While I was there, I was able to snap a few photos with my own camera.   Of course I had to be very careful not to get in the way of the official photographer, who was trying to set up each shot with the right angles.

The cars of this era are among the very best ever made by Mercedes-Benz.   It was great to see such a line up in one place.   There were 11 cars in total including:

• A 600 (W100.012).   The 600 is an original Australian delivered car, in a lovely bronze colour.   It was previously owned by a Sydney radio identity.   At some point a previous owner fitted the USA style side marker lights and bumper overriders.   These are amazing machines, but not for the feint hearted.   I would love to drive one, but not sure I want to own one.
• My 250SE cabriolet (W111.023).   It was a lovely day to get the car out, and my car being a 10/65 build was the oldest by a decent margin.
• Two 280SE 3.5 coupes (W111.026).   These cars were in contrasting white and midnight blue, so were a good combination.   The midnight blue car is one of two known manual cars in Australia.
• Two 280SE 3.5 saloons (W108.057).   Again contrasting maroon and horizon blue.   Both lovely examples of a very popular model.
• Two 280S W108 Saloons (W108.016).   Both lovely original cars.   The cream car was recently purchased by a club member from the original owner, who is now 95.   The light green car has a great contrasting red interior with a manual transmission and was made in Malaysia.
• Two 280SL Pagodas (W113.044).   The medium blue car has been with the same owner for 19 years and he has taken it all around the world including Hong Kong, USA, Singapore etc.   The midnight blue car is a multi-show winner.
• A C114 280CE (W114.072).  The most immaculate W114 I have ever seen.  The engine bay is cleaner that most restaurant kitchens.

The photo shoot took place around the Wharoonga area, a leafy suburb of Sydney with large houses on generous block sizes.   The club had received permission from a few owners to use their driveways for the 60’s models photoshoot.    I expect the professional photos will come out looking like they are from an original brochure.

The weather was perfect for the day – sunny and warm, but a bit cloudy at first.   To sunny and its hard to capture the cars without so much reflection from the chrome.    Understandably, the line up got a lot of interested from locals, and there were a surprising number of people in the area with car collations that offered us the opportunity to have a look.

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The S-Class was officially launched in 1972 with the introduction of the W116.   2022 is 50 years since that launch, and also 50 years since the founding of the Mercedes-Benz club of NSW.   With both of those anniversaries in mind, the Club held a special event to commemorate the S Class.   Of course, holding an event like that begs the question, what is the definition of an S-Class?   The W116 did not open up a new category for Mercedes-Benz like the W201 did.   It was a continuation of a series of models in their range.

In most years, the S Class (or predecessor) consisted of a four door saloon and a coupe.   Occasionally, there was a cabriolet as well.    The Mercedes-Benz archive lists the following models for the S Class and its predecessors.   They trace the lineage back to 1951.

The inclusion of the W188 models is surprising to me.    It makes sense to me not to include the models that sat above the S-Class like the Adenauers, 600, Maybach etc, so why include the two door derivatives?  It just seems inconsistent.   Some will question the inclusion of the C107 SLC models.   While they were based on the SL, they were clearly meant to fit the two door S-Class spot in the range.   The same goes for when the two door cars were branded as CL’s in later years.

Based on this list, the MBCNSW had a great representation of the range on display.   The club tried hard to get cars that are rarely seen at events to come along and did a pretty good job.   In reviewing the number of cars in the club, I’m actually surprised how well represented some of the older models are.   The survival rate of cars like the Pontons and W111’s is pretty good.

It was hard for me to choose which car to bring to this event.   In the end, given the impetus for the event was 50 years of the W116, I decided I needed to finally get the W116 280SE I have been fixing up on the road and at a club event.   Despite finishing at 1AM the night before, I managed to get the car prepared, and ready enough for this event.   This was only my 3rd time driving the car and the first more than a few kilometers from where I live.    While I have more work to do, I was impressed with how the car went.

It was also interesting to look at the model mix of the W116s on display.    There were 11 cars, and I managed to catch the model of 10 of them.    There was not a single D-Jet or carburettor car on display.   All the cars were from 1976-1980 and most of them were 450’s with 3 SELs and 2 SEs.  In addition there were two 6.9s, a pair of 280SEs and a 280SEL.     This trend was mirrored in the W126 models were most cars on display were second generation – with the 420SEL being the most popular.    However at least on the W126 side there were a few very nice series 1 models in attendance.    The story was pretty similar on the W108 models with most of the cars being late production.    It’s clear that the later cars with larger engines are favored by buyers and more likely to be saved.

I really enjoyed the day.   My ideal Mercedes garage is a two and four door model from each of my favourite generations (60s, 70s and 80s).

In past year, the S-Class has been the cornerstone of the brand.   Today, the company sells far more SUVs than they do cars, but the S-Class is still king of the hill.   I wonder for how much longer?  Not sure they would even make it if it wasn’t for the Chinese market.

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The table above outlines the various W108 and W109 differential ratios.   For a number of models, there was a change part way through production.   Where possible, the chassis number break point has been identified.   This is not foolproof today, as the cars are now around 50 years old and may not have their original rear axle.    To make it easier to read, the table separates the standard version from ‘special versions’.   Cars with the optional 5 speed manual transmission, optional 15″ wheels or bound for the USA generally received shorter differential ratios.

The optional 5 speed was used to increase performance as well as a modest reduction in highway RPM.    That is why W108 and W109 differential ratios for 5 speed cars are shorter.   It is worth noting that the torque peak for most of the sixes, and even the 3.5 V8 is around 4,000RPM.  The ratios therefore align the characteristics of the engine with a reasonable cruising speed.   Even the long stroke M189 engine has a fairly high torque peak.

The USA ratios are interesting for the six cylinder cars.   I can only assume that since most domestic vehicles in the 60s were equipped with V8s, Mercedes-Benz North America felt it necessary to order the cars optimized for acceleration rather than cruising.   Certainly this is not appreciated by modern American owners, who find the setup of the cars does not really match their interstate cruising speeds.   Rear axles from wrecked 4.5 liter cars have been a popular swap.

Looking at this table, it seems clear that Mercedes-Benz was learning as they went.   The change to the M130 2.8 liter engine introduced a nice increase in torque from the old 2.5 litre unit.   It took them a  year or so to adjust the W108 and W109 differential ratios accordingly.   The same went for the M116 V8.   The 300SEL 3.5 was introduced about a year before the 280SE/L 3.5 with a 3.69 ratio.   This was amended down around the time of the introduction of the 280SE 3.5 which was always sold with a 3.46 ratio.    There were also changes for production reasons, such as the 6.3 and 4.5 models.

The other factor here, is that the W108 rear axle has been a popular upgrade for owners of the W111 models.   Those models to 1965 had a drum brake rear end.   The W108 provides disc brakes and more choices of ratios.   The W109 rear axle is different due to the air suspension.    While it is possible to change the whole axle over, some people have swapped the crown wheel and pinion.   Tall ratios are now quite expensive as supplies dry up.

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Unlike in later years, nearly the whole range was offered in 1969.   It was only have the ADR regime became stricter in the mid 60s that Mercedes-Benz started to limit the vehicles they offered in Australia.   This was probably due to the cost of compliance.

The only models missing off the list were the 200 and 200D W115 models, and the 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet, which would be sold in later years.   The entry level W115 cars were probably considered too slow and really for the taxi market.  Mercedes were not a supplier of Taxis in Australia.   Locally built cars dominated the Taxi market.

One thing that jumps out to me is how much more expensive the 280SEL is over the standard 280SE.  No wonder they didn’t sell many of them.   While cars like the W109 were much more expensive than the W108, you at least got major differences to show for it.   The 280SEL was a simple stretch of the 280SE.   From what I gather, the body shells were modified manually, which might explain the higher price.

It is also interesting how much of the range was offered with the choice of an automatic or manual transmission.   It is extremely rare to find a manual transmission car from this era, outside the SLs.   Even the SLs are mostly automatic.   It was only the M100 cars that were not offered with a manual.

For other Australian price lists, please see November 1966 and July 1991.

YORKSTAR MOTORS PTY. LTD.

PRICE LIST

EFFECTIVE 1st DECEMBER, 1969

MERCEDES-BENZ PASSENGER CARS

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What have all those Mercedes-Benz racing engineers been doing since Mercedes-Benz got out of racing?

When Mercedes-Benz brought its racing program to a close in 1955, the Racing Car Department section at Stuttgart-Untertukheim kept right on working.

Only the sign on the door was changed. The company had proved its point by winning two world titles in two successive seasons. So Racing Car Development rejoined Passenger Car Development. The same engineering brains that had devised the invincible W-196 and 300SLR returned to devising automobiles for everyday use.

That competition experience helped. Instead of vanishing into some dark back room, many prime features from racing machines – from fuel injection to overhead camshafts to rear swing-axle suspensions – soon turned up in production models, suitably modified, as standard equipment.

The engineers continued to insist on racing tolerances for many vital components once the cars reached production. (For example, engine bearings are still machined down to four 10,000ths of an inch.)

And when the rolled off the line, the testing section insisted on judging the handling and braking and high-speed stability of family sedans by the same harsh standards they had used to judge racing cars.

The end result of all this engineering skill is a series of automobiles every bit as invincible in their sphere as the racings were in theirs. Cars built to be efficient, without frivolity or fat.

Drive a Mercedes-Benz soon. It’s the best and the quickest way to find what those Mercedes-Benz racing engineers have been doing since Mercedes-Benz got out of racing. You’ll find they’ve been doing quite a lot.

Many of the legendary racing machines that have won more than 4,400 victories for Mercedes-Benz now stand in the Daimler-Benz Museum in Stuttgart-Unterturkheim, West Germany. Many of the features they pioneered can now be found on Mercedes-Benz passenger cars.

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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 Car Price List
Saloon Range
25th November, 1966

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‘Lichteinheiten’

The standard headlights for these cars were know as  ‘Lichteinheiten’.  This roughly translates as ‘Light Units’.  They combined the dipped beam, main beam, fog light, parking light, night clearance light, and indicators in one unit housed behind a single piece of curved glass.

The photo on the right shows the various components with the lens removed.    From the top is the indicator (behind the orange cover), below that the dipped and main beam, with a tiny bulb for the parking light, just above the main bulb.

Below that is the fog light, and to the right of that the night clearance light which can be left on all night if the car is parked with one wheel on the curb and one on the street as is common in Europe.   Only one side can be illuminated at a time.

These lights are also often known as tombstone lights, one piece lights and in the USA, ‘European’ lights.

The glass lenses can be removed and the reflectors are also replaceable meaning they can be completely refurbished.    There are two gaskets one to attach the light to the car and one to attach the lens.   The picture to the left shows an unrestored light.   These W111 headlights were later restored and put back on the car they came from.  These gaskets are not cheap but important to ensure water does not get in.

In addition, there are two variants of this light, the first used until early 1969, which had glass with a pronounced curve, sometimes known as the ‘bubble’ type, and the second which was much flatter, and used from 1969 to end of production.

The picture below shows the early style on the right and the later style on the left.

These headlights were standard fitment to all these cars, except for American models, and the 300SEL 6.3.   Some local importers did specify the stacked headlights for V8 models as part of their standard order.

The difference between LHD and RHD is in the how the lenses focus the light on the road.   The main part of the headlight is the same.

I restored a set of these headlights to put my 250SE Cabriolet back to original.

Stacked headlights

The other main style are the stacked headlights, which are also known as Americana headlights.    Instead of a single piece of glass, there are two round lights in a housing, and the indicators, fog lamps are separate, although in the same housing.    In the USA version, legislation prevented the indicators being in the same housing, and so ugly separate indicators and side marker lights had to be fitted.   The picture below shows a USA model with the side marker lights and central round indicators where the optional fog lights on rest of world cars would be.    The car below is a 250SE that would have come from the factory with smaller ‘bullet’ style front indicators but was later upgraded to the later style found on 280 models.

These lights were first introduced in all American models.   This was because the USA at the time had archaic legislation dating back to the turn of the century that mandated sealed beam headlights.    If you are not familiar with sealed beams, instead of replacing just the bulb, you replaced the whole round headlight.   Due to the old nature of these, the light output is truly pathetic and sealed beams are basically unsafe.

The other variant on these, was introduced as standard on the 300SEL 6.3, which used the same basic design but had replaceable bulbs, which were later halogens.   These produced the best light of all the headlights on these cars, and could be ordered as an option on the other v8 models as well.   The anemic American lights can also be fairly easily retrofitted to this second style to provide adequate light output.   The photo below shows the stacked headlights with the indicators and parking lights in the same housing.  These style lights are a popular upgrade from the originals on all W108, W109, W111 & W112 models. This car is a 250SE that would have had one piece headlights from the factory and is currently being converted back to the original style.

The photo above shows the same car midway through conversion, contrasting the two styles.   Which one is better is down to personal preference, although I prefer the original type.   The great thing about this conversion is that it is reversible.

The post W108/W109/W111/W112 Mercedes headlight types appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

I had a box with the original headlamps for this car, but they were in a bad way.   I was able to get another used set to see if I make get one good set.    The 2nd set were in fairly good condition, but had the normal wear and tear with perished gaskets (one gasket to hold onto the car, and one to hold the glass on to the headlight unit), and marginal reflectors.    New gaskets and reflectors are available from Mercedes, but they are not cheap.    Luckily MB Spares can get them and they deliver from Canberra.

First step is to remove all the perished gasket material.

Next is to remove the glass so the 2nd gasket is accessible.   This is not normally needed as the bulbs are changed from the rear.   As these gaskets are not cheap or easy to come by, somebody in the past had used some kind of sealant on one headlight.  Luckily it was old and could be removed with a little care.

To remove the glass, there are six holders that swivel around on some kind of rivet.  I used a little penetrating oil to free the, and screwdriver to turn the (using the little slot).  From there the glass can be easily removed and the gasket revealed.   The condition of these gaskets are important as the reflectors will rust if they get wet too often.     With the glass removed, the condition of the reflectors can be ascertained.   Mine were in ok condition, but not great.   The ones on the first set of lights were horrible.   In any case, I will replace them.

With the reflectors inspected, the next step is to review the condition of the glass covers.  I had three pairs of these, a spare and one pair of each set of headlights.   They were very dusty, so a good washing revealed that they were all in good shape.

The surrounds were also cleaned, although they will need some polish to get them to where they need to be.

The post W111 Headlight Upgrade Pt 1 appeared first on Classic Jalopy.

One entry that stuck out to me was a W108 300SE, a model that is rarely seen on the roads these days, due to only 2737 being made and the unfortunately most of them being junked.

When it was introduced in 1965, the W108 and W109 series occupied the ‘S class’ spot in the Mercedes-Benz range.   (although Mercedes only started to refer to the S class with the advent of the W116).      At that time, you could order:

• W108 – 250S
• W108 – 250SE
• W108 – 300SEb
• W109 – 300SEL

Note here that the 300SEL was a W109 and not a W108.   The main difference is that the W109 has Mercedes air suspension and a long wheelbase.   (There were LWB 108s later in production, but not at first).   In addition, W109s had better interior appointments.  (i.e. more wood, seats in leather and same style as the W111 two door etc).

The 300SE and SEL shared the M189 ‘big six’.  The M189 is an all alloy long stroke motor derived from the engine in the 300 limo from the 50s.   The 300SL gullwing also had an engine derived from this model  but is a rather different beast, despite what you read on all the car ads.    The M189 is a great engine but it was very expensive to recondition and given its low production, parts were always hard to get and expensive.      Today even basic parts like the distributor cap are 5-10x for a 250SE.

In essence, the 300SEb was a hybrid between the 250SE and 300SEL – the big six in the shorter body with steel springs.   It was also the only 300SE not to have air suspension until the W126.     Its problem came in late 1967.   The entire W108 range was replaced and the new 280S and SE replaced not only the 250 models but also the 300.   The M130 was the last and best derivative of the M180 small six and delivered almost as much power as the M189, but with less noise given its steel block construction.  There were also economies of scale standardizing on the M130 and eliminating the costly M189.   Even the 300SEL got the M130 after late 1967, albeit with a hotter cam. Later v8 models followed for both the W108 and W109 which are the ones everyone wants now.

That left the W108 300SE as an orphan. With high running costs and a new model out, vales plummeted.  Unlike the two door cars, or even the W109, small engine problems could quite quickly exceed the value of the car.  Thus, many were junked, sometimes to provide an engine for a two door or LWB car.  Many more had their engine replaced with a 250 or 280 engine.   Outside this photo, it is years since I have seen one.   Unfortunately the car in the picture looks rather tired.  lets hope that the owner keeps it running.  Its nice to see it sporting the original two piece hubcaps and original plates – I wonder if the M189 still soldiers on under the bonnet?

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