[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/the-8-0-litre-w18-mercedes-saloon-that-almost-was\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/the-8-0-litre-w18-mercedes-saloon-that-almost-was\/","headline":"The 8.0-litre W18 Mercedes Saloon That Almost Was","name":"The 8.0-litre W18 Mercedes Saloon That Almost Was","description":"Engineers drafted a W18 design which would have produced around 680hp in a 90s saloon! If you like super saloons then look away because this is enough to make you wince. Mercedes almost made an S-Class with a humongous 8.0-litre W18 engine that would have produced a huge amount of power, even by today\u2019s standards! That\u2019s right, it\u2019s reported that Mercedes engineers drafted a design for the W140 S-Class which was made between 1991 and 1998. Designed to be overzealous, […]","datePublished":"2020-09-25","dateModified":"2020-09-29","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/#Person","name":"Isabelle Lawrence","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/","identifier":30,"description":"Max Wheeler is a leading motoring journalist and classic car specialist at Smart Motoring, renowned for his sharp insight and infectious passion for all things automotive. With years of experience covering motoring news, supercars, and the enduring legacy of classic cars, Max brings stories to life with style and authority. Whether it\u2019s the roar of a Lamborghini, the elegance of an Aston Martin DB5, or the cultural impact of vintage motoring icons, he delivers expert commentary that inspires enthusiasts and collectors alike. Dedicated to celebrating the heritage and future of driving, Max Wheeler is your trusted voice for classic car news and beyond.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Smart Motoring","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/The-8.0-litre-W18-Mercedes-Saloon-That-Almost-Was-feature.jpg","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/The-8.0-litre-W18-Mercedes-Saloon-That-Almost-Was-feature.jpg","height":520,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/the-8-0-litre-w18-mercedes-saloon-that-almost-was\/","about":["Cars","LATEST CAR NEWS","Mercedes-Benz"],"wordCount":533,"keywords":["mercedes","Mercedes-Benz","W18 Mercedes"],"articleBody":"Engineers drafted a W18 design which would have produced around 680hp in a 90s saloon!If you like super saloons then look away because this is enough to make you wince. Mercedes almost made an S-Class with a humongous 8.0-litre W18 engine that would have produced a huge amount of power, even by today\u2019s standards!That\u2019s right, it\u2019s reported that Mercedes engineers drafted a design for the W140 S-Class which was made between 1991 and 1998. Designed to be overzealous, excessive and ruddy powerful these two variants would have, if made, produced amounts of horsepower that even some of today\u2019s super saloons don\u2019t have.The range-topping W18-engined model would have (in an ideal world where this draft was approved by Mercedes) produced 680 hp and 800 Nm of torque. In comparison, the current-gen flagship S-Class (S65) produces just 621 hp from a 6.0-litre V12.Now, we can\u2019t vouch for the accuracy of these projected figures but if an S-Class were to make 680hp in the 90s the world may have just imploded. More realistically, it could have turned the super saloon industry on its head and who knows, maybe the cars we see today would be different if Mercedes went down this path back in the 90s.By Matti Blume – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=68389646Another W18 model has been reported to have been designed, although with less ridiculous power figures. It would have been called the 800 SEL and would produce around 490 hp and 750 Nm of torque.These two mammoth configurations are said to have been conjured in response to word that BMW were producing a V16 7-Series, which of course, did not turn out to be true either. This Cold War of super saloons ending with neither side pressing the button.This W18 engine that never happened would have been called the M 216 and in it\u2019s W configuration there would have been three rows of six cylinders joined at an angle of 75.5 degrees, for the engineers out there. The end product would be a compact engine that would be no longer than a standard straight-six and would have also been able to share many components with a straight-six engine.Despite it being compact, this dense block of sheer explosive power would have weighed as much as a small car and would have ghastly fuel economy. Because of this, along with a power unit so heavy that if you braked sharply the car would probably flip upside down, the fuel tank would also have to be big resulting in the car weighing enough to alter the Earth\u2019s rotation speed.Along with what we assume would be very difficult engineering constraints, the car would also only be for a very select amount of customers and so, in the end, Mercedes did the boring…er I mean the sensible thing and decided it wouldn\u2019t be commercially viable.And so ends the tale of the mythical 8.0-litre W18 S-Class that could have been.Let us know if you think it should have been produced in the comments.If you liked this, you may also like: Your Car Door Sound Is Engineered To Fool You"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Latest News","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The 8.0-litre W18 Mercedes Saloon That Almost Was","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/the-8-0-litre-w18-mercedes-saloon-that-almost-was\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]