Papercraft model of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the flagship saloon that has set the trend in automotive luxury for decades.
| Manufacturer | Mercedes-Benz |
|---|---|
| Season | 2020 |
| Category | Street |
| Scale | 1:24 |
| Difficulty | High |
| Estimated time | 4-5 hours |
| Print format | 4 A4 sheets |
| Source | Unknown |
What you'll need: 200-250 gsm paper or cardstock, scissors or a craft knife, a ruler and glue stick.
Since its inception, the S-Class has been Mercedes-Benz's technological showcase, debuting innovations that later trickle down to the rest of the lineup.
Although Mercedes-Benz had been building representative sedans since the 1950s, the "S-Class" name (from the German Sonderklasse, "special class") was officially adopted in 1972 with the W116 generation, the first Mercedes to carry that designation formally. Since then, every new generation — W126, W140, W220, W221, W222 and the current W223 — has served as a testbed for the brand's most advanced technology before it trickled down to the rest of the lineup, from standard ABS in 1978 to the driver's airbag in 1981, and later adaptive suspension and semi-autonomous driving aids.
The 1990s W140 generation is remembered as a special case: its development cost and complexity ballooned to the point of drawing internal criticism at Mercedes for over-engineering, though today it's valued precisely for that excess of solidity and equipment. The S-Class is also the go-to model as an official state car for heads of state and government in many countries, a role that has reinforced its image as Mercedes-Benz's technological and prestige flagship.