Mercedes-Benz S-Class W116 (1972)

 Introduced late in 1972, the 116-series Mercedes-Benz S-Class went on to win the 1974 Car of the Year award almost at a canter.

Where previous winners had all been worthy mainstream cars, here was a luxury car that made cost irrelevant as it was simply so good at everything it did. Ride, comfort, quiet, handling and that Germanic take on luxury all combined to make this S-Class arguably the best car in the world at the time.

The 280SE came with a manual gearbox as standard, but the 350 and 450 V8-powered versions had an auto. They also had the option of a longer wheelbase in the SEL model to give more rear legroom.

For those wanting the ultimate S-Class, the 450SEL 6.9 came with a potent V8 engine as well as hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension.