Watch: How cars have evolved from the first Mercedes-Benz through to the S-Class of today

Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Mercedes-Benz has always been a company at the cutting edge of automotive technology, and the evolution of its S-Class lineup only goes to show it (Image: Mercedes-Benz)

The Benz Patent-Motorwagen, built all the way back in 1885 and patented the following year, is widely regarded as the first practical automobile ever made.

Not only did this three-wheeled, single-cylinder vehicle give birth to the car as we now know it, but it also played an important role in the evolution of the Mercedes-Benz company we know today, launched in 1926 when Carl Benz entered a merger with Daimler.

Since then, Mercedes-Benz has launched some of the most innovative vehicles the world has seen, particularly in its understated yet cutting edge S-Class range.

If you’ve ever wanted to reflect on just how far cars have come over the years, though, we’ve got the perfect weekend watch for you.

British technology YouTuber ‘Mrwhosetheboss’ recently had the chance to film with 140 years’ worth of cars from the Mercedes-Benz Museum heritage collection.

Starting with an 1889 example of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, he goes on to show the 1928 Mercedes-Benz Nürburg, 1954 Ponton, 1972 ‘W116’ S-Class, 1979 ‘W126’ S-Class, 1991 ‘W140’ S-Class, 1998 ‘W220’ S-Class, 2005 ‘W221’ S-Class, 2013 ‘W222’ S-Class, 2020 ‘W223’ S-Class and its 2026 facelift model, and the 2027 Vision V concept.

Not only does this video highlight how automotive technology has evolved over the years, from manual crank engines through to autonomous driving, it also highlights how the way cars have been designed and built has evolved as well.

Take a look at the full 35-minute video for yourself below:

Deputy Editor

Patrick is an automotive journalist with nearly a decade’s experience across a range of online, print, and broadcast media titles, having road tested over 500 new and classic cars in that time.

After starting out with The Adelaide Hills Weekender Herald newspaper while still studying, he has since contributed to the likes of DriveTribe, Finder, Supercar Blondie, Exhaust Notes Australia, and WhichCar before joining the Retro Rides team. He also launched the car review website Drive Section in 2019 and automotive adventure site Essential Drives in 2024, and has experience in journalism education and academia.

At Retro Rides, Patrick oversees website publishing and content creation. If you have a story you think would be of interest to our audience, he’s your best point of contact at [email protected].

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