Mercedes-Benz 111 series

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Mercedes Benz
Mercedes-Benz 220 S.
Mercedes-Benz 220 S.
W 111 sedan
Sales designation: 220/220 S / 220 SE / 230 S
Production period: 1959-1968
Class : upper middle class
Body versions : limousine
Engines:
Otto engines : 2.2–2.3 liters
(70–88 kW)
Length: 4875 mm
Width: 1795 mm
Height: 1510 mm
Wheelbase : 2750 mm
Empty weight : 1320 kg
Previous model Mercedes-Benz W 180
successor Mercedes-Benz W 108

The Mercedes-Benz W 111 was a model of the fintail series from Mercedes-Benz , also called the “large (tail) fin” among enthusiasts, in contrast to the W 110 series (so-called “small fintail”). The W 111 replaced the large pontoon models in 1959 and provided the technical basis for the Mercedes models until the end of the 1960s. The so-called standard body was typical, so that the sedan models from the entry-level W 110 to the six-cylinder W 111 to the air-sprung W 112 (Mercedes-Benz 300 SE) have a similar appearance. The W 111 was in principle replaced by the W 108 in 1965; only the 230 S was the only sedan that was still produced in parallel to the W 110 and W 108/109 models from 1965 to 1968. The W 111 coupés and convertibles remained in the range until 1971. Technically, the single-joint pendulum axle with compensating spring already known from the 300 SL stood out on the W 111 .

limousine

Model history

Rear view
A striking detail: the sedan's chrome-plated tail fins

The tail fins, which were measured in comparison to the US vehicles of the time, were called "Peilstege" by the manufacturer and, according to Mercedes, were used as parking aids that mark the end of the car. The W 111 followed the large "Ponton" series W 105 and W 180 built until 1959 . Its sleek, elegant body shape comes from the then MB chief designer Karl Wilfert and his team. The body is characterized by a previously unknown level of passive safety: It was the first to have a stable passenger cell and effective crumple zones . Mercedes carried out extensive crash tests , e.g. B. a vehicle was brought to rollover over a ramp at 80 km / h.

Production began in August 1959 with the models 220 (b), 220 S (b), 220 SE (b) and, from 1965, the 230 S. The latter has a hydropneumatic compensating spring on the rear axle. The 220 SEb Coupe (from the start of series production in 02/61; sedan from 04/62) was the first Mercedes production car to have disc brakes on the front wheels. The engines of the sedans are exclusively straight six-cylinder with 95 to 120 hp. The carburetor engines Mercedes-Benz M 180 and the injection engine Mercedes-Benz M 127: 220 b with 95 hp, 220 Sb with 110 hp, 220 SE and 230 S with 120 hp. The 230 S model dispensed with the complex injection system with the two-piston pump and two triple distributors. It achieves an additional output of 10 hp compared to the otherwise largely identical carburettor model 220 S with a displacement increase to 2.3 liters.

The b in the type designation 220 b or 220 Sb differentiated the tail fin series from 1959 onwards from the predecessor models of the same type, the so-called "Ponton" series. In contrast to its stronger brothers, the basic version 220 b has smaller taillights, slightly angled towards the rear center, with less chrome trim, and simple rear bumpers.

Mercedes-Benz W 111 in the USA version with double headlights

In addition to the Mercedes-Benz W 111, there are two other fintail series: the "small" Mercedes-Benz W 110 , which was built from 1961 and had a 14.5 cm shorter front end, and the Mercedes-Benz W 112 of the type 300 SE, which, equipped with the M 189 “aluminum engine” of the Mercedes 300 d ( W 189 ) and air suspension, represents the top model of the “fins”. The “300 SE long” variant, which is 10 cm longer and is rarely found, was reserved for this 300 model.

Production of the sedans 220 b, 220 Sb and 220 SEb ended in the summer of 1965. Only the 230 S ran off the assembly line until 1968. The successor was the W 108 built from 1965 .

Combinations

The “Universal” station wagon was part of the official sales program in 1966 and 1967.

The vehicles, which were manufactured from the beginning of 1965 under license from Daimler-Benz at IMA in Mechelen (Belgium) under the name "Universal" according to Mercedes quality specifications, were initially exclusively station wagons . In 1965 the W-110 version was the first to be available as the 190 D. Later three “small” (W 110) models were offered: 200, 200 D, 230 and the only “large” (W 111) of the 230 S. A total of 2754 IMA universal tail fin combinations were produced. Tailfin sedans were also manufactured in small numbers at IMA. Later on, some sedans of the successor type W 115 also rolled off the production line at IMA. The company went bankrupt in 1968.

Because of the cooperation agreements with Daimler-Benz, IMA station wagons are the only "official" station wagons of the fintail models; other station wagons count as conversions. Restorations show that the corrosion protection at IMA was not quite at the Sindelfingen level: IMA station wagons are, as evidenced by the reports and purchase advice of the Oldtimer Association VDH, statistically worse in condition than limousines and show, due to production and use, a high need for restoration especially at the rear end with the estate-specific body parts.

In addition to limousines , coupés and convertibles , the W 110 and W 111 also have special bodies as ambulances, ambulances, hearses and station wagons . In most cases, these were delivered as partially manufactured bodies without a roof, rear window and trunk lid from the Sindelfingen plant to several bodywork companies. Binz in Lorch (Württemberg) and Christian Miesen in Bonn manufactured ambulances, but also hearses, delivery vans and station wagons.

Pollmann, Rappold, Welsch, Stolle, Pilato and other companies primarily manufactured funeral vehicles. In addition to commercial vehicles, station wagons from the companies Jauernig (Austria), Marbach (Switzerland), Movauto (Portugal) and Hägele were manufactured in very small numbers on behalf of customers. The Carrosserie Jacques Coune company in Brussels (Belgium) also presented a station wagon based on the W 111.014 at the 1964 auto show.

safety

Mercedes-Benz attached great importance to safety. The W 111 has further developed crumple zones; The principle was already introduced in the previous models by engineer Béla Barényi . The crumple zones are designed to ensure that the passenger cell is highly stable and that an accident is more harmless for the vehicle occupants, as the impact energy is partially absorbed by the softer body areas of the front and rear of the vehicle. In addition, the W 111 has wedge-pin door locks that increase the stability of the passenger compartment and prevent passengers from being thrown out in the event of an accident, as the doors no longer open.

There were also some safety precautions in the interior: the steering wheel has a baffle plate with a padded cover and the dashboard is provided with partially elastic or recessed control elements and is padded. Seat belts were a special request in the W 111.

Coupes and convertibles

Mercedes Benz
Mercedes-Benz 220 SE Coupé (1963)
Mercedes-Benz 220 SE Coupé (1963)
W 111 Coupé / Cabriolet
Sales designation: 220 SE C / 250 SE C / 280 SE C / 300 SE C
Production period: 1961-1971
Class : upper middle class
Body versions : Coupé , convertible
Engines:
Otto engines : 2.2–3.5 liters
(120 to 200 hp)
Length: 4820 mm
Width: 1790 mm
Height: 1400 mm
Wheelbase : 2750 mm
Empty weight : 1510 kg
Previous model W 128 / W 180
successor Mercedes-Benz C 107

Model history

In the W 111 and W 112 series, in addition to the four-door vehicles (“tail fin” sedans), the coupés and convertibles in flatter bodies with rounded fins that are only partially recognizable were classified. The new Mercedes-Benz 220 SE (b) Coupé was presented at the opening of the Daimler-Benz Museum in Untertürkheim on February 24, 1961.

The W 111 coupé and cabriolet were initially available with the same technology as the 220 SE sedan model as the 220 SEb / C. In contrast to the previous model, the coupé is based on the unabridged frame-floor system of the associated sedan and was therefore a fully-fledged four-seater. Coupé and sedan also have a number of similarities in terms of style, but not a single one of the four-door body parts could be used for the coupé or convertible. Four times as many parts were handcrafted for coupés and convertibles as for the sedan. These C models were the last largely handcrafted Mercedes, which is why the price of the coupes and convertibles was almost twice as high as that of the sedans.

Mercedes-Benz 280 SE Cabriolet (1969)
Interior of the convertible
Mercedes-Benz 280 SE Coupé (1971)

The 220 SEb / C was the first Mercedes series passenger car to be equipped with disc brakes on the front wheels. The original type designation "SE (b) / C" is unique, because on the one hand it illustrates the difference to the previous model Ponton (SE or SE (a)), on the other hand it was abandoned with the introduction of the almost identical 250 SE Coupé.

From 1965, the 250 SE Coupé models with 150 hp came out with the Mercedes-Benz M 129 of the W 108 series . Like the three-liter models, they received the 14-inch wheels and the larger-sized disc brakes of the top-of-the-range 108 series, now with disc brakes also on the rear wheels. In 1967 Mercedes brought a new 2.8-liter Mercedes-Benz M 130 engine with 160 hp. As a result, the new W 111 / C was now called the 280 SE Coupé. There were also small changes in the interior. For example, the previously veneered fitting housing was covered with leather. There was another externally recognizable facelift for the W 111 from 1969 with the introduction of the 3.5-liter V8 engine with 200 hp, when the front section got a flatter bonnet and a lower radiator grille. From then on, the models were differentiated by the (unofficial) names "high cooler" and "flat cooler". The Cabriolet 280 SE 3.5 with the eight-cylinder M116 engine is a popular vehicle in this series.

The W-112 types 300 SE Coupé and 300 SE Cabriolet, which were offered at the same time, and which were to a certain extent created by reaching into the construction kit, played a minor role in the sales figures. The body of the corresponding 220-SEb variant was provided with additional decorative elements and combined with the technology of the 300 SE. Accordingly, the new exclusive models, which, like the saloon on which they are based, belong to the W 112 series, were equipped with a number of special technical features. The basic equipment includes a three-liter Mercedes-Benz M 189 light-alloy engine, a four-speed automatic transmission, power steering, air suspension and a dual-circuit brake system with disc brakes on the front and rear wheels. The additional chrome decoration consists of a chrome strip extending from the headlights to the rear lights in the longitudinal bead as well as decorative strips on the wheel arches and on the sills. From March 1963, the 300 SE Coupé, Cabriolet and Sedan were also available with a manual four-speed gearbox on request; the list price was reduced in this case by 1400 marks. In January 1964, the engine output was increased to 125 kW (170 hp). A six-piston injection pump (instead of the previous two pistons with distributor pieces) made this increase in performance possible.

The air-sprung W-112 types were finally taken out of the range in 1967, and after more than ten years of total construction time, the last W-111 six-cylinder coupés and convertibles were produced in May 1971. In July of the same year, production of the eight-cylinder coupés and convertibles also ended. This also ended the construction of four-seater convertibles for the time being, because the successor W 116 was only available as a sedan. The successor to the Coupé was the SLC of the 107 series. A total of 28,918 coupés and 7,013 convertibles were built at the Sindelfingen plant. The highest production number within the model family was achieved by the 220 SE (b) Coupé with 14,173 units. Although the convertibles only cost around 10% more than the coupés during the construction period, they are now more than twice as expensive with a comparable condition and engine. Various coupés were (and are) subsequently converted into convertibles. For reasons of stability, the floor system of original convertibles on the transmission tunnel is designed to be more rigid - a change that is missing in some conversions.

Technical specifications

model Construction time
(approx.)
Model Engine type Design Mixture preparation Cubic capacity
[cm 3 ]
Power
[kW] / [PS]
V-Max
[km / h]
Fuel consumption
(according to DIN 70030 in l / 100 km)
Quantities
220b sedan 08 / 1959-08 / 1965 111.010 M 180.940 R6 Solex 34 PJCB dual carburetor 2195 70/95 155 16.5 69,691
220 Sb sedan 08 / 1959-07 / 1965 111.012 M 180.941 R6 Solex 34 PAITA double carburetor / Zenith 35/40 INAT 2195 77/105 (81/110) 165 (155 automatic) 16 (16.5 automatic) 161.119
220 SEb sedan 08 / 1959-08 / 1965 111.014 M 127.982 R6 Bosch injection pump 2195 88/120 172 (168 automatic) 17 (18 automatic) 66,086
220 SE Coupé 02 / 1961-10 / 1965 111.021 M 127.984 R6 Bosch injection pump 2195 88/120 170 (165 automatic) 13 (15 automatic) 14,173
220 SE Cabriolet 09 / 1961-10 / 1965 111.023 M 127.984 R6 Bosch injection pump 2195 88/120 170 (165 automatic) 13 (15 automatic) 2729
230 S sedan 07 / 1965–01 / 1968 111.010 M 180.947 / 951 R6 Solex 35/40 INAT dual carburetor 2295 88/120 176 (174 automatic) 16 (16.5 automatic) 41,107
250 SE Coupé 09 / 1965-12 / 1967 111.021 M 129.980 / 981 R6 Bosch injection pump 2496 110/150 193 (188 automatic) 16 (18 automatic) 5259
250 SE Cabriolet 09 / 1965-12 / 1967 111.023 M 129.980 / 984 R6 Bosch injection pump 2496 110/150 193 (188 automatic) 16 (18 automatic) 954
280 SE Coupé 11 / 1967-05 / 1971 111.024 M 130.980 / 984 R6 Bosch injection pump 2778 118/160 190 (185 automatic) 16 (18 automatic) 3797
280 SE Cabriolet 11 / 1967-05 / 1971 111.025 M 130.980 / 984 R6 Bosch injection pump 2778 118/160 190 (185 automatic) 16 (18 automatic) 1390
280 SE 3.5 Coupé 11 / 1969-07 / 1971 111.026 M 116.980 / 990 V8 Bosch injection pump 3499 147/200 210 (205 automatic) 16 (18 automatic) 3270
280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet 11 / 1969-07 / 1971 111.027 M 116.980 / 990 V8 Bosch injection pump 3499 147/200 210 (205 automatic) 16 (18 automatic) 1232

Film appearances

Exhibited test car in the Mercedes-Benz Museum
  • In the US thriller Marathon Man by John Schlesinger from 1976, a W 111 is driven by one of the main characters, Klaus Szell. He dies in a chase after he rams a tanker truck.
  • In the TV series Großstadtrevier , police officer Dirk Matthies (alias Jan Fedder ) drives a car from this series. This is his own vehicle with an H license plate.
  • In the 1975 film The Judge and His Executioner , a black sedan from the W 111 series can be seen. This was driven by Robert Schmied and Walter Tschanz.
  • In the film The Hangover , a silver 280 SE Cabriolet high cooler is shown.
  • In the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service , the opponents of the secret agent James Bond drive a black limousine, type 220 S. The car is spectacularly destroyed during a chase.
  • In the film Where Love Falls ... a brown 250 SE Cabriolet is driven by Beau Burroughs (aka Kevin Costner ).
  • In the fifth season of the television series Liebling Kreuzberg , Manfred Krug drives a 220 SE convertible.
  • In the 2013 movie Ms. Ella with Mathias Schweighöfer and Ruth Maria Kubitschek, a W 111 Cabriolet in golden lacquer is used as the main prop over longer phases as a means of transport across France, in particular Paris and Brittany. A visit to the workshop for a script glitch also gives an insight into the interior of the 280 SE.
  • The band The Neighborhood drives in a 280 SE Cabriolet in the music video for the track Sweater Weather .

Others

literature

Purchase advice (convertible and coupe) in Oldtimer Markt , issue 6/2011 p. 48 ff.

Web links

Commons : Mercedes-Benz W 111  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Commons : Mercedes-Benz W 111 Coupé and Cabriolet  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. From the international automotive industry . In: Motor Vehicle Technology 11/1959, pp. 458–459.
  2. Media.daimler.com 85th birthday of Ewy Rosvist. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  3. Mercedes-Benz 220 S, postage stamp for € 1.45, sheets of 10. In: deutschepost.de. Retrieved March 1, 2018 .