by "415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)" (415s30)
Published 03/25/2017 at 01:09
by "415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)" (415s30)
Published 03/25/2017 at 01:09
Tags: W123
STARS: 2
W123 in the USA...
"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
03/25/2017 at 02:12, STARS: 0
Hey, we got gas 280s, briefly. Not going to outrun a 530i though.
"fintail" (fintail)
03/25/2017 at 02:28, STARS: 2
We had 280CE, model years 1978-80 or maybe until 1981, but I think all NA spec 123s were diesel after that.
280S would be a W108 after 1968, or a W116 sold on this side of the pond, but I think only until model year 1976 or so, when carbureted MBs stopped being sold here. The model lived on into the W126 years until 1985, when carbs were finally discontinued for the S-class.
Funny pic, the E12 appears to be a police car, chasing a US spec C123.
Ah this valuable knowledge. At work I have problems remembering projects I worked on last month, but I remember cars made before I was born.
"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
03/25/2017 at 10:48, STARS: 1
I think that’s right, I know we only got M110s for a few years, I’ve seen a couple US cars in the shop. I had a gray market W123 280TE (K-jet injected) with a 5-speed. The Mercedes master tech I apprenticed under said of that engine, “all the power of a four, with all the economy of a V8.” He was not a fan.
I have the same memory lapse, obscure numbers and models, specs, I’m your guy. Pick up milk on the way home? Not so much.
"fintail" (fintail)
03/25/2017 at 11:49, STARS: 1
I have seen a number of W123 280E over the years, but the CE is pretty uncommon in non-grey market form. I have also seen several Euro W116 and W126 280SE (including manual cars) that made it over in the grey market days. I have heard similar to what your master tech said - not MBs best effort. The best MBs of the early 80s sold here were diesels or Euro V8s.
It might not work for all, but I keep MB nomenclature in line by thinking platform first, then engine. There is still duplication (like 280S used on 3 platforms), but it makes sense in my mind.
"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
03/25/2017 at 14:07, STARS: 1
Yeah, I do the same with platform/engine but i don’t assume others do. Same with BMWs. For the purpose of the OP I meant 280CEs.
We used to see a gray market W123 280E and W116 SE, in that one in particular it was odd to feel a sort of rev-happy gas engine in a car I was ingrained to think was a diesel.
"fintail" (fintail)
03/25/2017 at 14:11, STARS: 1
I think that engine is out of place in something the size of a W116 . I remember one where I used to live was a red W116 280SE with a 5-speed and a black and white checked cloth interior. It was extremely clean, and a cool car, but I don’t know if the powertrain was best aligned with the car. A diesel or lazy V8 is better in a cruiser like that, IMO. I’m not generally into manuals either, as they don’t fit the cars I often like.
"415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)" (415s30)
03/25/2017 at 14:15, STARS: 0
Yeah they do exist, but I bet that is a D like mine. Not sure what year TJ Hooker this was but the car looks like it has the bundt wheels so early 80's.
"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
03/25/2017 at 15:38, STARS: 1
Manuals certainly don’t fit any Mercedes I’ve ever driven. Their shifters have always been too joyless to have any real fun with, and they’ve never really been designed for handling prowess anyway, so the stick just becomes a chore. Even cars like the 500E and newer AMGs I can’t see with a manual, because a two gear kickdown with a big engine is as good at throwing you up the road as anything else, and perhaps even more dramatic. And the diesels don’t do anything with urgency, so it helps that the automatics keep them in boost.
"fintail" (fintail)
03/25/2017 at 16:26, STARS: 0
I’ve heard the traditional MB shifting experience called an “oar in a barrel” That might be right. Only manual MB I have experienced was a ponton, and that was for a short distance. Most modern ones make enough torque as to not need a manual for performance, and have ride and handling that doesn’t encourage manual shifting either. I am not complaining. I live in hilly dense traffic, it’s a chore here.
"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
03/25/2017 at 19:12, STARS: 0
That’s about right. The column shift manual cars are neat just because column shift is a novelty, but they don’t drive better than the autos. The floor shift older models are just ok, I think the floor shift pontons and fintails are pretty rare. I will say, i drove a 4 speed Pagoda once that felt good, but that’s about it, and that was a more or less sporting car which could justify a manual. Even my old dogleg W123 and the Cosworth W201s feel like shit, the shifters on those have pivot rods at the base that necessitate sliding the lever side to side between gates then forward or back for gear selection, so instead of just naturally pushing or pulling from one gear to the next, it has to make two 90 degree turns in the process.
"fintail" (fintail)
03/26/2017 at 00:36, STARS: 0
The ponton I spent a few minutes in was a column shift, which still seemed odd to me - never cared for that. 4 on the tree, no thanks. Floor shift fintails were only 1965+, and I don’t know if I have seen a floor shift ponton. Quite a few pagodas seem to be floor shift, which as you say works for the light car and revvy engine, but it doesn’t seem to add value now - I think the 5-speed adds a bit though, that engine needs a 5th gear. When I see a manual non-sporty MB, I usually think “someone was cheap”, and I bet it harms resale on the handful of manual C and SLK that have been sold here this century. Funny thing, you could get a manual in S-class in Europe all the way up to W140, and can still get it in an E.