Mercedes Saloon Price List – November 1966

I recently came across an old price list for Mercedes-Benz in Australia in the mid 60s. They were very expensive cars back then, probably more so than they are today, and even a base model was around double a holden, let alone the range topping (for the saloons) 300SE.

These prices are for the standard car, so most buyers would have selected at least some options, further increasing the price. The price list covers the W110, W111 and W108 Saloon cars. The Automatic transmission was an expensive option, close to 10% of the price of the car.

Mercedes Benz Passenger […]

W111 Headlight Restoration

My 250SE was sporting the stacked style of headlights, which are quite popular on these models. Personally, I prefer the original type. I had some original lights, but needed to restore them before they could be fitted to the car.

The wear parts of the headlights are the reflectors that dull and rust over time, the gaskets that crumble (as can be seen above) and obviously the bulbs. The housings are generally ok, although they can be bent if the screws are tightened too much. The fasteners that hold on the lens can also break.

The reflectors and […]

W108/W109/W111/W112 Mercedes headlight types

The headlights on the W108, W109, W111 and W112 Mercedes are all interchangeable, which means many cars are no longer sporting the headlights they left the factory with. They are all based on a design introduced on the 300SL roadster in 1957. The W113, W114/5 and W100 all had similar designs based on this same theme, but those lights will not be covered in this article and they are not interchangeable. The W110 had simpler, round headlights so is also not the focus here.

‘Lichteinheiten’

The standard headlights for these cars were know as ‘Lichteinheiten’. This roughly translates as ‘Light […]

2015 ACT German Car Show

This year I took the 250SE down to the 2015 ACT German Car show, which I last attended in 2013. It was a lovely day to drive a convertible down to Canberra and as usual the 250SE performed very well. At freeway speeds the engine turns at 4,000 RPM, which is unusual for a modern car, but fits into the nature of the engine.

The show was worth the visit with a large Mercedes-Benz section, BMWs, Borgwards, NSUs, Goggomobile and VWs. I didnt’ get time to go through the VW section, but was able to see some of the other […]

W111 Headlight Upgrade Pt 1

After restoring the 250SE to the correct wheel trims, the next step is to fit the correct headlights. The car is currently fitted with the stacked headlights. These are often known as Americana headlights. They are actually different to the USA style as they use halogens not sealed beams. This style was a common extra on the V8 W111’s and later a popular after-market fitment on other W111, W112, W108 and W109’s. While these are more popular than the original, I prefer the original style. The question of which is the best W111 headlight is not easily resolved!

I had […]

W111 Mercedes hub caps and beauty rings

Classic Mercedes have always had attractive chrome and painted wheel trims. Most people are very familiar with the ubiquitous one piece Mercedes hub caps that were available on nearly all models from the late 60s to the mid 80s. W111s (and associated models such as the W110, W112, W113, W108, W109) had a few different styles that are now rarely seen.

Style 1: 13″ wheels (1959-1965)

Cars covered: W111 – all 220s except 220b. W112 – all 300s.

These cars were delivered with 13″ wheels, although most cars have been upgraded to 14″ during their lives as it is […]

250SE W111 Production Figures – Update

In a previous post, I was looking at the changeover of production of the 220SEb Coupe/Cabriolet to the 250SE Coupe/Cabriolet. Mercedes used the same number series for the 220SE Sedan, 220SE Coupe, Cabriolet and the 250SE Coupe and Cabriolet.

According to a Mercedes Factory Manual I have, the last 220SEb was #82991 (and the first 250SE #82992). At the start of 250SE production in 8/65, the Coupes and Cabriolets received a slightly different engine to the Sedans (M129.981, M129 II), whereas as of #85398 in 4/66, the M129.980 (M129 I) engine from the sedan was standardized on both models and […]

2014 Shannons Sydney Late Autumn Classic Auction

This month’s Shannons Auction had a few cars I wanted to drop by and see.

The first was a W111 Convertible – A manual 220SE. The car looked nice from the photos and the price range seemed a bit low to me. ($54,000-$60,000).

The car is nice for that price – I would rate it at a nice driver condition – the leather is a bit worn and has a few tears, the wood needs refinishing and the paint is not perfect, but that means this is a car you can use regularly. I wasn’t able to see the […]

Mercedes-Benz Classic Coupes

It is hard to find somebody who prefers four door cars on aesthetic grounds. Sure, four door cars may be more practical, often cheaper to insure and easier to live with, but when buying a classic car, those considerations are not nearly as important.

Mercedes Benz have always provided a range of handsome coupes in their range, which are still even years later a practical classic car, and can easily be used a daily drivers.

This article is going to focus on the Mercedes-Benz classic coupes from the 60s, 70s and 80s, which are the most available for the collector […]

Book Review: Mercedes-Benz The 60’s Vol 1 by Bernd Koehling

I had wanted to buy this book for a while, as the author, Bernd S. Koehling had written some interesting blog articles on his website, so I figured I would try a couple of his books too (I also purchased Volume 2 which will be the subject of a later review). Added to that, he obviously has great taste in cars, and I would like to try and support an author doing new works on these fine vehicles.

I have to admit, I am a bit of a sucker for books that cover the W111 coupe and Cabriolet, so with […]