Design
The W123 shares technical similarities with its predecessors including engines, steering system, and suspension system. The design is updated with styling cues from its larger sibling,Nomenclatures
Per Mercedes-Benz tradition (prior to the 1994 change), model designation corresponded to the engine displacement, chassis type (coupé or estate/station wagon), fuel type (for diesel engines only), and availability of fuel injection system (for petrol engines only): *C for ''Coupé'' *T for ''Tourismus und Transport'' (estate/station wagon) No designation was given for the long-wheelbase: it was simply called "Lang" (long) in the brochures and order forms. *D for ''Diesel'' *E for ''Einspritzung'' (fuel injection) When the diesel engine is turbocharged, TURBODIESEL is affixed to the right side of the boot lid. As for the chassis codes, W123 is the saloon/sedan, S123 the estate/station wagon, C123 the coupé, V123 the long-wheelbase saloon/sedan a.k.a. Lang, and F123 refers to the bare long-wheelbase chassis as used for ambulances and other conversions.Model variations
Saloon (W123)
The four-door version went on sale on 29 January 1975.Coupé (C123)
In the spring of 1977, a coupé version was introduced on a shortened wheelbase ( versus for the saloon). The C123 was available as 230 C (later 230 CE) and as 280 C and 280 CE in most markets. Unlike the W123 saloon, the rectangular headlamps were fitted to the C123 regardless of engine type.Limousine (V123)
From August 1976, a long-wheelbase version () with seating for seven to eight was produced. The limousine was built on a stretched W123 saloon/sedan chassis with lower side panels from the coupé behind the rear passenger doors. The elongated roof has the same C-pillar form as on the saloon/sedan. The rear passenger doors were custom-designed in rectangular shape and of the same length as the ones on the saloon/sedan. The engine options were 250, 240 D, and 300 D. A few 280 E limousines were built as special orders.Chassis (F123)
The stretched limousine version was offered with complete front body clip (B-pillar forward) and strengthened chassis as the base forEstate (S123)
At the 1977 IAA in Frankfurt, the first-ever factory-built estate, S123, was introduced. The letter T in the model designation stood for ''Tourismus und Transport'' (Touring and Transport). Previous estates had been custom-built by the coachbuilders, namelyConvertible
While Mercedes-Benz never built its own convertible, they have been built by external companies such as Crayford in the UK, who built the St. Tropez models, and also by Niko-Michaels in New York, USA. In the city of Hagen, Germany, until 2016 one small family owned firm- Baehr ot be mistaken with Baur, which have for many years built BMW-based cabriolet conversions have produced cabrio versions of the C123 Coupe models, and also sold kits for cabrio conversions of the same model.Engine
All engines from the W114/W115 are carried over. The single new engine was the SOHC 2.5-litre M123 inline six. The 3-litre, five-cylinder diesel engine received a proper nomenclature for the W123, matching the engine displacement: 300 D instead of 240 D 3.0 on the previous W114/W115. In the autumn of 1978, the power output of the 240 D was increased from to and of the 280 E from 177PS to 185 PS. In early 1979, the power output rose from to for the 200 D and from to for the 300 D. The 220 D was deleted from the model range for 1980. In June 1980, the new M102 four-cylinder inline petrol engine replaced the M115. The 2-litre version was only available with a carburetor while the 2.3-litre version was available with fuel injection only. The carbureted version of 2.8-litre M110 engine in the 280 and 280 C was discontinued in 1981 leaving the 250 as the sole carbureted six-cylinder inline engine. The world's first turbocharged diesel engine for a passenger vehicle, the OM617 A, was finally introduced in W123 models in September 1979, exclusive to the 300 TD TURBODIESEL for the European market. The same engine was offered in North America and Japan in 1981 as the 300 D TURBODIESEL, 300 CD TURBODIESEL, and 300 TD TURBODIESEL. The engines in the W123 were mounted with small shock absorbers in addition to industry standard motor mounts to reduce felt vibration and a provide a smoother ride. These designs were carried over from previous chassis models like the W114/W115.Road Race
One notable achievement was in the 1977 London–Sydney Marathon road race, where the 280E won first and second, ahead of the third and fourth place Citroën CX.North American sales
For the North American market, C123 (coupé) was available with both petrol (280 CE) and naturally aspirated diesel (300 CD) until 1981. For 1982 model year, 280 CE was dropped, and 300 CD TURBODIESEL was introduced as a sole engine offering for coupé model. The estate/station wagon was available with a 3-litre five-cylinder inline OM617 diesel engine only. The naturally aspirated 300 TD was sold for two years (1979-1980) until the turbocharged 300 TD TURBODIESEL replaced it from autumn 1980 because consumers found the 300 TD to be too heavy and too slow with the less powerful engine. 300 TD TURBODIESEL preceded 300 D TURBODIESEL and 300 CD TURBODIESEL by a few months. The petrol engines (230, 280 E, and 280 CE) were offered from 1976 to 1980 model years. From 1981 until 1985, W123 models were sold only with diesel engines to comply with the federal regulation on corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) without paying heavy penalties. The American consumers also preferred the diesel engines for lower fuel consumption after two oil crises and fuel shock of 1973 and 1979. Four-speed manual gearboxes were offered with four-cylinder inline engines (2.3-litre M115 petrol and 2.4-litre OM616 Diesel) only. The new 5-speed manual gearboxes were never offered by Mercedes-Benz itself on the North American market. The North American version of W123 differs from European version due to theEquipment and features
The standard and optional features are numerous along with a large number of engine and gearbox options. Customers could choose cloth, MB-Tex vinyl, velour or leather for the upholstery as well as interior wood trim for dashboard and centre console. The paint and interior colour palettes are extensive as well. The driving dynamic enhancement options for extra cost became more extensive over the time: ABS (from August 1980 onward), self-locking differential gear, five-speed manual gearbox (introduced in 1982 for European markets only), Tempomat cruise control system, power steering system (standard from 1982 onward), passenger-side external rear view mirror (standard on S123 model), "Alpine" horn with selectable loudness (popular in Switzerland due to strict noise regulations), retractable steering column (from 1982 onward) and so forth. The extra cost options for creature comforts includes power windows (with a cut-off switch for the rear passenger door windows), vacuum-powered central locking system, sunroof (manual and electric), air conditioning system (manual or automatic control), seats with orthopaedic support, electrically heated seats (all seats were individually ordered), pre-heating system (for heating the passenger compartment at a pre-selected time when the engine is not running), an assortment of different radios with and without cassette players, rear seat head rests, etc. The W123s destined for the North American market tended to have more features as standard, reflecting the American customer's preference for luxury accessories. For the first time in an executive saloon from Mercedes-Benz, the W123 had the option of fully automatic climate control at extra cost. This option was popular in the North American and Japanese markets. A rare option was a column gear selector that could be ordered with an automatic gearbox if the customer wished. The most expensive option was the Becker radio telephone, selling for 13,512Updates
Mercedes-Benz updated the W123 in incremental steps, calling them series: *Series 0.5, November 1975 – July 1976 *First Series, August 1976 – July 1979 *Second Series, August 1979 – August 1982 *Third Series, September 1982 – January 1986 Changes to the second series (from August 1979): *smaller steering wheel (10 mm) in a more elegant design *modernized toggle switches with smoother edges (hazard lights, windows, etc.) *pneumatic headlamp leveling system *modified belt buckles and smaller headrests *new fabric patterns for the seats Changes to the third series (from September 1982): *Rectangular headlights and power steering as standard for entire model range *Molded front seat backrests for more knee freedom in the rear *Cloth insert in the door panels *Zebrano wood paneling in the dashboard *Reduced wind noise due to improved roof trim strips *Ventilation outlets are no longer chrome-plated *Driver's airbag available as optional equipment For the 1981 model year, the automatic climate control panel from the W126 S-Class with a simplified icon design was adopted. A new five-speed manual gearbox was introduced in February 1982 and was available in all models except those with the 3-litre turbocharged diesel engine but not in North America. This gearbox was only offered to North America via theCopies
The W123 was officially produced by FAW in China from 1987 until 1988, as a 200 sedan or as a long wheelbase 230E. Only 828 cars were built in their Changchun plant. Another Chinese company called Bamin Automobile made W123 lookalikes using other parts. Bamin was aTechnical data - Rest of World
Technical data - North America and Japan
In these markets, only the following models were offered:Mike Covello: ''Standard Catalog of Imported Cars 1946–2002''. Krause Publications, Iola 2002, , p. 539-43.References
Notes
Bibliography
General
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