Harley Owners Group

When you think saloon car, the chances are that the Mercedes varieties are one of the first things you picture. They've been at the forefront of this field for a long time now, and continue to impress. In terms of the best selling model ever, the winner is clear. The W123 might look humble, but almost three million units of this one car were sold between nineteen seventy-six and nineteen eighty-five. It's still a familiar sight on roads around the world thanks to its classic status.

A Saloon that defines seventies chic is the Mercedes Benz 450SEL 6.9. This is a pumped up version of the standard S-class saloons on offer at the time. It was unleashed for a limited run, and brought with it some exclusive gadgets. The most memorable of these are the self-levelling suspension, and the anti lock breaking controlled by means of electronic sensors. It was truly ahead of its time.

Go a little further back, and the Mercedes Benz W114 and W115 models topped the field in their day. They're really boxy, and although there's a certain amount of affection towards them, you'd hardly call them pretty. But they did their job well, and earned the cool shortened name of the 'slash eight' thanks for their 1968 release into the marketplace. Many enthusiasts still love these cars today.

If you're heading to buy something more modern, the W221 is an example of how a saloon can meet all comers. It flew away with many of the top award after its 2007 release, and defined the style of modern elegance. Safety features were a real high point, with infra red lights pumping up night driving visibility to the same as full beam without creating glare for other drivers, and the incredible safe first sensors which could detect a crash and prepare the driver with seatbelt tightening and rapid seat position movement. It was a favourite of German diplomats.

The e63 AMG is typical of the AMG range, in that it takes an existing model - in this case the e-class - and modifies it until it turns into a monster. The e-class might be something of a workhorse, but the e63 will blast to sixty in 4.3 seconds, and can comfortably hang around the two hundred mile per hour mark.