MERCEDES - BENZ
THE 1960s
The 250, 280, 300 R6 W109, W109
1965 – 1972
By Bernd S. Koehling
Copyright 2012 Bernd S. Koehling
Smashwords Edition
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CONTENT
The Cars
250S,SE/280S,SE,SEL/300SE,SEL W108/W109 (1965 – 1972)
The launch of the 250/300 series
First of all I would like to thank you for having purchased this book and I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It is part of an e-book series that covers all cars produced by Daimler-Benz during the 1950s and 1960s.
The 250/280 W108 cars, designed by Friedrich Geiger with assistance from Paul Bracq, were a welcome change to the fin tails. The earlier cars had followed the philosophy that one design caters in variations to the needs of people from the taxi driver to the chief executive. The taxi driver didn't complain, but the CEO did. The new W108 was not to be confused anymore with its four-cylinder cousins, which were a mere upgrade of the 190c W110.
The 250 and 280 versions were very popular cars not only in Germany but also in all major export markets. It wasn't only the design that impressed, it was the handling, the interior space and above all the quality of the cars that made them a popular choice among the well-heeled. Even if one drives such a car today, the timeless design still doesn't fail to impress. They have aged gracefully and although they don't have the more desirable V8 engines, they command relatively high prices for a mass produced sedan, when in good condition.
From a sales performance point of view, the expensive 300SE and later 300SEL were a bit problematic. They looked exactly like the 250 series, even on the inside and most customers didn't see the need to pay a premium for an engine that is at higher speeds noisier, needs more fuel and doesn't offer any noticeable performance advantage. The 300SE didn't even have air suspension anymore. It was an offer for customers, who just wanted the most expensive car of the series that Daimler-Benz had on offer.
March 2012
Bernd S. Koehling
MB 250SE W108 III (1965 – 1968)
MB 300SE W108 IV (1965 – 1967)
MB 280S W108 V28 (1967 – 1972)
MB 280SE W108 E28 (1967 – 1972)
MB 280SEL W108 E28 (1968 – 1971)
MB 300SEL W109 III (1966 – 1967)
MB 300SEL W109 E28 (1968 – 1970)
Developing the W108 series
Everybody knew the fintails had to go. Karl Wilfert, talented head of the Daimler-Benz passenger car design department, had already tried in vain to get rid of them before the W111 was to be launched, but it was at that time too late. The new W111 coupe/cabriolet, mainly designed by Friedrich Geiger, a member of the Wilfert team, showed successfully, how a well balanced design can look like. Now it was only logical to follow that concept and style for the new W108 in the same fashion. The coupe/cabriolet are regarded today as some of the best designs to have ever left Stuttgart and also the W108/109 sedans still look classy today with their timeless, restrained elegance. With its high radiator grille and the vertical headlights they represent an era where every boy and girl could point out that this is a Mercedes. But if it would have been for Paul Bracq, who worked under Geiger, the cars would have had a different front, one that looks like the W116 with horizontally positioned headlights. But he could not convince his superiors and the marketing/sales team, so the cars still showed the traditional Mercedes front, when they were introduced to the public in August 1965.
The final design of the new car evolved in three steps. Its first approach still had the higher body of the W111 sedan but with the roof of the coupe. Later in 1962 the rear glass area had evolved into something closer to the 600 and in 1963 the final form with a lower and wider body and larger glass area was presented. All studies still carried the 220SE badge at the trunk. The goal had been to keep the overall dimensions of the W111 but improve interior space. At the end the car was 60 mm (2.36 in) lower and 15 mm (o.59 in) wider, but looked from the outside bigger than its predecessor. While the headlights were identical on both old and new cars, the grille was slightly lower and wider and the two small chrome stripes to the left and right of the grille had disappeared. If it weren't for the rubber protected redesigned bumpers, the cars would look from the front exactly like the earlier W111 coupe. The rear portion looked similar too, but different taillights with amber turn glasses and the lack of the small fin tails made it look more modern.
Due to convex side windows and smaller more outside positioned pillars, the interior width grew by an impressive 90 mm (3.54 in) in the front and 70 mm (2.76 in) in the rear. The larger single armrest in front, which had to be ordered extra was replaced by two thinner separate ones. This was done to increase the comfort for the individual passenger. Also a seat cushion could be ordered again to offer space for a third person up front. For the first time, the driver's seat could be adjusted in height with a lever at the seat's left side.
The 250 series was lower and wider than the W111
Geiger's classic lines still look beautiful today
When the car was ordered with floor mounted gearshifts, the armrests were shorter in order not to interfere with the shifting of gears. Finally the instrument layout was again more traditional with two large round instruments for speed and various control functions and a small one that housed the clock. A small elegant looking chrome strip ran along the upper half of the dashboard. It separated the "working area" with control knobs for heating and lights from the lower area which housed the radio, ignition and the two small chromed air vents, which were a carry-over from the W111. If a radio wasn't ordered the space was covered with a wooden part that also carried a smaller version of the trunk lid's badge. This badge must have been liked, because on a couple of restored cars equipped with radios, it is placed now on the glove box. All four doors were equipped with handholds and the two front doors had large open pockets. In order to protect the outer sides of the seats from premature wear and tear, they had vinyl edges.
In the mid sixties sales of the W111 were still healthy, so it wasn't a lack of customers that prompted the launch of a new model. It was more a revision of the previous strategy to have one car body for all car classes. It became more and more apparent that customers, who were willing to pay top money for expensive and powerful luxury sedans, didn't want to share the basic concept of their cars with the diesel driver, who paid less than half for his vehicle.
The launch of the 250/300 series
At the Frankfurt International Automobile Show, three cars were unveiled to the public, the 250S, the SE and the 300SE, which carried the aluminum-block M189 engine of 300 Adenauer fame and the power steering of the 300SE W112. But additional goodies such as the air suspension were gone. It also didn't have anymore the additional bright work and more lavish interior of its predecessor, it was just a 250S/SE with a different engine. It carried the same internal W108 code as the other two cars. Only the 300SEL, available in March 1966, was given the code W109, as it offered air suspension again.
Technically the new cars were based on the W111. The old engines were enlarged to 2.5 l (152.6 cu in) by increasing the bore by two mm (0.079 in) and lengthening the stroke by six mm (0.24 in). Larger valves and induction passages were other changes and the crankshaft was mounted on seven instead of previously four bearings. A six-plunger injection pump replaced the previous two-plunger version on the cast-iron block M129 engine of the 250SE. It was the same one that was used in the 230SL and 300SE. In addition compression was increased from 1:8.7 to 1:9.3 so that power output could increase from 120 hp at 4.800 rpm to 150 hp at 5.500 rpm (all horsepower in this book refers to DIN not SAE hp). The M108 engine of the 250S had compression increased from 1:8.7 to 1:9.0 and it was equipped with the same Zenith twin-carburetor as the 230S and the last version of the 220S. Its power output was raised from 110 hp at 5.000 rpm to 130 hp at 5.400 rpm. Although torque of both engines increased slightly, like their predecessors they needed to be revved if the driver wanted to see performance. All Mercedes engines of that time were designed that way.