Mercedes-Benz manufactured the W140 S-Class sedan from 1991 until 1999, with a facelift in 1994. The car in the photos is a pre-facelift example, recognizable by the two-tone exterior appearance and the rear-parking markers (“guide rods“) at the rear corners of the trunk lid.
Note the external antenna next to the original antenna, which seems broken. It has the original eight-hole alloy wheels, shiny chrome strips above the bumpers, and aftermarket privacy film on the windows.
Black plates
Chinese authorities issued the famous black license plates to foreign-owned companies from the 1980s to the mid-2000s. These companies could either buy a car locally or import one, with no restrictions on quantity, price, or engine type. The numbering started at 京A·00001 and increased sequentially, meaning lower numbers indicate older vehicles. Any black plate beginning with 京A·0 or 京A·1 is considered ultra-rare. This Mercedes is one of those rare early cars, with 京A·07929.
Specifications
The pre-facelift Mercedes-Benz S 500L model had a 5.0-liter V8 under the hood. The output of the engine was 322 hp and 470 Nm. It had a 5-speed automatic gearbox and rear-wheel drive. The S 500L was an extremely fast car for the time, with a 250 km/h (155 mph) limited top speed, and it did 0-100 in 7.3 seconds. The W140 was the first S-class that Mercedes-Benz officially sold in China. Most were sold to the government or corporate buyers.
The sedan has a bit of damage to the bumpers, but that’s okay for its age. Otherwise, it is just so perfectly original. Check out the headlight wipers, the mirrors in body color, and the black door handles.
Today, most W1140 sedans are in private hands, but it is becoming very hard to keep them legally on the road. The latest environmental regulations all but ban the W140 from the big cities, so sadly, some will be scrapped, and others will end up in the countryside.