This Lost-and-Forgotten Mercedes-Benz Just Received an Unimaginable Restoration

Most others would’ve left this neglected Benz to rot in the fields.

Black Mercedes-Benz SEL600 sedan with V12 badge on flatbed tow truck.

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Published February 25, 2026

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Updated February 25, 2026

When it comes to car restorations, most people think of old, worthy iconic classics from the 1980s and prior. But how about a long-lost and neglected 1991 Mercedes-Benz W140 600SEL?

That’s what Vintage Car Revival chose to do after discovering it in its decrepit state. Normally, people would label a Mercedes-Benz of this vintage as being a “money pit” and way too complicated for its own good.

But such couldn’t be further from the truth. Especially for what’s arguably one of the most important generations of S-Class out of the seven ever made.

A true meaning of nut-and-bolt restoration

Specifics about the restoration are limited. But the video posted on VCR’s YouTube channel speaks enough volumes about the level of effort put into this restoration.

Which, after watching the video from start to end, is certainly more worthy of being a work of art than just your average old car fixer-upper.

Front of a black car with a broken right headlight and damaged grille, with a person’s hand near the grille. — If anyone saw this decrepit, old W140 S-Class, most would’ve dismissed it as a worthless moneypit.

The video starts off with the crew, seemingly based in China, rolling the big, German leviathan, out from its resting place at what appears to be a junkyard. Then, the unthinkable occurs.

The restoration team doesn’t just disassemble the car, only fixing what’s broken. Rather, they completely strip down the 34-year-old flagship down to its bare metal.

Bare metal car frame without wheels or doors inside a large industrial facility. — But this restoration shop gave it an unmatched level of tender, loving care, including a bare-metal repaint.

Yes. They completely gut the interior, remove all the exterior attachment trim parts and disassemble the doors, lighting and so on.

The body shell then goes into several stages of paint removal, electro-dipping and acid baths. The former and latter processes removes all layers — including the primer. The treatment also rids the metal of any cancerous corrosion while futureproofing against it.

Hand wearing a blue glove assembling or inspecting a silver metal engine block component. — The shop even went as far as disassembling and rebuilding the car’s legendary M120 6.0-liter V12.

The metal shop then proceeds to dip the body completely in new primer. That, of course, allows for a complete respray of the original black paint. Did I mention they also completely disassembled and overhauled the car’s V12, down to the crankshaft bearings?

Person wearing white gloves and a dark jacket working on a translucent plastic sheet on a green cutting mat. — Part unavailable? No worries. The team behind this restoration even remade the original seat support air bladder from scratch.

To add to the level of involvement, the interior restoration even included remaking the plastic pneumatic seat back support bladders, which are a common wear item. The team also repolished all the wood trim, completely rebuilt the car’s wiring harnesses — also a well-documented trouble spot on these older Benzes — and reupholstered the headliner.

From overengineered rags to riches

Workshop with car parts laid out on the floor and shelves, a person in a white coat carrying a part. — This screenshot just helps visualize the scope of this project.

As the definitive full-size luxury sedan of the 1990s, the Mercedes-Benz W140 S-Class was a groundbreaking and innovative automobile. It defined the automotive archetypes of being “way ahead of its time” and overengineered.

After all, the third-generation S-Class pioneered a bunch of industry firsts. For example, it was the first car to feature soft-close doors, electronic stability control and double-pane door glass.

Black Mercedes-Benz sedan driving on a road with blue and white guardrails in the background. — And the final result, a near-perfect restoration of this once legendary flagship.

It was also one of the first cars to popularize electronic parking aids, high-intensity discharge xenon headlights and use a modern CAN-bus electronic control network. The latter serves as the computer system for all of the car’s luxury features.

The most expensive Mercedes-Benz ever developed

Silver four-door sedan driving on a road with blurred green hillside and blue water in the background. — To this day, the W140 remains as one of the most overlooked generations of S-Class, and undeservedly so.

To date, it remains as the most expensive car that Mercedes-Benz ever developed. It was so expensive, it earned the nickname as the “Billion Dollar Car.” As rumors say, the German automaker spent over a billion dollars (in the 1980s!) to engineer the car.

Black Mercedes-Benz 600 SEL sedan on display indoors with several people around it. — The W140 debuted at the 1991 Geneva Motor Show, launching in dealers later that year, after R&D delays.

But this ’91 600SEL is extra special, being the first-ever V12-powered passenger car produced by Mercedes-Benz. Known as the M120, it displaces naturally-aspirated 6.0-liters, punching out 402 horsepower and 408 pound-feet of torque.

And that propelled the 600SEL from 0-60 MPH in nearly six-seconds.

Dark gray Mercedes-Benz sedan with V12 badge driving on a grassy field near a tree. — Today, prospective buyers can find a W140 S-Class at a fraction of its original cost when new.

Today, collectors W140 often overlook as a classic, mainly because of its perceived technological complexity and original high costs of entry. Because it’s a very intricate vehicle, they’re also known for high maintenance costs.

While somewhat true, hardcore enthusiasts regard the W140 as “the last true Mercedes-Benz S-Class.” But as we also know, not all hearsay about old Mercedes-Benzes is true.

About the Author: Chris Chin is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, trucks and anything else with four wheels. He has over a decade of experience writing news and reviews but considers himself an enthusiast first, with a passion for classics and European cars. His daily driver is a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL with nearly 250,000 miles (87,000 are his).

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