C126

Mercedes-Benz launched the C126 S-Class Coupé in 1981 as the SEC — S-Klasse, Einspritzung, Coupé — riding on the W126 platform with frameless side glass and a range of engines from the 3.8-liter V8 through the legendary 5.6-liter V8 that powered the 560 SEC. The SEC combined W126 safety and refinement with a silhouette that influenced Mercedes-Benz design language for a generation; inside, leather, wood, and a commanding driving position left no doubt about the car's rank.

Built from 1981 to 1991, the C126 SEC outlasted the W126 sedan and remains the most collectible mainstream S-Class of the 1980s — a grand coupé whose proportions and presence have never quite been equalled by its successors.