The 500SEL was a variant of the W126 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Sedan. Introduced for the 1980 model year, this family of cars was initially powered by Mercedes' M117.963 5.0L V8 engine, but starting in the 1986 model year, the updated and more powerful M117.965 5.0L V8 unit was used. These engines sent power through both manual and automatic transmission options to the rear wheels. The 'E' designation in the variants' name refers to the 500 SEL's fuel-injection as Einspritzmotor means fuel-injected engine in German, whereas the 'L' refers to the long wheelbase. Production of the Mercedes-Benz 500SEL lasted until 1991, although the variant would continue life in the next generation W140 S-Class as the W140 Mercedes-Benz 500SEL.