560

Mercedes-Benz used the 560 designation in the middle and late 1980s for the top end of its luxury and grand-touring lineup. It first appeared for the 1985 model year on the newly crowned flagship 560 SEL sedan and 560 SEC coupe, which replaced the earlier 500-badged versions at the top of the S-Class range. For 1986, the 560 name also reached the R107 SL roadster, extending the badge to Mercedes-Benz’s open grand tourer. All of these cars were part of the company’s move to make the 5.6-liter V8 the prestige engine of the era. The 560-badged Mercedes-Benz models became especially significant in enthusiast circles because they represented the final and most developed versions of the long-running W126 S-Class and R107 SL generations. Production of the W126-era 560 models continued through 1991, while the 560 SL ended with the close of the R107 series in 1989. The result was a short but highly influential chapter in Mercedes-Benz history, associated with the brand’s late-1980s luxury peak and with some of its most recognizable classic cars.