| In my view, Citroen has made two cars that changed the world – the Traction Avant and the DS (some would also include the 2CV in this list). The Traction Avant established Citroen as an innovative car company but at the same time bankrupted the company, leading to their ultimate control by the Michelin family. While Andre Citroen is probably better known for his ability to get publicity for his car company, he was an extremely competent organizer and was able in only 4 months, to get a munitions factory going in WWI that produced more shells than all the […] Mercedes SLC models (280, 350, 380, 450, 450 5.0, 500) had three different steering wheels in their lifetime. All three steering wheels were large (around 19″) and made from plastic. This was a big departure from the elegant wheels of the 60’s and the nicer leather covered wheels from the mid 80s and 90s. These wheels also do not fare well in the sun, so many owners wish to replace them. The first type of SLC steering wheel was from 1971-1972. These wheels are easy to identity as the horn press is in separate buttons on the sides of the […] 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 […] 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 […] I recently had a question on my previous post around RHD/LHD 111 Coupe/Cabriolet about the numbers of Automatics vs Manuals. This is an interesting question and not one that I have the answer to. However from my own observations of RHD models for sale and at shows, manuals are fairly common in the 220SE, rare in the 250SE and 300SE and then extremely rare for the 280SE, and 280SE 3.5. I keep notes of the cars that I see for sale, and from my albeit small sample size, I have: ModelCoupe ManualCoupe AutomaticCabriolet ManualCabriolet AutoTotal (inc unknown) 220SE792523 250SE0230326 280SE06018 […] Mercedes W111 220SE/250SE Coupe/Cabriolet For reasons of their own, Mercedes gave the 220SE and 250SE models the same designator (111.021 for coupe and 111.023 for cabriolet). In addition, the chassis number was shared with the 220SE sedan. This was not continued for the later W111 coupe and cabriolet that have their own model designator and sequence. From what I know there were: 220SE Sedan: 66,086 220SE: Coupe: 14,173 220SE: Cabrio: 2,729 250SE Coupe: 5,259 250SE Cabriolet: 954 That should mean that there were a total of 82,988 220SE. The last 220SE sedan was 82,687 produced in August 1965. Coupe […] I spent a lot of time researching the Citroen DS major production changes when I was buying mine. For easy reference I put the details in the table below. Citroen DS major production changes Obviously there were many more changes during the production run, but these were the major changes that make a difference when buying a car. This table is for the DS range, not for the IDs that had other changes and at different times. The DS range is quite complicated and it took me to some time to fully understand it. My car being a […] I’ve always regarded the Mercedes W111 Coupe and Cabriolet range as the pinnacle of the regular Mercedes-Benz models. True there were always Gullwings and 500K roadsters, but they are really in a class of their own. They were always rare cars, but the W111 Coupe/Cabriolet in right hand drive are that rarer again. I’ve owned a 250SE coupe (LHD), and currently own a 250SE Cabriolet. I used to think about getting another Coupe to go with it, but the prices have shot up so much to make that less and less realistic. Given how comparatively rare the right hand drive […] | |
