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1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 S [W108] Ep. 2.35Class: Cars, Sedan — Model origin: 
— Made for: 
![1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 S [W108]](/i660374.jpg)
![[*]](/res/star.png){kind=small}
Minor action vehicle or used in only a short scene
Comments about this vehicle| Author | Message |
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-- ◊ 2013-12-30 09:52 |
W108 -- Last edit: Mark1994 |
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-- ◊ 2013-12-31 11:12 |
Not sure that W108, you might W109, W111 or W112. -- Last edit: Mark1994 |
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◊ 2014-01-01 15:30 |
I think it's a 1967 W109. Made for UK. |
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◊ 2014-01-01 15:54 |
It's W108/109, we can guess only. Black steering wheel confirms the car isn't early one, indeed. Sure not made for UK. The plates are pure Australian. |
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◊ 2014-01-01 22:23 |
I believe the W 109 had chrome around the side windows on all models, like this one http://www.powerful-cars.com/php/mercedes/1969-w109-300sel-35.php , which should make this a W 108. The question is if it's an earlier (250, 300) or a later (only 280) version. One clue is the outside rear view mirror on the door. Does it look like this Link to "bringatrailer.com" (early) or this http://www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/circa-1970-280SE.jpg (from 1968)? -- Last edit: 2014-04-01 20:03:32 |
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◊ 2014-01-02 16:24 |
Is there any possibility to get any information (about the year issued) from the number plate? |
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◊ 2014-01-03 00:16 |
![[:kiki]](https://imcdb.opencommunity.be/images/smileys/kiki.gif "[:kiki]") Hopefully our infernal quartet, which could be a quintet actually, doesn't potentiate each other...No. W111 and W112 is something totally different. And the W109 has always the double headlights. -- Last edit: 2014-01-03 00:23:40 |
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◊ 2014-01-03 10:50 |
@ingo: Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the double headlights were fitted for certain markets only, like USA. I've seen several W109's with European headlights. Here're a few examples http://han99.tripod.com/ , http://www.britishcarpartsco.com/MainPage/MB-300-SEL.JPG and http://www.collectioncar.com/detailed.php?ad=30689&category_id=1 . |
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◊ 2014-01-03 14:16 |
@zodiac: originally they were thought for the US-market. Outside the USA double headlights were an extra option (because of the better H4-lights). After the W109, especially the 300 SEL 6.3, had them as standard lights, many W108-owners changed them, resp. buyers of new W108 ordered them, because they liked, that their car looks like the top line model with them. I'm unsure, but IIRC in the last years the oval standard lights weren't used any more at all. The car in your second link had definitely unoriginal lights, as it is an US-version. |
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◊ 2014-01-03 22:31 |
@ingo: I'm sorry for the second link, of course it's an US version. If you compare the second link with the third and study the headlamps closely, you might see that the one in the second link is slightly round and the one in the third link is slightly flat. I do agree some fitted US headlights on European cars to be able to have better vision as the earlier 'round' version had terribly short range at high beam thus almost always fitted with additional lights to be able to drive with some security at night. The 'flatter' lights where fitted as standard on at least European models from somewhere around 1970 or 1971 and newer models. I have earlier tried to have a go ventilating the fact that what cars look like today, i.e. preserved and captured on the Internet, sometimes has little to do with how it was when the cars were new. The 250 SE [W 108.014] I have in my care is painted factory grey and have the earlier headlamps. That is a rare sight today as most cars survived has been painted in a brighter colour and fitted with better headlights. The US headlights was a rare sight when I grew up. But I rarely saw a 300 SEL 6.3, that's for sure. -- Last edit: 2014-01-03 23:51:48 |
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◊ 2014-01-04 12:33 |
I'm not a Mercedes-Expert, so I don't know anything about -maybe existing- differences between the oval W108/109-headlights. The best would be, to check, if there are different spare-parts-numbers. But slightly different headlights can have real mundane reasons. For example, if they are for Bilux-, H1- or H4-light. Of if they were made by Bosch or Hella. P.S. It also not unlikely, that headlights were changed during the years (broken lenses due rockship, rusty or blind reflectors, after an accident, during the restoration or just because the owner likes annother version more). To change headlights needs just a few minutes, so no big deal at all. -- Last edit: 2014-01-04 12:36:48 |
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◊ 2014-01-04 17:00 |
What I failed to say is that I do know that the earlier headlamps (the same as the ones fitted on W 111) were replaced by new ones somewhere around 1970, although I can't be more precise about the year. But I will try to find out. The change took place to get better lights, as many customers had been complaining. I'm not a Mercedes expert either otherwise that I try to figure out what parts fitted where and when. That information I do need in order to keep the 250 SE in as near original condition as possible. Some information I've also got from friends who have had Mercedes'es, both older and newer ones. |
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◊ 2014-01-18 09:20 |
According to my 'Chassis and Spare Part List', Edition D, March 1971, the new headlamps were fitted from the introduction of the 1969 MY. That is from chassis number 073.598 out of 74.677 on the 250 S, 016.622 out of 93.666 on the 280 S and 015.792 out of 91.051 on the 280 SE. I can't make it out on the 280 SEL, but that wasn't a major model anyway. That is roughly 165.000 out of the 359.522 made in total of the W108 range fitted with the earlier headlamps. Up until the introduction of the 1969 MY there is a chance of roughly 130.000 of the 250 series compare with some 33.000 of the 280 series fitted with the earlier headlamps (not counting the comparatively uncommon 300 SEB). -- Last edit: 2014-01-18 10:32:38 |
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◊ 2014-04-04 14:04 |
Finally I can state that this is, without question, a 1968 Mercedes 280 S or SE. The reason why, is that this one has the later grill with four lines between each chrome strip, while the earlier ones had seven lines between each chrome strip. The change took place with the introduction of the 280 model, while the 250 S still had the earlier grill. Not later than Sept 1968 as flatter glas on the headlamps was introduced in Oct 1968. |
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