Famous (and not-so-famous) Appearances
- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
The 108 and 109 Legacy
Few vehicles are as distinctive and unique as the 108 and 109 chassis Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Although there are other vehicles that are instantly recognizeable - the Gullwing Mercedes, the '57 Chevy, and the DeLorean to name a few - there is no other vehicle so classy, yet affordable as a 108 or 109 chassis Mercedes-Benz. And few vehicles were considered safer, even to this day. These models also made their way into many shows and movies - and still do, even to this day. From Seinfeld ("The Jimmy") to The Simpsons ("The Bart Wants What It Wants"), and every genre in between, the 108 and 109 will live on forever.
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The 250 The 250S came with a m108 engine - a 2.5L cast-iron block with twin carbs. Production ran from 1965 to 1968. |
The 280 The 280S came with a twin-carbed 2.8L cast-iron block m130 engine. Production ran from 1968 to 1972. |
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The 300The early 300SEL - made from 1965 to 1967 - had an aluminum-block m189 engine and air suspension. Later 300SELs (1968 and onward) used either the 2.8L fuel-injected m130, or one of 3 V8 engines - the 3.5, 4.5, or 6.3. |
The 3.5 Available in the 108 and 109 chassis designation, the 3.5 was available as the 280SE 3.5, 280SEL 3.5, and 300SEL 3.5. Only the latter was available in North America, and only for one year (1971). It was built from 1970 until 1972. |
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The 4.5 Available in the 108 and 109 chassis designation, the 4.5L V8 was the North American equivalent of the 3.5L V8 for the "Rest of the world". It was built from 1971-1972 as the 280SE 4.5, 280SEL 4.5, and 300SEL 4.5 |
The 300SEL 6.3 A legend in its own right, the M100-powered 6.3 produced, by conservative estimates, 300HP. It was $10,000 US in 1969. With 434 ft/lbs of torque, it had a 6.5-second 0-60 time (which made it the fastest production sedan in the world for quite some time). Only 6526 were made in its production run from 1967 to 1972 - yet it has the largest fanbase of any 108 or 109 - or perhaps any MB, in fact. |
