Mercedes-Benz W108

Mercedes-Benz W108

The Mercedes-Benz W108 and W109 were luxury cars built by Mercedes-Benz from 1965 through 1972. The line was an update of the predecessor W111  and W112 fintail sedans. The cars were successful in West Germany and in export markets including North America and Southeast Asia. During the seven-year production run, a total of 383,361 units were assembled

Car evolution

The car's predecessor, the Mercedes-Benz W111 (produced 1959-1971) helped Daimler develop greater sales and achieve economy of scale production. Whereas in the 1950s, Mercedes-Benz was producing hand-assembled 300s and 300SLs along with conveyor assembled Pontons (190, 190SL and 220) etc., the fintail (German: Heckflosse) family united the entire Mercedes-Benz range of vehicles onto one automobile platform, reducing production time and costs. However, the design fashion of the early 1960s changed. For example, the tail fins, originally intended to improve aerodynamic stability, died out within a few years as a fashion accessory. By the time the 2-door coupe and cabriolet W111s were launched, the fins lost their chrome trim and sharp appearance, the arrival of the W113 Pagoda in 1963 saw them further buried into the trunk's contour, and finally disappeared on the W100 600 in 1964.
The upgrade of the W111 began under the leadership of designer Paul Bracq. Although the fins' departure was the most visible change, the W108 compared to the W111 had a lower body waist line that increased the window area, (the windscreen was 17 percent larger than W111). The cars had a lower ride (a decrease by 60 mm) and wider doors (+15 mm). The result was a visibly new car with a more sleek appearance and an open and spacious interior.
The suspension system featured a reinforced rear axle with hydro-pneumatic compensating spring. The car sat on larger wheels (14”) and had disc brakes on front and rear. The W109 was identical to the W108, but featured an extended wheelbase of 115 mm (4.5 in) and self-levelling air suspension. This was seen as a successor to the W112 300SEL that was originally intended as an interim car between the 300 Adenauer(W189) and the 600 (W100) limousines. However, its success as "premium flagship" convinced Daimler to add a LWB car to the model range. From that moment on, all future S-Class models would feature a LWB line.
Although the W108 succeeded the W111 as a premium range full-size car, it did not replace it. Production of the W111 continued, however the 230S was now downgraded to the mid-range series, the Mercedes-Benz W110, and marketed as a flagship of that family until their production ceased in 1968. The W108 is popular with collectors and the most desirable models to collect are the early floor shift models with the classic round gear knob and the 300 SEL's.

The initial range

The car was premièred at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1965. The initial model lineup consisted of three W108s: 250S, 250SE, and 300SE, as well as a sole W109, the 300SEL. Engines for the new car were carried over from the previous generation, but enlarged and refined.
The 250S was the entry-level vehicle fitted with a 2496 cm³ Straight-six M108 engine, with two dual downdraft carburettors, delivering 130 bhp (97 kW) at 5400 rpm which accelerated the car to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 13 seconds (14 on automatic transmission) and gave a top speed of 182 km/h (177 on auto).
The 250SE featured an identical straight-six, but with a six-plunger fuel injection (designated M129) with performance improved to 150 bhp (110 kW) at 5500 rpm, which decreased 0-100 acceleration by one second and increased top speed by 11 km/h (7 mph) for both manual and automatic versions.
Both the 300SE and 300SEL came with the M189 2996 cm³ engine, originally developed for the Adenauers. It had a modern six-plunger pump that adjusted automatically to accelerator pedal pressure, engine speed, atmospheric pressure, and cooling water temperature, to deliver the proper mixture depending on driving conditions. Producing 170 bhp (130 kW) at 5,400 rpm the cars could accelerate to 200 km/h (195 km/h with automatic transmission) and reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in 12 seconds. The cylinder capacity of the three litre Mercedes engine was unchanged since 1951. From 1965 to 1967, fewer than 3,000 W109s were produced. However, approximately 130,000 of the less powerful 250 S/SE models were built during the first two years of the W108/109's existence. By 1967 the fuel consumption of the 3 litre unit in this application was becoming increasingly uncompetitive.
The new generation

During the winter of 1967/1968 Daimler launched its new generation family of vehicles, called Stroke eight for the model year. The headline was the new W114 and W115 family, built on a new chassis, but the existing models were given an upgrade with a single engine, the 2778 cc M130.
The W108 now included 280S and 280SE, with production starting in November 1967. These replaced the 250S, 250SE and 300SE, however production of export-designated 250S would continue until March 1969. For the W109, the 300SEL finally retired the M189 engine, and received the identical 2.8 M130. In January 1968, the model line was joined by yet another car, the 280SEL. The car had the longer wheelbase of the W109, but lacked the pneumatic suspension and other features of the 300SEL. Hence the chassis code remained W108.
Performance on the cars improved. On the 280S the two downdraft carburettors produced 170 hp (130 kW) at 5200 rpm and could push the car to 185 km/h (180 on auto), whilst 0-100 was done in 12.5 seconds. The fuel-injected delivered 160 hp (120 kW) at 5500 rpm, and featured a new pump which was not affected by temperature or altitude. Thanks to the air oil filter and better arrangement of cylinders, cooling and hence economy improved. Performance of the 280SE, 280SEL and 300SEL was all but identical, a top speed of 190 km/h (185 on auto) and a 0-100 acceleration in 10.5 seconds for the W108s, the W109 due to its larger weight, took slightly longer, 12.2 seconds.

The 6.3

Back in 1964, Mercedes-Benz launched its top-range W100 limousine which featured a SOHC 6.3 litre V8 engine. However the limited hand-assembly of the limousine and its very high price limited the sale of the car, whilst the size and weight affected performance. In 1966 company engineer Erich Waxenberger transplanted the big V8 into a standard W109, creating the world's first Q-car.
Despite the large size of the W109, the automaker claimed 0-62 mph (0–100 km/h) time of 6.3 seconds. Full-scale production began in December 1967. Claimed as the fastest production sedan (top speed of 229 km/h), the 300SEL 6.3, held this title for many years. West Germany's stringently applied trade description laws and figures resulted in these figures being under quoted. The 6.3 also introduced a new numbering scheme, whereby the model name described the parent model and the engine displacement was separate. This nomenclature was used by Mercedes-Benz until the introduction of the class system in 1993.
Later models

The 300SEL 6.3 was a special model and production of the fuel-thirsty M100 engines was limited. As new models were being developed the export markets had to be considered, and the United States in particular. The American car production by the late 1960s has largely switched to Big-block V8 powered cars, and Mercedes-Benz had to produce its own eight-cylinder engine to stay competitive.
The new engines arrived in late 1969, and the first was the 3499 cc M116 V8 with Bosch electronic fuel injection, producing 200 h.p, was fitted to the W109, and shown on the Frankfurt Auto Show. The car was christened as the 300SEL 3.5. Its performance included a top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph) and 0–100 km/h in 10 seconds. During summer of 1970, the M116 was added to the W108 lineup on both regular and LWB, the 280SE 3.5 and the 280SEL 3.5 respectively.
The next year saw further retirements of the Pontons, the 2-door W111s and the W113 pagoda roadsters were phased out of production. This left the W108 and W109 as the sole survivors of the ageing family. However the arrival of the big-block 4520 cc 225 hp (168 kW) M117 engine allowed for a final set of vehicles to be launched in the spring of 1971, the W108 280SE 4.5 and 280SEL 4.5 and the W109 300SEL 4.5. This, was destined solely for the US market. Performance improved, top speed - 205 km/h, 0-100 - 9.5 seconds.
However as the mainstream V8 models were being introduced, production was already drawing to a close, the straight-six 300SEL was finished in January 1970, and in April 1971 the 280SEL followed. The 280SE 3.5 and 280SEL W108s were retired in summer of 1972. In September the last 300SEL 3.5 and the 6.3 rolled off the conveyors. A month later, the final 300SEL 4.5 ended the W109's output, and in November saw the final models of the W108 280SE and 280SEL 4.5s end a seven-year history.

 

Mercedes-Benz W111

Mercedes-Benz W111

The Mercedes-Benz W111 was a chassis code given to its top-range vehicles, including 4-door sedans, produced from 1959 to 1968, and 2-door coupes and cabriolets from 1961 to 1971. The W111, was initially attributed only to 6-cylinder cars with 2.2-litre engines. The luxury version with big-block 3-litre engines were given the chassis code W112. The entry-level vehicles with 4-cylinder engines were called W110. All three versions W110, W111, and W112, in both 2- and 4-door bodies, were built on an identical chassis.

Design History

Mercedes-Benz emerged from World War II as an automaker in the early 1950s with the expensive 300 Adenauers and the 300SL roadsters that gained it fame, but it was the simple unibody Pontons that were the volume models.
Work on replacing these cars began in 1956, and the design focused on passenger comfort and safety. The basic Ponton cabin was widened and squared off, with larger glass area improving driver visibility. A milestone in car design were front and rear crumple zones that would absorb kinetic energy from impact. The automaker also patented retractable seatbelts.
The exterior was designed for the European and North American markets. The body was modern and featured characteristic tailfins that gave the models their nickname

Production history

The sedan

Series production of the 4-door sedan began in August 1959, and the car was premiered at the Frankfurt Auto Show in autumn. Initially the series consisted of three models the 220b, 220Sb, and the 220SEb. These replaced the 219 W105, the 220S W180 and the 220SE W128 Ponton sedans respectively. The 220b was seen as a budget version lacking the extra chrome trims on the exterior, and having more simple wheel hub caps, interior trim and even pockets on doors. The prices for the three cars was 16,750, 18,500 and 20,500 in Deutsche Mark respectively. Production ratio was roughly at a rate of 1:2:1.
Powering the three cars was an identical 2195 cc straight-six engine, carried over from the previous generation, producing 95 hp (71 kW) at 4800 rpm, and capable of accelerating the heavy car to 160 km/h (155 if fitted with optional automatic gearbox). The engine of the 220Sb with twin carburettors, produced 110 hp (82 kW) at 5000 rpm and raised the top speed to 165 km/h (103 mph) (160 km/h (99 mph)) and improved the 0–100 km/h acceleration to 15 seconds (16 on the 220b). The top range 220SEb featured Bosch fuel injection producing 120 hp (89 kW) at 4800 rpm, with top speed of 172 km/h (107 mph) (168 km/h (104 mph) for auto) and a 0–100 km/h in 14 seconds.

220Sb Mercedes-Benz

In 1961, the fintail range was filled with three new models, a simplified 4-cylinder W110, an identical, but fitted with a big-block 3-litre engine W112, and a 2-door coupe/cabriolet of the W111/W112 (see below). Though never attributed as part of the fintail family, the Mercedes-Benz W113 Pagoda roadster was designed as an identical modernisation of the 190SL Ponton, and came about in 1963.

220Sb Mercedes-Benz

In summer 1965, production was terminated in launch of the new Mercedes-Benz W108 sedan. A total production of each was: 220b - 69,691, 220Sb - 161,119, and 220SEb - 65,886. Earlier in May, Mercedes-Benz gave its budget-range W110 cars a major facelift and in doing so opted to continue producing the W111 as a new model 230S. Previously the W110 was separate in terms of marketing and was classed as a 4 instead of 6-cylinder, 1965 turned that around. Despite their visual differences the cars were practically identical in terms of chassis and drivetrain. In 1965 the W110 was equipped with a six-cylinder engine, creating the model 230. The 230S, became a flagship model of the Mercedes mid-range cars (predecessors to today's E-class).
The 230S was visually identical to the 220S, with a modernised 2306 cm³ M180 engine with twin Zenith carburettors producing 120 horsepower (89 kW) at 5400 rpm. Top speed 176 km/h (109 mph) (174 km/h (108 mph) on auto), acceleration 13 seconds (15 on auto). In this final configuration a total of 41,107 cars were built through January 1968, when the last of 4-door fintails left the production line. Between 1959 and 1968 a total of 337,803 W111s were built.

The two-door

Mercedes-Benz 280SE coupe (US)

The fintails were almost gone on two-door versions

Design of a replacement for the two-door Pontons began in 1957, as most of the chassis and drivetrain were to be unified with the sedan, the scope was focused on the exterior styling. Some of the mockups and prototypes show that Mercedes-Benz attempted to give the two-door car a front styling almost identical to what would be realised in the Pagoda roadster, but ultimately favoured the work of engineer Paul Bracq. The rear bodywork however, persisted, and thus, though officially still called a fintail the rear end design had no chrome fin highlights.
Production began in late 1960, and in February of the next year the coupe was premiered in Stuttgart for the 75th anniversary of the opening of Mercedes-Benz Museum. The convertible followed at the Frankfurt Auto Show a few months later; the car was almost identical to the coupe, with the soft-top roof folded into a recess behind the rear seat and covered by a tightly fitting bag. Unlike the previous generation of two-door ponton series, there was only one model for the 2-door vehicle, the 220SE on both versions, with the identical M127 2195 cc engine. Prices in 1962 were 32,500 for the coupe and 36,000 NLG for the cabriolet. Options included a sliding sunroof for the coupe, automatic transmission, power steering, and individual rear seats.

220SE Mercedes-Benz

In March 1962, Mercedes-Benz released the almost identical two-door 300SE. However, due to marketing reasons, this car, like its sedan stablemate, was kept apart from the 220SE, and had its own chassis number W112, which envisioned it as a successor to the W187 300S two-door series, rather than the Ponton range. The car was featured with a chrome strip, air suspension and Daimler's top-range 2996 cm³ M189 engine. For prices of 45,000 and 48,500 for the hard and soft roofs respectively, this vehicle remained split from the rest of the W111 family.
In summer of 1965 Mercedes-Benz launched its new replacements for both W111 and W112 sedans, the W108 and W109 respectively. In a bizarre twist of fate, this car's design was based on the W111 coupe, but widened and squared off, as the fintail fashion was quickly eroding by the mid 1960s. Design work on a future new chassis that would fully replace the Ponton-derivatives which both W111/W112 and W108/W109 were, was well under way (the concept car of the first S-Class was shown in 1967). Given these two facts, Daimler did not develop a W108/W109 two-door vehicle at all and continued production of the W111/W112. However both models were modernised; the 220SE was superseded in early autumn by the 250SE which featured the new 2496 cm³ M129 engine, producing 150 horsepower (110 kW) at 5500 rpm, which gave it a significant improvement in top speed, 193 km/h (120 mph) (188 km/h (117 mph) on auto), and 0–100 km/h acceleration 12 seconds (14 on auto). Visibly the changes only affected the new 14-inch rims with new hub cabs and beauty rings; this was to accommodate the larger disk brakes and the new rear axle from the W108 family.
In November 1967, the 250SE was superseded by the new 280SE. The new M130 engine had 2778 cubic centimetres volume, and output 160 hp (120 kW) at 5500 rpm. Top speed was hardly affected, the acceleration though improved to 10.5 seconds (13 on auto). Inside the car received a wood veneer option on the dashboard and other minor changes including door lock buttons and different heater levers. The hubcaps were changed yet again to a new one piece design and the design of the exterior mirror changed. The 300SE, based on early 1950s M189, was also retired. The modern 280SE could outperform the 300SE despite the smaller engine.

Mercedes-Benz upgraded the W111, some feature a V8 engine

The coupe and cabriolet was back to a single model until its replacement, the new-generation chassis in 1968.
A final model was added in August 1969 the 280SE 3.5. The car was fitted with the brand-new M116 3499 cc V8 engine with 200 hp (150 kW) at 5800 rpm, a top speed of 210 km/h (130 mph) (205 km/h (127 mph) on auto) and a 0-100 at 9,5 seconds (11,5 on auto). To accommodate the large engine, the car's front grille was widened and front and rear bumpers were modified with the addition of rubber strips. The rear lenses changed to a flatter cleaner design. This change was carried across the standard 280SE. Some view this car as an ideological successor to the W112 300SE, though it lacked the air suspension.

280SE Mercedes-Benz

There were plans to place the larger M117 V8 engine on the W111 (the model would have been called 280SE 4.5).
The last 280SE was produced in January 1971, with the 280SE 3.5 ending in July. The total production over the decade was: 220SEb - 16,902, 250SE - 6,213, 280SE - 5,187, and 280SE 3.5 - 4,502 units. Not including 3,127 W112 300SE models, the grand total of 2-door W111 models was 32,804 of which 7,456 were convertibles.
The replacement for the 2-doors models was the C107 SLC, focusing on compact sportiness. Moreover for nearly two-decades the convertible would disappear from Mercedes-Benz's lineup altogether (only in 1992 will Daimler launch the A124).

Mercedes-Benz W110

Mercedes-Benz W110

The W110 "Fintail" (German: Heckflosse) was Mercedes-Benz's line of midsize four-cylinder automobiles in the mid-1960s. The line was introduced with the 190c and 190Dc sedan in April, 1961,replacing the W120 180c/180Dc and W121 190b/190Db. The W110 line was refreshed in July, 1965 to become the 200 and Diesel 200D (model year 1966 for North America); at the same time, a six-cylinder 230 (successor to the Mercedes 220) became part of the W110 line. Production lasted just three more years, with the W115 220 and 220D introduced in 1968. The W110 and the 6 cylinder W111 were the first series of Mercedes cars to be extensively crash tested for occupant safety.

First Series (1961-1965)

The 190c and 190Dc replaced the W120 180c/180Dc  and W121 190b/190Db as Mercedes-Benz's line of less-expensive four-cylinder sedans. The "D" denoted a Diesel engine, a technology pioneered by Mercedes-Benz and championed despite widespread derision in the motoring press. The body was derived from the W111 series but with a 145mm shorter nose and rounded headlights (which gave a similar front-end appearance to the W120/121 ponton models). The rear end was identical to the W111 220b (the 220b was the base model of the W111 series). The interior layout and dimensions were also identical to the W111 220b, but with fewer options such as fixed-back seats and bakelite trim on the dashboard (as opposed to timber in the W111 models). Because the 190c and 190Dc models were basically a W111 220b with a shorter front, they offered the same interior and luggage space as the W111 series but with smaller and more fuel efficient engines. This made them extremely popular with taxi drivers.Production of the 190Dc exceeded that of the petrol engined 190c by nearly 100,000 units.

Second Series (1965-1968)

The second series of 4-cylinder cars lasted just a few years. Production of the new 200, 200D and 230 models commenced in July, 1965,at the Sindelfingen plant. The 200 and 200D replaced the 190c and 190Dc models respectively. The engine in the 200 had the bore increased from 85 to 87mm giving a 1988 cc displacement and was fitted with twin carburetors (the 190c had a single carburetor). The OM621 diesel engine in the 200D was essentially identical to that of the 190Dc (which was actually a 1988 c.c. unit despite the car being labelled as a '190') but was improved by using a five main bearing crankshaft instead of the original three. Visually, the second series models had the front indicators relocated from the top of the front fenders to below the headlights. At the rear, the tail lights were enlarged and squared off and the chrome trim was revised (including the removal of the chrome trim from the trailing edge of the tailfins). All models now featured air outlets with chrome trim on the C-pillars (identical to the W111 models). Inside, there were very few changes except all models now featured reclining front seats (previously an option on the 190c and 190Dc) and the 230 had a central armrest in the back seat as standard. In the later half of 1967 the interior door handles and dashboard switchgear were upgraded to match that of the W108/114/115 series cars.All three of the W110 second series cars ended production in January 1968 with the introduction of the W115 220 and 220D.