Mercedes-Benz CL-Class Coupé (C140) · S-Class Coupé

C140

V12 and V8 grandeur in W140 two-door form.

Production
1992–1998
Built
26,022
Body
Coupé
Chassis
C140
Mercedes-Benz CL-Class Coupé (C140) (C140)

If the W140 sedan was Mercedes-Benz at its most imposing, the C140 coupé was the same statement carved into two doors — massive, silent, and available with a V12 that made everything else on the autobahn feel provisional.

The SEC coupé had its world premiere in January 1992 in Detroit and its European debut at Geneva two months later, reaching series production that October as the 500 SEC and 600 SEC. It shared the W140’s over-engineered platform, double-pane glass and obsessive noise insulation, but wore a body of its own: frameless windows, no B-pillar, and a shorter 2,944 mm wheelbase. June 1993 brought the corporate renaming to S 500 Coupé and S 600 Coupé, and in March 1994 the 4.2-liter S 420 Coupé arrived as the entry model.

In June 1996 the line was renamed CL-Class and spun off from the S-Class hierarchy as the CL 420, CL 500 and CL 600. Production ended in September 1998 after 26,022 cars, making the C140 the last hand-built S-Class coupé before the C215 adopted a more contemporary design language.

C140 interior
Cabin details of the C140, as preserved in period photography.

Every model.

8 model designations across 1992–1998 — three chassis codes carried through the SEC, S-Class Coupé and CL-Class names.

ModelModel yearsChassisEngineTransmissionTotal
S 420 Coupé1994–1996140.063119.971 / 119.981722.3 · 722.62,496
CL 4201996–1998140.063119.981722.6included above
500 SEC1992–1993140.070119.970722.314,953
S 500 Coupé1993–1996140.070119.970 / 119.980722.3 · 722.6included above
CL 5001996–1998140.070119.980722.6included above
600 SEC1992–1993140.076120.980722.38,573
S 600 Coupé1993–1996140.076120.980 / 120.982722.3 · 722.6included above
CL 6001996–1998140.076120.982722.6included above

* The published production figure covers every series of that model; the source does not break it down further.

722.3x 4-speed automatic, to May 1996722.6x 5-speed electronic automatic, from June 1996
C140 side profile
Studio profile of the C140 — the proportions that defined this chassis.

Year by year.

From the Detroit premiere in January 1992 to the last CL in September 1998.

  1. 1992
    • World premiere in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit; European debut at Geneva in March.
    • Series production began in October with the 500 SEC and 600 SEC — at launch the most expensive cars in the Mercedes-Benz range.
    • Pillarless side glass on a 2,944 mm wheelbase, 169 mm shorter than the saloon, with a body distinctly its own rather than a shortened W140.
  2. 1993
    • June: the corporate renaming reached the coupés — 500 SEC became S 500 Coupé, 600 SEC became S 600 Coupé.
    • Boot-lid badges now stated only displacement and class, dropping the body-style letters.
  3. 1994
    • March: the S 420 Coupé joined at the Geneva Salon as the entry model, with the 4.2-liter four-valve M119 V8.
  4. 1995
    • The S 600 Coupé became the first Mercedes-Benz with the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) — a world first.
    • It was also the first Mercedes-Benz with GPS navigation, the CD-ROM-based Auto Pilot System (APS), with a color display in the center dash.
    • Xenon low-beam headlamps introduced; V12 switched to the 120.982 from June, the V8s to 119.980/119.981 from September.
  5. 1996
    • June: the range was renamed CL-Class and separated from the S-Class as the CL 420, CL 500 and CL 600.
    • The five-speed electronic automatic replaced the four-speed across the range.
    • Side airbags with seat-occupancy sensing, Brake Assist, Parktronic and Linguatronic voice control added.
  6. 1998
    • Production ended in September after 26,022 coupés.
    • Succeeded by the C215 CL-Class.
C140 rear three-quarter view
Rear three-quarter view of the C140.

Engines.

The M119 V8 and M120 V12 as fitted to the C140.

M119

V8
  • 119.9714.2 L · 4,196 cc

    286 PS

    210 kW · 282 hp at 5,700 rpm

    410 N·m

    302 lb·ft at 3,900 rpm

  • 119.9814.2 L · 4,196 cc

    279 PS

    205 kW · 275 hp at 5,700 rpm

    400 N·m

    295 lb·ft at 3,900 rpm

  • 119.9705.0 L · 4,973 cc

    326 PS

    240 kW · 322 hp at 5,700 rpm

    480 N·m

    354 lb·ft at 3,900 rpm

  • 119.9805.0 L · 4,973 cc

    320 PS

    235 kW · 315 hp at 5,600 rpm

    470 N·m

    347 lb·ft at 3,900 rpm

M120

V12
  • 120.9806.0 L · 5,987 cc

    408 PS

    300 kW · 402 hp at 5,200 rpm

    580 N·m

    428 lb·ft at 3,800 rpm

  • 120.9826.0 L · 5,987 cc

    394 PS

    290 kW · 389 hp at 5,200 rpm

    570 N·m

    420 lb·ft at 3,800 rpm