By Gunnar Heinrich

Let's see, what happened back in 1986?

Ah yes, Da Bears won Super Bowl XX; the statue of Liberty received a refreshing facelift; Reagan had a frigid tête à tête with Gorbachev in Iceland; oh and Mercedes-Benz introduced the now iconic E-Class.

The first generation (W124) E-Class took over from the workhorse mid-size W123 chassis (which is still known at taxi queues the world over). Part of Benz's 1980s hey day of over-engineered 'Bahn cruisers, the first E-Class remains a respectable, stolid luxury sedan (and wagon).

This (dated) U.S. TV advertisement reminds us why.