The Mercedes SE Class is part of a series of luxury flagship vehicles produced by Mercedes-Benz from 1971 to 1991 known as the W126. The SE was introduced in 1979 along with six other W126 models. Introduced were the 280 SE, 300SE and the 500SE. The 380 was selected by the Wheels Magazine the Car of the Year in 1981. The SE class is a variant of the W126, which came in standard wheelbase as opposed to the SEL variant, which came in a long wheelbase. The SE incorporated the saloon body style. Like other W126 models, the SE was more aerodynamically superior, had a more powerful engine, was more capacious, and more fuel efficient than its counterpart in the W116 line-up. The W116 was the W126’s predecessor. The SE class was composed of several models produced from 1981 to 1991. The least of the engines employed was a 2.8-liter straight six engine in the initial 280 SE model produced from 1981 to 1985. The most powerful engine was the 5.6-liter V8 in the 560 SE produced from 1986 to 1991. Other engines employed were a 3.0-liter, 4.2 liter V8 and a 5.0-liter V8. Out of more than 800,000 W126 cars sold, 366,667 were SE models. The SE class models greatly benefited from the drive of used Mercedes to sustain its dominance in the luxury car segment established by the previous S-class models. Right after the debut of the W116, Mercedes started project W126 whose objective was to improve drive, fuel efficiency, and handling in the next S-class. After six years on the drawing board and various tests conducted, the result was a car that was faster, lighter, and more fuel-efficient. The use of lighter alloys and materials, plus long hours in the wind tunnel to reduce drag coefficient (0.36 for the SE sedans), meant that all W126 models, including the SE, consumed 10% less fuel than the W116. Maximum speed was likewise increased in the most powerful engine up to 250km/h. The SE sedan came without the traditional Mercedes chrome bumpers. Instead, it used deformable bumpers. The doors were covered in pleated leather and on the center console and dash was a woodgrain trim. The SE also had many of safety innovations introduced by the W126, such as the first airbag with supplemental restraint, traction control, and seatbelt pretensioners. The W126 SE was replaced by the W140 SE in 1992 – a unit definitely better. The W126 SE, however, continued to travel all sorts of roads, an affirmation of the model’s durability and excellent engineering.