Mighty Mercedes-Benz Models of the 1980s

Author: John-Joe Vollans
Photography: Mercedes-Benz

Ask your local automotive pub ‘expert’ when Mercedes-Benz reached its model-range zenith and chances are that the 1980s will crop up. Many a fan of the marque also needs very little provocation to look back at the era of excess with rosy-eyed nostalgia. Trying to argue the machines that emerged from the Stuttgart maker, over four decades ago, were objectively the best its maker ever produced is reductive at best and deluded at worst, though we’ll admit there does seem to be something special about this era…

The 1980s saw Mercedes-Benz fill its ranges with easily discernible and clearly progressive small, medium and large saloons – plus a new SL that replaced the ancient R107. Each were absolute bangers, offering a swift uppercut to their contemporaries. It’s not like Mercedes-Benz was sleepwalking its way through the preceding decade either, with models like the E-Class (W123) and S-Class (W116) making equally strong cases for being the best of Benz. Atop of that already cresting engineering wave came the 1980s era goliaths, first of which was the S-Class (W126).

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Revealed at the end of 1979, the W126 generation wasn’t the first S-Class (second technically) as large M-B saloons had occupied an excessively opulent slot at the top of the range right back to the mid-1950s. The W126 was, however, one of the first generations to really solidify the S-Class as a concept. Its maker had been stung by the excess of its immediate predecessor, in particular the monumentally thirsty and magnificent SEL 6.9. That launched right into the jaws of the first international fuel crisis. Unapologetically awful fuel consumption and overt luxury, however, were deemed gaudy this time around. Instead, W126 engineers would develop a machine at least one generation more advanced than anything else released in the early-1980s. Technology, NVH, aerodynamics and mechanical efficiency were the cornerstones of the W126, with its sexier coupe cousin the C126 – arriving two years later – appeasing many that missed a little excess and AMG catering for the rest.

Most of the cliches about old Mercedes-Benz bank vault build quality and solid-rock-like bodywork stem from the W126, with good reason. Styling – the work of the late great Bruno Sacco, of course – was restrained but elegant and aged well, still looking surprisingly fresh by the end of production in 1992. Not only did it look smart, it was aerodynamically efficient with almost impossibly tight and even panel gaps, streamlined rear lights that even worked in snowy or dusty conditions – due to their fluted design – and wipers that park below the bonnet line. All of which resulted in a drag figure of just 0.36cd; far better than the circa 0.40 of its BMW and Jaguar competitors.

Throw in such niceties as ABS – not the first use, but the first that actually worked reliably – airbags for both front seat occupants, seat belt pre-tensioners and crumple zones (plus reinforced side doors) and you have a safe and advanced classic saloon that feels uncharacteristically modern, especially for a machine launched in the early-1980s.

All that hard work on the W126 was all well and good, but European captains of industry had always been buying big Benzes, the vital entry-level market in which Mercedes-Benz was notable by its absence, meant it was bleeding revenue to the likes of BMW and Audi. The 190 was therefore one of the most important models Mercedes-Benz ever made and its maker certainly took its development seriously. The money M-B threw at the W201 was frankly ridiculous. The total spend on the 190’s development is claimed to exceed £600 million, with a whole new line installed at the Bremen plant; dedicated solely to producing the compact class for generations to come. There’s even a rumour that suggests the 190’s party piece multi-link rear axle cost the same to develop as the whole budget for its main rival – also launched in 1982 – the BMW 3 Series (E30).

Similarly impregnable build quality to its larger sibling was enhanced by equally clever engineering. The 190 was the first Benz to get the large single front windscreen wiper, with its clever cam-operated mechanism allowing the wiper arm to ‘jump’ in the middle. A small touch, but one that perfectly highlights the level of engineering attention paid to this Benz. And we haven’t even got space to mention the famous Cosworth co-developed engine’d 190 DTM contender.

With its solid entry-level model and range topping technological stunner sorted, by the mid-1980s, there was still a room for an equally impressive mid-size model. Enter the W124… Fast forward two years from the 190’s introduction and the visually similar, yet overall larger W124 arrived. This perfectly straddled the gap between the great driving but cramped (for your average German family) 190 and the decadent and expensive S-Class. By the time Heinz and Gretchen made little Hansels and Gretels they’d outgrown the thrusting 190 executive shuttle and were looking to graduate up the M-B line.

The multitude of body styles for the new E-Class had everyone from rich couples and small business owners to large Bavarian families covered as A124 (convertible), C124 (coupe), W124 (saloon) and S124 (estate) variants were all equally well conceived for their specific roles.

The 124 range used a very mildly modified version of the 190’s six-link independent rear suspension, with several four- and six-cylinder engines also shared with the baby Benz. The larger E did get some of the spicier V8 engines too, with AMG taking them even further by creating the legendary four- and two-door Hammers. With its larger interior space, engines and astonishing 0.28cd drag coefficient, the 124 was one of the best high-speed comfy cruisers that Mercedes-Benz has ever built.

The 1980s really was an intoxicating time for fans of the three-pointed star. Engineering did really seem to dictate everything. More innovations and technical advancements were made in these few short years than in the previous and subsequent decades, and we didn’t even get to the magnificent SL R129. It’s easy to see why many, our pub bore included, like to trot out this old cliché as, in this instance at least, it seems to have some justification.