One of the most illustrious businessmen of India from the past, Mr Vijay Mallya has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in current times. However, at one point in time, the flamboyant businessman was known as “King of Good Times”, with a drool-worthy collection of some of the most exotic and luxurious cars.
One of the top-of-the-line cars owned by Mallya was this white-coloured 1993 Mercedes Benz S-Class, which was recently seen in Pune, kept in a pristine condition by its current owner.
The Mercedes Benz S-Class owned by Mallya was spotted by an Instagram handle called “parked.in.pune”. This W140 series S-Class, which was first launched in 1991, is finished in a sober but elegant looking shade of Arctic White, with its lower part finished in a theme of Satograu Metallic.
Mercedes-Benz S-Class S 280
This is the Mercedes Benz S-Class S 280 variant, which was one of the highest-selling variants of the model in those times.
The W140 S-Class was the first version of the S-Class to come with a V12 engine. Though, the S 280 variant here used to come with a 2.8-litre M 104 series naturally aspirated inline-six petrol engine, which claimed maximum power output of 190 bhp and a maximum torque output of 270 Nm.
This particular unit owned by Mallya has a 5-speed automatic gearbox, though the car was also available with a 5-speed manual as the standard transmission. Mercedes Benz claimed a top speed of 215 km/h and a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 10.6 seconds for the S 280.
For its times, this W140 Mercedes Benz S-Class was ahead of its times, with all the features which were considered to be premium in that era. It used to come equipped with HID Xenon headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, an electronic stability program and adaptive and self-levelling suspension.
This particular car comes with a dual-tone black and beige interior with faux wood inserts on the dashboard, door panels and a lower centre console. In the images, one can see that the car is equipped with a front centre armrest and a 1-DIN music system, which were also perceived to be luxuries back in the nineties.
Apart from elite businessmen, the W140 Mercedes Benz S-Class was also a preferred choice of wheels by government officials, high ranked bureaucrats and emperors of many kingdoms around the world. The W140 S-Class was replaced with a more advanced and sleeker-looking W220 S-Class in 1998.
Mallaya’s Maybach 62 was spotted as well
Last year, Vijay Mallya’s Maybach 62 was spotted in Mumbai. The rare limousine was auctioned after a UK Court order. Interestingly, the original VJM1 registration plate is not there on the car anymore and it gets a new one. The Maybach was one of the most expensive cars in the world and competed with the likes of Rolls Royce Ghost.
Keyword: Mercedes Benz S-Class was once owned by Vijay Mallya is still in pristine condition