The Mercedes W108, W109 Six-Cylinder

MERCEDES - BENZ

The Mercedes W108, W109 Six-Cylinder

250S – 300SEL 2.8

1965 – 1972

By Bernd S. Koehling

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2018 Bernd S. Koehling

All rights reserved

CONTENT

Foreword

The Cars

250S,SE/280S,SE,SEL/300SE,SEL W108/W109 (1965 – 1972)

Developing the W108 series

Technical aspects: the 250 series

Technical aspects: the 300 series

Safety aspects

The 250 and 300 series

The 280 series

Short racing history

Sales performance

Coachbuilders

Experiencing the 250SE

Technical chapters

Chassis number explained

Data card explained

What is my car worth

W108 vs. Dow Jones Index

W108/109 buyer’s guide

Paint options

Interior color options

Technical specifications

Power and torque curves

Production history of each model

Head of design Karl Wilfert

About the author

Other books by the author

Free book offer

FOREWORD

First, 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. This book is also available in printed form.

The 250/280 W108 cars, designed by the Friedrich Geiger team, of which Paul Bracq was a member, were a welcome change to the fintails. 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. Naturally the taxi driver did not 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 proved to be very popular cars not only in Germany but also in all major export markets. It was not 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 does not fail to impress. They have aged gracefully and although they do not 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 did not see the need to pay a premium for an engine that is at higher speeds noisier, needs more fuel and does not offer any noticeable performance advantage. The 300SE did not 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.

This edition was updated in April 2018. Next to the complete history of the six-cylinder W108 and W109, this book explains their chassis number and data card in detail and a comprehensive buyer’s guide should help sorting out the trouble spots. Recent price developments up to March 2018 are discussed and another chapter covers the different paint and interior color options. The engines are described and many color photos of the suspension have been added. A separate chapter talks about Karl Wilfert, head of passenger car design from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s. The nicely balanced form of the W108 was developed under his stewardship. Together with Rudolf Uhlenhaut he was one of the men in the 1950s and 1960s, who were instrumental in the success of Daimler-Benz. Yet very little is known of him today-

April 2018

Bernd S. Koehling

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 and his young colleague Paul Bracq, showed successfully, how a well balanced design can look like. Now it was only logical to follow that concept 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 the series represent an era, where every boy and girl could point out that this is a Mercedes. If it would have been for Paul Bracq, who worked under Geiger as chief-stylist for pre-development, 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.

Although Bracq was not able to convince his colleagues of a new design front at this time, he managed to follow with the W108 the principals, he thought need to be adhered to, when creating a new vehicle: the car needed to have well balanced proportions with a low waistline in order to increase visibility for the passengers. The side of the car should have a continuous line from the front to rear. This line should divide the sidelines and enhance at the same time the length of the car. And he always made sure that the wheels were placed in such a way that they appear flush with the outer edge of the car’s body, giving it a more masculine appearance.

By clicking on one of these pictures, you can enlarge them

Above are two drawings by Paul Bracq. The first one dates from 1962, the second one from 1964. Like his colleague Bruno Sacco, he tried in vain to persuade his colleagues that an upright large front mask and vertical headlights were not necessarily needed for the 220b successor. While the earlier design is clearly more radical, the later one admits at least that an upright grille might be not such a bad idea. It is doubtful that the largely conservative clientele for six-cylinder Mercedes cars would have been ready in the mid-1960s for such a radical departure from a Mercedes tradition that had been a hallmark of the Daimler-Benz company since its formation in 1926. Less than ten years later the time was ripe with the introduction of the W116.

It was only natural for Bracq to try a sedan design that featured the patented Barenyi pagoda roof

This early 1963 drawing by Bracq is already very close to the final design

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.

Bracq’s idea to visually separate the side lines of the car were achieved by adding a chrome belt with black inserts. It encircled the entire car except for the front and protected at the same time the doors in tight parking spaces. 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