The Mercedes Sedan History Almost Forgot Entirely

Mercedes introduced the M120 6.0-liter V12 in production cars with the 1991 W140 S-Class 600 SEL, making it Mercedes' first production V12. The engine delivered 389 hp in the US and 428 lb-ft of torque, enabling a claimed 0-60 time around 6.3 seconds and a governed top speed of 155 mph. Engineers used twin-cam heads and advanced electronic fuel management to emphasize smooth torque rather than peak numbers.

M120's influence extended beyond Mercedes: Pagani fitted the 6.0-liter engine into the Zonda C12, and AMG later expanded the architecture to 7.0 and 7.3 liters for subsequent Zonda variants. A derived M297 powered the CLK GTR in FIA GT competition in 1997.