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Mercedes-Benz W 108 • W 109
Overview
Manufacturer	Daimler-Benz
Production	1965–1972 383,072 built W 108: 359,522 W 109: 23,550 (incl. 300 SEL 6.3: 6,526)[1][2]
Assembly	West Germany:Stuttgart
Designer	Paul Bracq,Friedrich Geiger (1963)
Body and chassis
Class	Full-sizeluxury car (F)
Body style	4-doorsedan
Layout	FR layout
Related	W 113 W 114/W 115
Powertrain
Engine	2.5 LI6M 108 2.5 LI6M 129 2.8 LI6M 130 3.0 LI6M 189 3.5 LV8M 116 4.5 LV8M 117 6.3 LV8M 100
Transmission	4-speedmanual 5-speed manual 4-speedautomaticK4A 025 K4B 050 K4C 025 K4A 040 3-speed automatic W3A 040
Chronology
Predecessor	W 108:W 111 W 109:W 112
Successor	W 116

TheMercedes-Benz W 108 and W 109 areluxury cars produced byMercedes-Benz from 1965 through to 1972 to succeed theW 111 andW 112"fintail" (German:"Heckflosse") sedans. The cars were successful in West Germany and in export markets including North America and Southeast Asia. During the seven-year run, a total of 383,072 units were manufactured. Some publications mention 383,361 units.

As the W 108 and W 109 were only available as 4-door models, similarly squarish Bracq-designed 2-door W 111 and W 112 coupés and cabriolets filled those niches, and are often mistaken for W 108/W 109 two-doors.

Mercedes-Benz W 108 280 SE

As the W 108 and W 109 were only available as 4-door models, similarly squarish Bracq-designed 2-doorW 111 andW 112 coupés and cabriolets, like this 1969 280 SE, are frequently mistaken for them.

The car's predecessors, theW 111 (1959–71) andW 112 (1961–67), helped Mercedes-Benz develop better sales and achieveeconomy of scale production, reducing both manufacture time and cost. Throughout the 1950s, Mercedes-Benz had been producing the coachwork300 S and300 SL and all but hand-built300 "Adenauer" (W 189) alongside conveyor assembled Pontons (190, 190 SL and 220) etc. Unifying the entire Mercedes-Benz range into the"fintail" (German:"Heckflosse") reduced production onto a singleautomobile platform.

Fashion trends in the early 1960s changed rapidly. By the time thePaul Bracq-designed 2-door coupé and cabriolet W 111 were launched, the predecessor W 111 sedan's fins lost their chrome trim and sharp appearance. The arrival of theW 113 'Pagoda' coupé and cabriolet in 1963 saw them further buried into the trunk's contour. Finally, they disappeared completely on the600 (W 100) in 1963.

The evolution of the W 108 began under the leadership of Bracq in 1961 and ended in 1963. Although the fins' departure was the most visible change, the W 108 had a lower body waist line and increased glass area – the windscreen alone was 17% larger than W 111's – prominent enough to be referred to as a "greenhouse". The cars had a 60 mm lower ride and 15 mm wider doors. The result was a visibly newer-looking, sleeker car with an open and spacious interior.^[3]

Originally, the W 108 was seen as a combined successor to theW 111 and the short wheelbase sedans in theW 112 line lacking air suspension.

The W 111 had been a successor to the six-cylinderPonton models of the mid 1950s; the W 112 derived from it was a stopgap to replace the hand-built body-on-frame300 "Adenauer" (W 189) state car (built through the spring of 1962) pending the 1963 introduction of the600 "Grand Mercedes" (W 100;German:"Grosser Mercedes"). In addition to being lavishly decorated with additional chrome trim, the W 112 inherited the alloy blockM 189 engine of the W 189, and featured aself-levellingair suspension. A long-wheelbase version was offered from March 1963 through July 1965.

This introduction of two lines (standard and luxury) emerged the W 108 and W 109 models, with the dividing line running between luxury, performance and air suspension. Thus that expensive feature was kept on the long wheelbase W 109 300 SEL, while models from the 300 SEb down retained their steel coil springs and oil-filled shock absorbers.

The initial 1965 product line was the W 108 series' 250 S, 250 SE, and 300 SEb, and only the 300 SEL produced as a W 109. As before, the 300 series were more luxuriously appointed than the 250 series, featuring burled walnut dashboards and power windows along with optionalautomatic transmission and air conditioning. The W 109 also featured door window frames and a-pillars fully finished with polished metal bright trim.

In 1968 Mercedes-Benz retired the M189 engine in favor of the new 2.8LM130. As a result, the long wheelbase W108 280 SEL and W109 300 SEL (which shared a 2,850 mm (112.2 in) wheelbase) also ended up sharing the 2.8L engine through the end of production in 1972. Similarly, theM116V8 powered W108 280 SE/SEL 3.5 and W109 300 SEL 3.5, and theM117 V8 powered W108 280 SE/SEL 4.5 and W109 300 SEL 4.5, shared wheelbases and engines through the end of production in 1972.^{[citation needed]}

Mercedes-Benz refused to name these models 350 SEL and 450 SEL to avoid upsetting the release of theW116 S-Class.^{[citation needed]}

The W 108/W 109 premiered at theFrankfurt Auto Show in 1965. The initial model range consisted of three W 108s (250 S, 250 SE, and 300 SEb) and a sole W 109 (300 SEL). The inline-six engines were carried over from the previous generation with mechanical refinements. The 2.2 LM 180 engine was enlarged to 2.5 L while the fuel-injected 3.0 LM 189 version was carried over from 300 "Adenauer".

The 250 S^[4] was fitted with 2,497 cc (152.4 cu in)M 108 engine with 2 compound downdraftcarburetors producing 130 PS (96 kW; 128 bhp) at 5,400/min. The 250 SE had the same engine as 250 S except for fuel injection system and different engine designation(M 129) with increased engine output of 150 PS (110 kW; 148 bhp) at 5,500/min.

Both 300 SEb and 300 SEL were fitted with 2,996 cc (182.8 cu in)M 189 engine. The engine was an updated version ofM 186, originally developed in 1951 for the300 "Adenauer", withBosch 6-point mechanical fuel injection system that calibrated the optimal fuel mixture automatically based on throttle pedal position and movement, engine speed, atmospheric pressure, water temperature, and driving conditions. The engine's output was 170 PS (125 kW; 168 bhp) at 5,400/min.

The production figures for the first series from 1965 to 1967 showed 129,858 of 250 S/250 SE and 5,106 of 300 SEb/300 SEL. The tiny production figure of 300 SEb/300 SEL reflected the higher sales price with luxurious appointments, exclusivity, and smaller global market share.

In 1966, company engineer Erich Waxenberger transplanted a massive 6,333 cc (386.5 cu in)M 100 V8 from the company's flagship600 (W 100) with 250 PS (184 kW; 247 hp) at moderate 4,000/min and 51 kp⋅m (500 N⋅m; 369 lb⋅ft) at 2,800/min for superior power delivery into a W 109 chassis, creating the firstQ-car from Mercedes-Benz. Full-scale production of 300 SEL 6.3 began in December 1967. 300 SEL 6.3 could reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.5 seconds and the top speed of 221 km/h (137 mph), making it the quickest production sedan, a title it held for many years.

To coincide with the launch of new cheaper executive,W 114/W 115 "/8" (Stroke Eight);German:"Strich-Acht") models, slotted below MB's W 108 and W 109, the inline six engine range was revised in 1967. The 2.5 L engine was enlarged to 2,778 cc (169.5 cu in) and renamed asM 130 for both carburetted 140 PS (103 kW; 138 bhp) at 5,200/min and fuel injected 160 PS (118 kW; 158 bhp) at 5,500/min versions.

250 S and 250 SE were renamed as 280 S and 280 SE in November 1967 while 250 S was still offered in some export markets until March 1969. In January 1968, a long wheelbase variation, 280 SEL, was introduced for the first time.

The standard wheelbase 300 SEb was dropped while 300 SEL 2.8 obtained the 2.8 L engine with higher output 170 PS (125 kW; 168 bhp) at 5,750/min, replacing theM189 engine.

Following the strong reception of the limited production 6,333 cc (386.5 cu in)M 100 V8-powered300 SEL 6.3 in 1967, Mercedes-Benz offered the all-new 3.5 LM 116 V8 engine with newBosch D-Jetronic electronic fuel injection in 1969. The V8 engine would move W 108/W 109 further upmarket in many export markets and allow them to be more competitive in the United States where many passenger vehicles, especially the American luxury marques, were fitted with V8 engines. The new 200 PS (147 kW; 197 bhp) at 5,800/min V8 engine was first fitted to W 109 in August 1969 as 300 SEL 3.5 then to W 108 in July 1970 as 280 SE/SEL 3.5.

With a different crankshaft the 3,499 cc (213.5 cu in) V8 engine was enlarged to 4,520 cc (275.8 cu in) as to compensate for the loss of power following the changes in emission control regulations and due to lower fuel octane rating in the United States while increase torque for the use with a three-speedautomatic withtorque converter to suit the US market. The 4.5 L V8 engine was designated asM 117 and had with 195 hp (145 kW; 198 PS) almost the same power as the domestic 3.5 L V8 engine. It was initially exclusive for the United States, introduced in the spring of 1971, as the 280 SE/SEL 4.5 and the 300 SEL 4.5, until the new, 1973 model yearW 116, MB's first generation of distinct S-Class platform 450 SE/SEL models, which went on sale worldwide in September 1972, alongside the V8 powered350/450 SL (R 107) 2-seat cabrios and the350/450 SLC (C 107) 4-seat luxury coupes.

The production figures for the second series from 1967 to 1972 showed 184,717 of 280 S/280 SE and 10,769 of 280 SEL/300 SEL. 52,622 units sold with V8 engine reflect that it was right to switch to V8 engines in the luxury car segment.

The 300 SEL 2.8 was dropped in January 1970 since the 300 SEL 3.5 was selling better and had better performance. The production of 280 SEL ended in April 1971, leaving 280 S and 280 SE as sole models with six-cylinder inline engines until the end of W 108/W 109 production in 1972, following the introduction ofW 116.

Unusual among mainstream European automakers of the time, Mercedes developed and built theirown automatic transmission system, first went into production in 1961.^[5]

The standard transmission for Europe was a four-speedmanual gearbox. As an option a four-speedautomatic withfluid coupling was available. For the first series it was theK4A 025; for the second series the more reliable and smoother shifting all newK4C 025 was introduced in May 1969. A five-speed manual gearbox was offered for six-cylinder 2.8 L and 3.0 L engines, though a few customers opted for it.

As a pilot the first model of the more reliable and smoother shifting all new four-speedautomatic withfluid coupling layout was theK4B 050, 1963 introduced for the600 and later the300 SEL 6.3 respectively. Beside the new layout the number of pinions is doubled from 3 to 6 to handle the much higher torque of the big block V8 engineM 100.

After the satisfactory experience with the new design, it was adopted for the new core modelK4C 025 for 4- to 6-cylinder engines. With the small block V8 engineM 116, theK4A 040 was launched as a reinforced version of the same design. With the small block V8 engine for the United StatesM 117, the three-speedautomatic withtorque converterW4A 040 was derived from this design. It was the first automatic with torque converter Mercedes-Benz offered.

When the 3.5 L V8 engine was introduced in 1969, the sole transmission choice was theK4A 040. Customers could request the four-speed manual transmission with price reduction if they inclined so. For 4.5 L V8 engine for the United States, the sole transmission choice was theW3A 040.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMercedes-Benz W108.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMercedes-Benz W109.

• Curbside Classic: 1966 Mercedes 250S (W108) – Cadillac Und Lincoln Kaput – a retrospective of the W108
• Mercedes Benz W108 website
• W108/W109 Tom's Mercedes Benz 108/109 Resource Site
• RollHard - 1972 Mercedes Benz 280SE

• Mercedes-Benz model codes
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