With the “Fintail” model fading away after a successful career, Mercedes-Benz had to replace it with something better.
And they did it with the 1965 luxury model.

The 1965 S-Class was offered with two wheelbases, the shorter ones being more driver-oriented than for the rear-passengers. The new generation kept the nameplates as 250 S, 250 SE and 300 SE, which succeeded the “fintail” types 220 Sb, 220 SEb and 300 SE. .

It was designed by the famed French designer Paul Bracq. He adopted simple lines for the bodywork and chromed details to emphasize the luxury vehicle. It had vertical headlights, a concept that was different from other car-manufacturers at that time when most of the other car-manufacturers offered round or horizontal units. The 300 SE ditched the air-suspension from the previous model, but it had a hydropneumatic system to compensate the rear axle that could maintain a constant level to the car, regardless of the weight added to the car.

In 1966, the 300 SEL, the longer version of the 300 SE. Its 100 mm (4”) longer wheelbase was used for increased legroom for the rear passengers. Compared to its siblings, this version featured an air-suspension. While the other versions had the W108 designation code, the 300 SEL was named W109, which corresponded to an approximate 109” (2850 mm) wheelbase, compared to the 108” (2750 mm) wheelbase of the W108 models. Initially, the numbers were related to the engine size but latter on, Mercedes-Benz added specific figures for that, such as it was the 300 SEL 6.3 or 4.5, which represented the 6.3-liter and 4.5-liter units, respectively.