8 engine. The green car stopped by Cars & Coffee at Øvrevoll galopp, 2025.
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