1980 Mercedes-Benz S-Class - 380 SE

Highly unusual color combination

Only two registered owners to date

Since 1982 with the second and last registered owner

Only 133,442 fully documented kilometers

Chassis no.: 126.032-12-001032

Engine no.: 116.961-12-001056

Body no.: 00845

Production no.: 0403788

Paint: 623 Light Ivory

Interior: 037 Fabric Sienna red

Gearbox number (pictured production data card): 722301-02-005818

Factory options:

438 Elimination of rear safety belts

466 Central locking system

470 Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

570 Front folding armrest

592 Heat-insulating glass, all-around, heated rear window pane (laminated glass), domestic

600 Headlamp wiper/washer

621 Export license plate (elimination of license plate moulding)

636 Elimination of warning triangle

665 Mode of packing, VE I

Provenance:

12/03/1980 – Dipl. Ing. Alois Schippinger, Graz, AT

14/04/1982 – Dr. Welf Nordmeyer, Wels, AT

Documents:

Austrian Typenschein (1980)

Original service booklet

About the model line:

W 126

In 1975, Bruno Sacco succeeded Friedrich Geiger as head of Mercedes- Benz Styling. His mentor had taken his leave with the „Car of the Year,“ and by the end of the 1970s it was time to replace it. The task involved nothing less than the flagship of the marque itself: the S-Class.

Where its predecessor had redefined automotive safety, the new generation would add a different priority: efficiency. The oil crisis had left a lasting mark, shattering faith in unlimited growth and inexhaustible resources. Weight had to be reduced, aerodynamic drag minimised and, ultimately, fuel consumption lowered. Even in the luxury-car segment, common sense had suddenly become respectable.

When it came to styling, Bruno Sacco deliberately avoided every trace of gimmickry. Clean lines, expansive glass areas and an elegance that never sought to impress, but instead appeared effortlessly natural. Sacco would later formulate his famous design philosophy that no new Mercedes should ever make its predecessor look obsolete. Few model series embodied his principle of „vertical affinity“ more perfectly than the W 126.

Beneath the elegant bodywork, Mercedes continued along the path it had already chosen. Weight reduction became the order of the day. High- strength steels, aluminium and a structure refined down to the smallest detail shed around 100 kilograms. At the same time, aerodynamic efficiency improved dramatically. With a drag coefficient of just 0.36, the new S-Class ranked among the most aerodynamic luxury saloons of its era. ABS was now standard equipment, or at the very least available across virtually the entire range. During the model’s production run, the driver’s airbag and seat-belt pretensioners also made their debut here, alongside ASR, ASD and a host of electronic assistance systems that would not become commonplace elsewhere until many years later.

The engines reflected the changing times as well. Large-displacement V8s remained the benchmark, but economical six-cylinder models were now an equally important part of the range. After the first series, carburettors quietly disappeared into history. Electronic fuel injection, overrun fuel cut-off and electronically controlled idle speed had become the new order of the day. The 1985 facelift introduced an entirely new generation of lightweight aluminium V8 engines, crowned by the magnificent 560 SEL. Five and a half litres of displacement, up to 300 horsepower and performance that only a few years earlier would have done justice to a thoroughbred sports car. Yet the S-Class remained true to its character. Acceleration was never its defining virtue; effortless authority was. Travelling more serenely was scarcely possible.

Customers embraced the new S-Class with enthusiasm. Statesmen, business leaders, industrialists and diplomats appreciated it just as much as discerning taxi operators. Few luxury saloons defined the streetscape of the 1980s more completely. By the end of production in 1991, almost 900,000 saloons had been built, making the W 126 the best-selling S-Class generation to this day and one of the most successful luxury automobiles ever produced.

The W 126 was not a revolution. Nor did it need to be. Instead, it perfected everything Mercedes-Benz had spent decades refining: safety, quality, comfort and technical excellence. That is precisely why, for many enthusiasts, it remains the definitive S-Class – an automobile that never had to draw attention to itself because it simply did everything a little better.