Fourteen Iconic Mercedes Cars That You Will Lust After

The W06 Mercedes SSK was a pre-war sports car that dominated racing, including the 1931 Mille Miglia and numerous Grand Prix victories. Its name is an abbreviation of “Super Sport Kurz”. It was powered by an M06 7.1L supercharged SOHC inline-6 that developed 300hp paired to a 4-speed manual transmission. This made it the fastest car in the world. The SSK was designed by Ferdinand Porsche.

The W29 Mercedes 540K was a grand tourer powered by a 5.4L supercharged inline-8 engine that developed 180hp. This was paired to either 4-speed or optional 5-speed manual transmission. The 540K was one of the largest and most luxurious cars of its time. The coachwork, built by Mercedes in house at Sindelfingen, was highly customizable. With its striking design and advanced technology for the era, the 540K was a symbol of wealth and status in Europe. It was designed by Friedrich Geiger.

The W198 Mercedes 300 SL, commonly known as the “Gullwing” for its doors, is often considered the most iconic and collectible Mercedes of all time. It was powered by an M198 3L SOHC inline-6 that developed 240hp paired to a 4-speed manual transmission. The engine featured dry sump lubrication and Bosch mechanical direct fuel injection. The 300 SL had a tubular frame and four-wheel independent suspension. It was the fastest production car in the world. The 300 SL was designed by Friedrich Geiger.

The W100 Mercedes-Benz 600 was an ultra-luxury sedan favored by celebrities, tycoons, political leaders, and dictators. It was the vehicle that has driven the highest number of heads of states. Known as the “Grosser”, the 600 is markedly larger and heavier than its contemporaries, yet unlike Rolls-Royce of the period, which had become archaic, the 600 was a technology tour de force. It has numerous hydraulically driven amenities from windows to the sunroof as well as self-levelling air suspension. The car was powered by an M100 6.3L SOHC V8 with mechanical fuel injection that developed 247hp paired to a 4-speed automatic transmission. This was Mercedes’s first V8. The 600 was designed by Bruno Sacco, Friedrich Geiger, and Paul Bracq. The LWB Pullman was priced at $24,000 in 1965.

The W113 was a sports car that came in both coupe and convertible body styles. The coupe has a distinctive concave roofline, from which it received the nickname Pagoda. The 280 SL was the final version powered by an M130 2.8L SOHC inline-6 that developed 168hp paired to 4-speed manual, automatic, or 5-speed manual transmission. It was designed by Paul Bracq and Béla Barényi. The Pagoda was a cultural symbol of the 1960s and is highly regarded for its timeless design and engineering excellence.

The W109 was the LWB version of the W108, which was the predecessor to the S-Class. It featured advanced safety features and sophisticated engineering. The 300 SEL 6.3 was powered by the same 6.3L M100 V8 from the 600 Grosser. Since the W109 was a significantly lighter car, it was considered the first German super sedan, though it fell short of the AM107 Maserati Quattroporte in performance. Like the W100, the 300 SEL 6.3 also featured self-levelling air suspension. It was designed by Paul Bracq under Friedrich Geiger.

The W111 was a series of luxury vehicles best known for their tailfins, which obvious drew inspiration from American cars of the 1950s. The W111 introduced features like crumple zones and was highly influential in the development of modern automotive safety standards. The 280 SE 3.5 was the range topper powered by an M116 3.5L SOHC V8 that developed 197hp. It was made in coupe and convertible forms. The 280 SE 3.5 is best known as the first post-war Mercedes coupe with an engine over 3L. It was designed by Paul Bracq.

The W116 was the first S-Class. It introduced many safety innovations, such as ABS, and established the S-Class as the benchmark for luxury and technology. The 450 SEL 6.9 was the range topper powered by a 6.83L version of the M100 V8 from the 600 Grosser that developed 282hp paired to a 3-speed automatic transmission. It had dry sump lubrication so as to fit into the tight engine bay. The 450 SEL 6.9 featured Mercedes’s first full hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension. The W116 was designed by Friedrich Geiger.

The W201 was Mercedes’s first compact class vehicle and the predecessor to the C-Class. As Mercedes wanted to take the 190E rallying, it asked Cosworth to develop a powerful engine. The resulting 2.3L DOHC 16 valve engine was loosely based on the M102 inline-4, developing 183hp. An improved, 2.5L version was introduced in 1988 with 201hp. It had 5-speed manual transmission as standard, while 4-speed automatic was optional. The 190E 2.3-16 is known for its success in touring car racing. It was designed by Bruno Sacco.

The W126 is often considered the best built Mercedes S-Class and was a cultural icon of the 1980s. Because the US had long instituted emissions regulations, affluent American buyers complained that their Mercedes’s were slower than European versions. In 1985, Mercedes addressed this issue with the US-only 560 SE powered by an M117 5.5L SOHC V8 that developed up to 295hp. The 560 SEC was the coupe body style of the W126. It has refined yet imposing styling that still turn heads today, and its technology and features still feel modern. The C126 was designed by Bruno Sacco.

The W124 E-Class is broadly considered the last well-built Mercedes. It was actually developed from the W201 platform and uses the latter’s multi-link rear suspension. The 500E was the high-performance version co-created with Porsche. Since Porsche widened the chassis to fit the M119 5L DOHC V8, it would no longer fit through the assembly at Sindelfingen. Mercedes had to let Porsche assemble the car. The 500E developed 322hp and used a 4-speed automatic transmission. It was designed by Bruno Sacco.

The CLK GTR is the most extreme Mercedes road car ever. Built as a homologation special, it joins the McLaren F1 to represent the hypercar of the 1990s. The CLK GTR has a carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb monocoque and pull-rod suspensions. It was powered by an M297 6.9L DOHC V12 that developed 622hp. Two “SuperSport” cars had the 7.3L version with 655hp. The transmission of choice was a 6-speed automated manual. The CLK GTR had a brief but highly successful racing history.

The SLR McLaren was a high-performance grand tourer co-developed with McLaren. Its elongated hood line and rearward cabin position pays homage to the Mercedes Silver Arrows in the 1930s. It was powered by an M155 5.4L supercharged SOHC V8 that developed 617hp. The special 722 Edition had an uprated version with 641hp. The transmission of choice was the 5G-Tronic 5-speed automatic. The SLR McLaren has a carbon fiber body and was designed by Gordon Murray.

The SLS AMG was the spiritual successor to the 300 SL and the SLR McLaren, though it retailed at less than half the price of the SLR. It is best known for its elongated hood line and gullwing doors. The SLS AMG was powered by an M159 6.2L DOHC V8 paired to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. In the ultimate Black Series, it developed 622hp. The SLS was the swan song of naturally aspirated cars from Sindelfingen.