There can be no disputing that Mercedes-Benz is one of the finest and most revered automotive manufacturers in the world. For starters, they quite literally invented the car. Well, in a roundabout way. Nowadays, they make some truly epic cars for just about any consumer, from feisty hot hatchbacks to the yardstick of luxury sedans. Some of their engines even found their way into other cars.
Sure, Mercedes' latest cars are great and all that, but a lot of car people aren't exactly spending their days lusting over the latest CLA 45 AMG. Instead, most people are after the totally awesome classic cars from the brand's back catalog. Indeed, they all look like they're begging to be taken for a spin.
10 190E 2.5-16 Evo
After Mercedes' plans to conquer the world rally circuit with the 190 failed, they simply decided to take the racing program in a different direction; on the asphalt-covered racetrack. The 190E absolutely dominated touring car circuits all over the world, and as is the case a lot of the time, a homologation special followed close behind.
That special arrived in the form of the 190E 2.5-16 Evolution, which frequently finds itself in discussions about the largest and most obscene rear wings ever fitted to production cars. It also had a swanky body kit and a fantastic set of alloy wheels, as well as being fully stripped out. Even though only 502 were made and this was a proper homologation special, it was surprisingly mundane in terms of performance; the original Evo I made only 191 hp.
9 SL500 (R129)
It's the two-seat roadster that every classic car enthusiast dreams of. It's possibly one of the greatest Mercedes-Benz models of all time. The R129 SL was sold from 1989 to 2001, and it was one of a handful of models that signaled the end of Mercedes' cost-no-object era. It really was one of the best SL models.
Various different versions were available, with the base SL 280 making only 190 hp. The one everyone's after, though, is the SL500. The iconic M113 5.0 liter V8 sends 302 hp to the rear wheels. It was also gorgeous to look at, and great fun to drive. Moreover, the M113, like most other Mercedes engines of the era, was pretty much totally bulletproof.
8 560 SEC (C126)
Every lover of classic Mercedes-Benz models loves the old S-Class models, and the Grossers that came before. So much so, that the old W126-based S-Class Coupe never really seems to get any attention. That sucks, because it really is a fantastic car.
It was the first time ever that the S-Class received a coupe cousin, and it did surprisingly well, selling over 70,000 units across its production run from 1981 to 1991. At launch, and for the rest of its life, it was only available with two engines; a 3.8 liter and a 5.0 liter V8. They're very reliable and awesome to look at, and one look at the classifieds shows that there are some nice ones for a good price.
7 The Hammer
The Hammer was made before AMG became an integral part of Mercedes-Benz, but it was around the time when they got serious about messing around with their cars. If you had a lot of money in the 1980s, few cars could match the Hammer in terms of performance. Even supercars.
It was available as a sedan or a coupe, and there was even a wagon version. They were produced in tiny numbers, as they were special order only, and they remain very special cars. The V8 under the hood was stroked to 6.0 liters, allowing for a 0-60 time of 4.4 seconds and over 170 mph at the top end. Very few cars back then could do that.
6 300SL Gullwing/Roadster
When it comes to the undisputed king of Mercedes-Benz models, the 300SL Gullwing and Roadster siblings reign supreme. Beautiful, fantastic to drive, special, just an all-around incredible car. It's one of those cars where you simply can't find any reason why it shouldn't be worth the insane amount of money that it is currently.
The 300SL, surprisingly, wasn't all that quick. The 212 hp 3.0 liter straight 6 allowed for a 0-60 time of 9.3 seconds. Amazingly enough, despite that base-model Civic-rivaling 0-60 time, the 300SL was the fastest production car of its day, with a top speed of 163 mph. Plus, it's one of those cars where you just feel cool while you're driving it.
5 280SL Pagoda
Following on from the beauty that was the 300SL, the W113 SL Class debuted in 1963, and soldiered on until 1971. Obviously, it wasn't called the "Pagoda" from the factory. That was a nickname given to it thanks to the patented convertible top that it came with.
The excellent chassis engineering meant it was one of the best handling sports cars of its day, and it was also among the first to offer radial tires, rather than cross-ply tires, which could have been detrimental to its dynamics. Possibly the best thing about the Pagoda was its exterior styling; it really was a beautiful car.
4 C111
Some people are sad that the C111 never reached production, but in actuality, it was never meant to. It was simply an engineering exercise that Mercedes used to research and finesse new engine technologies. One C111 was powered by a rotary engine, for example.
There was also a single V8-powered version, but the most interesting of all the C111 concepts was the turbo diesel model. Even though it only had 228 hp, the incredibly aerodynamic body allowed it to achieve 200 mph, breaking various diesel and gasoline speed records in the process.
3 540K
Introduced in 1936, the 540K came from an era where automakers only sold the chassis, and then let the owners do whatever they wanted with the bodywork. A variety of body styles were offered, including an armored limousine with seven seats.
No matter what body style the customer went with, they were all beautiful. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the 540K was to be found under the hood. It used a 5.4 liter straight 8 engine (remember those?) which made only 115 hp. But, the engine also had a roots supercharger that could be engaged manually, to give a total of 180 hp. Mercedes did it way before Mad Max.
2 S-Class (W140)
The S-Class has always been the benchmark, the trendsetter for the luxury sedan segment. Every generation of the S-Class has always debuted groundbreaking technology that would eventually be used by tons of other cars, both more expensive and less expensive.
Mercedes fans agree that the best generation of the S-Class was the W140, sold from 1991 to 1998. A handful of powertrains were offered, ranging from a 2.8 liter I6 with a 190 hp, all the way to a 6.0 liter V12 with 400 hp. The W140 was also no exception to the debuting groundbreaking stuff rule; parking sensors, soft-close doors, phone integration, a full-color infotainment display with navigation, double-glazed windows, and an early version of speed proportional power steering.
1 500E
The W124 was definitely an interesting machine. The 190E was definitely making rounds in worldwide touring car championships, but Mercedes decided that they need to up the ante just a little bit. In order to do that, they turned to Porsche.
Porsche was very cash strapped at the time, and AMG was still messing around with Mitsubishi's sedans. Because they needed the money, Porsche agreed to build and assemble the 500E at their facility in Zuffenhausen, Germany. It may have looked like a typical W124 on the outside, but it used a 5.0 liter V8 with 322 hp. Definitely one of the coolest sleepers of all time.