Mercedes-Benz W108/W109

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The Mercedes-Benz W 108 and W 109 are luxury cars produced by Mercedes-Benz from 1965 through to 1972 to succeed the W 111 and W 112 "fintail" (Template:Langx) 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.

Model history

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Chassis (platform)

The car's predecessors, the W 111 (1959–71) and W 112 (1961–67), helped Mercedes-Benz develop better sales and achieve economy of scale production, reducing both manufacture time and cost. Throughout the 1950s, Mercedes-Benz had been producing the coachwork 300 S and 300 SL and all but hand-built 300 "Adenauer" (W 189) alongside conveyor assembled Pontons (190, 190 SL and 220) etc. Unifying the entire Mercedes-Benz range into the "fintail" (Template:Langx) reduced production onto a single automobile platform.

Body design

Fashion trends in the early 1960s changed rapidly. By the time the Paul 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 the W 113 'Pagoda' coupé and cabriolet in 1963 saw them further buried into the trunk's contour. Finally, they disappeared completely on the 600 (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.^[1]

Differences between W 108 and W 109

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

The W 111 had been a successor to the six-cylinder Ponton models of the mid 1950s; the W 112 derived from it was a stopgap to replace the hand-built body-on-frame 300 "Adenauer" (W 189) state car (built through the spring of 1962) pending the 1963 introduction of the 600 "Grand Mercedes" (W 100; Template:Langx). In addition to being lavishly decorated with additional chrome trim, the W 112 inherited the alloy block M 189 engine of the W 189, and featured a self-levelling air 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.

1965: 250 and 300 series

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 optional automatic transmission and air conditioning. The W 109 also featured door window frames and a-pillars fully finished with polished metal bright trim.

1968: 280 and 300 series

In 1968 Mercedes-Benz retired the M189 engine in favor of the new 2.8L M130. As a result, the long wheelbase W108 280 SEL and W109 300 SEL (which shared a Template:Convert wheelbase) also ended up sharing the 2.8L engine through the end of production in 1972. Similarly, the M116 V8 powered W108 280 SE/SEL 3.5 and W109 300 SEL 3.5, and the M117 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.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Mercedes-Benz refused to name these models 350 SEL and 450 SEL to avoid upsetting the release of the W116 S-Class.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

First Series (1965–1967)

Market introduction

File:Mercedes-Benz 300SEL-W108 Rear-view.JPG

W 109 300 SEL

The W 108/W 109 premiered at the Frankfurt 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 L M 180 engine was enlarged to 2.5 L while the fuel-injected 3.0 L M 189 version was carried over from 300 "Adenauer".

250 series

The 250 S was fitted with Template:Convert M 108 engine with 2 compound downdraft carburetors producing Template:Convert at 5,400/nin. 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 Template:Convert at 5,500/min.

300 series

Both 300 SEb and 300 SEL were fitted with Template:Convert M 189 engine. The engine was an updated version of M 186, originally developed in 1951 for the 300 "Adenauer", with Bosch 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 Template:Convert at 5,400/min.

Production figures

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.

300 SEL 6.3

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File:Mercedes-Benz W109 fl.jpg

Outwardly, the W 109-based 6.3 appeared like any other 300 SEL. Its performance was another matter.

In 1966, company engineer Erich Waxenberger transplanted a massive Template:Convert M 100 V8 from the company's flagship 600 (W 100) with Template:Convert at moderate 4,000/min and Template:Convert at 2,800/min for superior power delivery into a W 109 chassis, creating the first Q-car from Mercedes-Benz. Full-scale production of 300 SEL 6.3 began in December 1967. 300 SEL 6.3 could reach Template:Convert in 6.5 seconds and the top speed of Template:Convert, making it the quickest production sedan, a title it held for many years.

Second Series (1967–1972)

Market introduction

File:W108.Jpg

A W 108 in France with selective yellow headlights

File:01 W108 280SE.jpg

A W 108 280 SE from July 1972 with a standard straight-six engine

File:Mercedes-Benz 280 SE.jpg

A 1972 W 108 280 SE 3.5 with a 3.5 L V8 engine

To coincide with the launch of new cheaper executive, W 114/W 115 "/8" (Stroke Eight; Template:Langx) 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 Template:Convert and renamed as M 130 for both carburetted Template:Convert at 5,200/min and fuel injected Template:Convert at 5,500/min versions.

2.8 L I6 models

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 Template:Convert at 5,750/min, replacing the M189 engine.

3.5 L V8 models

Following the strong reception of the limited production Template:Convert M 100 V8-powered 300 SEL 6.3 in 1967, Mercedes-Benz offered the all-new 3.5 L M 116 V8 engine with new Bosch 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 Template:Convert 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.

4.5 L V8 models

With a different crankshaft the Template:Convert V8 engine was enlarged to Template:Convert 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-speed automatic with torque converter to suit the US market. The 4.5 L V8 engine was designated as M 117 and had with Template:Convert 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 year W 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 powered 350/450 SL (R 107) 2-seat cabrios and the 350/450 SLC (C 107) 4-seat luxury coupes.

Production figures

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 luxory car segment.

Discontinuation

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 of W 116.

Transmission

In-house developing and production

Unusual among mainstream European automakers of the time, Mercedes developed and built their own automatic transmission system, first went into production in 1961.^[2]

I6 models

The standard transmission for Europe was a four-speed manual gearbox. As an option a four-speed automatic with fluid coupling was available. For the first series it was the K4A 025; for the second series the more reliable and smoother shifting all new K4C 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.

Big block V8 model

As a pilot the first model of the more reliable and smoother shifting all new four-speed automatic with fluid coupling layout was the K4B 050, 1963 introduced for the 600 and later the 300 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 engine M 100.

In-house automatic transmission family

After the satisfactory experience with the new design, it was adopted for the new core model K4C 025 for 4- to 6-cylinder engines. With the small block V8 engine M 116, the K4A 040 was launched as a reinforced version of the same design. With the small block V8 engine for the United States M 117, the three-speed automatic with torque converter W4A 040 was derived from this design. It was the first automatic with torque converter Mercedes-Benz offered.

Small block V8 models

When the 3.5 L V8 engine was introduced in 1969, the sole transmission choice was the K4A 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 the W3A 040.

Models

W 108
Name	Chassis code	Production period	Units built	Engine model
Total			359,522

250 S	108.012	07/65–03/69	74,677	2.5 L I6 M 108
250 SE	108.014	08/65–01/68	55,181	2.5 L I6 M 129
300 SEb	108.015	08/65–12/67	2,737	3.0 L I6 M 189
280 S	108.016	11/67–09/72	93,666	2.8 L I6 M 130
280 SE	108.018	11/67–09/72	91,051	2.8 L I6 M 130
280 SELTemplate:Efn	108.019	01/68–04/71	8,250	2.8 L I6 M 130
280 SE 3.5	108.057	07/70–09/72	11,309	3.5 L V8 M 116
280 SEL 3.5	108.058	06/70–08/72	951	3.5 L V8 M 116
280 SE 4.5	108.067	04/71–11/72	13,527	4.5 L V8 M 117
280 SEL 4.5	108.068	05/71–11/72	8,173	4.5 L V8 M 117

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W 109
Name	Chassis code	Production period	Units built	Engine model
Total			23,550

300 SEL	109.015	09/65–12/67	2,369	3.0 L I6 M 189
300 SEL	109.016	12/67–01/70	2,519	2.8 L I6 M 130
300 SEL 6.3	109.018	12/67–09/72	6,526	6.3 L V8 M 100
300 SEL 3.5	109.056	08/69–09/72	9,583	3.5 L V8 M 116
300 SEL 4.5	109.057	05/71–10/72	2,553	4.5 L V8 M 117

Timeline

Type	Chassis	1965	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971
Sedan	W 108	250 S
		250 SE
			280 S
			280 SE
				280 SEL
		300 SEb
						280 SE 3.5
						280 SEL 3.5
							280 SE 4.5
							280 SEL 4.5
	W 109	300 SEL M 189		300 SEL M 130
					300 SEL 3.5
							300 SEL 4.5
				300 SEL 6.3

Technical info

Technical data Mercedes-Benz W 108Template:Sfn *(Manufacturer's figures except where stated)*
Name	250 S	250 SE	300 SEb	280 S	280 SE 280 SELTemplate:Efn	280 SE 3.5 280 SEL 3.5	280 SE 4.5 280 SEL 4.5

Model	W 108 II	W 108 III	W 108 IV	W 108 V 28	W 108 E 28	W 108 E 35/1	W 108 E 45
Chassis code	108.012	108.014	108.015	108.016	108.018 108.019	108.057 108.058	108.067 108.068
Production period	07/65 – 03/69	08/65 – 01/68	08/65 – 12/67	11/67 – 09/72 SEL: 01/68 – 04/71		07/70 – 09/72 06/70 – 08/72	04/71 – 11/72 05/71 – 11/72
Units built	74,677	55,181	2,737	93,666	91,051 8,250	11,309 951	13,527 8,173

Engine model	M 108 I	M 129 I	M 189 VII	M 130 V 28	M 130 E 28	M 116 E 35	M 117 E 45
Engine type	108.920	129.980	189.989	130.920	130.980	116.980	117.984
Engine layout	I6					V8
Bore x Stroke	Template:Convert x Template:Convert		Template:Convert x Template:Convert	Template:Convert x Template:Convert		Template:Convert x Template:Convert	Template:Convert x Template:Convert
Displacement	Template:Convert		Template:Convert	Template:Convert		Template:Convert	Template:Convert
Max. Power at 1/min	Template:Convert 5,400	Template:Convert 5,500	Template:Convert 5,400	Template:Convert 5,200	Template:Convert 5,500	Template:Convert 5,800	Template:Convert 4,500
Max. Torque at 1/min	Template:Convert 4,000	Template:Convert 4,200	Template:Convert 4,000	Template:Convert 3,600	Template:Convert 4,250	Template:Convert 4,000	Template:Convert 3,000
Compression Ratio	9.0: 1	9.3: 1Template:Efn	8.8: 1	9.0: 1	9.5: 1		8 0: 1
Fuel feed	2 Zenith 35/40 compound downdraft carburetors	Bosch 6-point mechanical fuel injection		2 Zenith 35/40 compound downdraft carburetors	Bosch 6-point mechanical fuel injection	Bosch D-Jetronic
Fuel tank capacity	Template:Convert
Valvetrain	SOHC, duplex chain
Cooling	Water

Gearbox	4-speed manual w/ column or floor shifter						3-speed automatic W4A 040 (type 722.0) w/ column or floor shifter
			optional 5-speed manual w/ column or floor shifter			optional 4-speed automatic K4A 040 (type 722.2) w/ column or floor shifter
	optional 4-speed automatic K4A 025 (w/o type) w/ column or floor shifter			optional 4-speed automatic K4C 025 (type 722.1)Template:Efn w/ column or floor shifter
Final drive	rear wheel drive
Final ratio	3.92 (47:12)		3.92 or 3.69	3.69 (48:13)		3.46 (45:13)	3.23 (42:13)
Electrical system	12 volt

Body structure	Sheet steel, monocoque (unibody) construction
Length	S/SE: Template:Convert SEL: Template:Convert
Width	Template:Convert
Height	Template:Convert

Wheelbase	S/SE: Template:Convert SEL: Template:Convert
Track front/ rear	Template:Convert / Template:Convert
Front suspension	Double wishbones, coil springs, stabilising bar
Rear suspension	Low-pivot swing axle, radius arms, coil springs
Brakes	Disc brakes (Ø Template:Convert front, Template:Convert rear), power assisted
Steering	Recirculating ball steering, manual or servo-assisted
Wheel sizes	6J x 14
Tyre/Tire sizes	7.35 H 14 or 185 HR 14					185 VR 14	7.35 V 14

Curb weight manual automatic	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert Template:Convert	Template:Convert Template:Convert
Curb weight manual automatic	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert Template:Convert	Template:Convert Template:Convert	Template:Convert Template:Convert
Gross weight	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert Template:Convert	Template:Convert Template:Convert	Template:Convert Template:Convert

Top speed manual automatic	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
Top speed manual automatic	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
0–Template:Convert manual automatic	13 sec.	12 sec.			11 sec.	10 sec.
0–Template:Convert manual automatic	14 sec.	13 sec.			12 sec.	11 sec.	12 sec.
Fuel Consumption (estimate) manual automatic	Template:Convert		Template:Convert	Template:Convert		Template:Convert
Fuel Consumption (estimate) manual automatic	Template:Convert		Template:Convert	Template:Convert		Template:Convert	Template:Convert

Price Germany USA	DM 15,300 $ 5,747^[3]	DM 16,850 $ 6,385	DM 21,500 $ 8,048	DM 17,000 $ 5,897	DM 18,600 $ 6,222 DM 21,230 $ 6,622	DM 24,920 $ 10,076 DM 27,310 $ n/a	DM n/a $ tbd DM n/a $ tbd

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Technical data Mercedes-Benz W 109Template:Sfn *(Manufacturer's figures except where stated)*
Name	300 SEL		300 SEL 3.5	300 SEL 4.5	300 SEL 6.3

Model	W 109 III	W 109 E 28	W 109 E 35/1	W 109 E 45	W 109 E 63
Chassis code	109.015	109.016	109.056	109.057	109.018
Production period	09/65 – 12/67	12/67 – 01/70	08/69 – 09/72	05/71 – 10/72	12/67 – 09/72
Units built	2,369	2,519	9,583	2,553	6,526

Engine model	M 189 VII	M 130 E 28	M 116 E 35	M 117 E 45	M 100 E 63
Engine type	189.988	130.981	116.981	117.981	100.981
Engine layout	I6		V8
Bore x Stroke	Template:Convert x Template:Convert	Template:Convert x Template:Convert	Template:Convert x Template:Convert	Template:Convert x Template:Convert	Template:Convert x Template:Convert
Displacement	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
Max. Power at 1/min	Template:Convert 5,400	Template:Convert 5,750	Template:Convert 5,800	Template:Convert 4,500	Template:Convert 4,000
Max. Torque at 1/min	Template:Convert 4,000	Template:Convert 4,500	Template:Convert 4,000	Template:Convert 3,000	Template:Convert 2,800
Compression Ratio	8.8: 1	9.5: 1		8.0: 1	9.0: 1
Fuel feed	Bosch 6-point mechanical fuel injection		Bosch D-Jetronic		Bosch 8-point mechanical fuel injection
Fuel tank capacity	Template:Convert				Template:Convert
Valvetrain	SOHC, duplex chain
Cooling	Water

Gearbox	4-speed manual w/ column or floor shifter		4-speed automatic K4A 040 (type 722.2) w/ column or floor shifterTemplate:Efn	3-speed automatic W3A 040 (type 722.0) w/ column or floor shifter	4-speed automatic K4B 050 (w/o type) w/ column or floor shifter
	optional 5-speed manual w/ column or floor shifter
	optional 4-speed automatic K4A 025 (w/o type)Template:Efn w/ column or floor shifter
Final drive	rear wheel drive
Final ratio	3.92 (47:12) or 3.69 (48:13)		3.46 (45:13)	3.23 (42:13)	2.85 (37:13)
Electrical system	12 volt

Body structure	Sheet steel, monocoque (unibody) construction
Length	Template:Convert
Width	Template:Convert
Height	Template:Convert				Template:Convert

Wheelbase	Template:Convert
Track front/ rear	Template:Convert Template:Convert				Template:Convert Template:Convert
Front suspension	Double wishbones, air springs, rubber springs, stabilising bar
Rear suspension	Swing axle, radius arms, air and additional rubber springs
Brakes	Disc brakes (Ø Template:Convert front, Template:Convert rear), power assisted
Steering	Recirculating ball steering, servo-assisted
Wheel sizes	6J x 14				6 1/2J x 14
Tyre/Tire sizes	7.35 H 14 or 185 HR 14		185 VR 14	7.35 V 14	195 VR 14 or 205/70 VR 14

Curb weight manual automatic	Template:Convert		Template:Convert
Curb weight manual automatic	Template:Convert		Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
Gross weight	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert

Top speed manual automatic	Template:Convert		Template:Convert
Top speed manual automatic	Template:Convert		Template:Convert		Template:Convert Template:Convert
0–Template:Convert manual automatic	11 sec.		10 sec.
0–Template:Convert manual automatic	12 sec.		11 sec.	12 sec.	8 sec. 6.5 sec.
Fuel Consumption (estimate) manual automatic	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
Fuel Consumption (estimate) manual automatic	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert

Price Germany USA	DM 28,000 $ 9,910^[3]	DM 25,740 $ 9,400	DM 29,640 $ n/a	DM n/a $ 11,327	DM 39,160 $ 15,122

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