Question: What was the first flagship sedan of the class of Mercedes-Benz which preceded the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class?

Context articles: Infiniti Q45
Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
Mercedes-Benz CL-Class (C216)
Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W202)
Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
Mercedes-Benz W116
Mercedes-Benz W140
Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W220)
Acura Legend
Mercedes-Benz CL-Class (C215)

The Infiniti Q45 is a full-size luxury car which was sold by Nissan's Infiniti brand from 1989 until 2006.
 It is a rear wheel drive, four-door sedan powered by a V8 engine.
 Early generations were based on the automaker's Japanese-market flagship sedan, the Nissan President, while models produced after 1996 were based on the slightly smaller Nissan Cima.
 Exports of the Q45 ceased after 2006, but the Cima continued to be sold in Japan until August 2010, when production of both the Cima and President ended.
The Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class is a series of mid-size luxury coupés and convertibles produced by German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz in two generations.
 Although its design and styling was derived from the E-Class, the mechanical underpinnings were based on the smaller C-Class, i.e. respectively based on the W202 and W203 platforms of the C-Class.
 It was positioned below the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class and SL-Class, but above the SLK-Class.
 The CLK name derives from the German "Coupé Leicht Kompakt" (or Kurz), translated Coupé-Light-Short.
 In 2009 Mercedes ceased to use the CLK designation moving the segment designation back to E-Class Coupe/Convertible instead, as it had called this specific line of its vehicles previously before the CLK moniker was introduced in 1997.
The Mercedes-Benz C216 is the last generation for the grand tourer Mercedes-Benz CL-Class.
 It replaced the C215 platform.
 In 2014 it was replaced by the C217 S-Class Coupe.
Mercedes-Benz W202 is a compact executive car which was produced by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz in 1993–2000, under the C-Class model names.
 In May 1993, the first generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class was introduced as a replacement for the 190.
 The C-Class sedan was the company's entry-level model up until 1997, when Mercedes-Benz launched the smaller A-Class.
 Styling themes were carried over from the previous W201 series, but the new series had a smoother and rounder design than the previous generation of the compact Mercedes-Benz.
The Mercedes-Benz CL-Class is a line of full-size luxury grand tourers which was produced by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz, produced from 1992 to 2014 in the US.
 The name CL stands for the German Coupé Leicht (Coupé-Light) or Coupé Luxusklasse (Coupé-Luxury)
The Mercedes-Benz W116 is a series of flagship luxury sedans produced from September 1972 until 1980.
 The W116 automobiles were the first Mercedes-Benz models to be officially called S-Class, although earlier sedan models had already unofficially been designated with the letter 'S' – for "Sonderklasse" or "special class."
The Mercedes-Benz W140 is a series of flagship vehicles that were manufactured by the German automotive company Mercedes-Benz.
 On November 16, 1990, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the W140 S-Class via press release, later appearing in several February and March editions of magazines.
 The W140 made its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1991, with the first examples rolling off the production line in April 1991 and North American examples on August 6, 1991.
 Short (SE) and long (SEL) wheelbase sedans were offered initially, as well as the coupé (SEC=S-Klasse-Einspritzmotor(Fuel injection engine)-Coupé) body style C140 from October 1992.
 Like all Mercedes-Benz lines, the W140 S-Class was rationalized in late 1993 using the new "letter-first" nomenclature.
 The SE, SEL, and SEC cars were renamed the S-Class, with alphanumerical designations inverted.
 For example, the 500 SE became the S 500, and the 500 SEL became the S 500 L.
 In 1996 the coupé models following a mid-life update were separated into the CL-Class.
 The W140 series S-Class was superseded by the W220 S-Class sedan and C215 CL-Class coupe in 1999 after an eight-year production run.
The Mercedes-Benz W220 was a series of flagship sedans which constituted the Mercedes-Benz S-Class during the early to mid-2000s.
 Development for the W220 S-Class started in 1992, with the final design, helmed by Steve Mattin being approved in 1994 and frozen for production in the first half of 1995.
 The completed prototypes were presented in June 1998.
 The W220 started production in August 13, 1998, and the C215 CL-Class coupés started production in 1999.
 The W220 was a replacement for the earlier W140 S-Class after the 1998 model year.
 Compared to its predecessor, the W220 had somewhat smaller exterior dimensions but offered more interior space, particularly in the long-wheelbase versions (although the trunk is smaller than on its W140 predecessor).
 Production of the W220 totalled 485,000 units, slightly more than the production totals from the W140.
 Production ended in 2006 when the W220 was replaced by the W221 S-Class and the C215 was replaced in 2006 by the C216 CL-Class.
The Acura Legend is a luxury car manufactured by Honda.
 It was sold in the U.S., Canada, and parts of China under Honda's luxury brand, Acura, from 1986 to 1995, as both a sedan, which was classified as a full-size car, and a coupe, which was classified as a mid-size car.
 It was the first flagship sedan sold under the Acura nameplate, until being renamed in 1996 as the Acura 3.5RL.
 The 3.5RL was the North American version of the KA9 series Honda Legend.
The second generation of the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class is the C215-chassis coupé of 2000–2006.
 It is based on the 1999–2006 Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W220), though it rides on an 8 in shorter wheelbase.
 Sales in Germany started in August 1999 for the CL 500 V8.