Mercedes-Benz 280E - sporty on the road in the Stroke Eight

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Mercedes-Benz 280E - sporty on the road in the Stroke Eight

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Created on September 6, 2018

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

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Daimler AG

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Bruno von Rotz

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Daimler-Benz AG

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - elegant saloon for business and leisure

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - Development of the front design, from the W114 to the W123 and W124

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - the W114 appears more delicate than the successor series W123 and W124

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - W114 together with the successor series W123 and W124

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - unmistakable and still often seen in normal road traffic today

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - large windows, bright interior

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - straightforward design by Paul Bracq

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - Four-spoke safety steering wheel for the later model years

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - functional cockpit, some wood was also still visible

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - little frippery

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - three large instruments, no rev counter

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - electronically controlled injection instead of carburetor

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - clearly visible and readable instruments

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - large impact absorber in the steering wheel

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - Automatic transmission with shifting steps in splitter form

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - Ventilation control

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - Light switch

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - Upholstery fabric

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - not a completely new development, but certainly a new generation of engines

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - longitudinally mounted in-line six-cylinder engine with light-alloy cylinder head

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - 185 DIN hp thanks to fuel injection

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - the star is also enthroned on the engine

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - hood still held in place by sturdy springs

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - Chassis number

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - the star serves as a bearing aid

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - the star was always on the front, of course

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - windshield wipers crouching in butterfly position

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - Air intake grille with chrome trim

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - hubcaps with star

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - chrome-plated hubcaps, as was common in the 1960s

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - exterior door handles

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - the star at the rear

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - after the facelift there were ribbed rear lights

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - Multi-chamber rear lights

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1975) - narrow and almost rectangular headlights

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1967) - Erlkönig of the upcoming W114/115

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1967) - Erlkönig of the upcoming W114/115

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1971) - W114 model series

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Mercedes-Benz 200 D (1974) - together with its diesel brothers 220 D, 240 D and the "heating oil Ferrari" 240 D 3.0

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Mercedes-Benz 200 D (1970) - seen through the fisheye lens

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Mercedes-Benz 200 D (1970) - quite colorful, these diesel sedans of the W115 series

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Mercedes-Benz 200 D (1973) - front and rear view of the W 115 after the facelift

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Mercedes-Benz 200 D (1973) - rear of the model-maintained variant

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1967) - underside of the W114/115 model series

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1968) - Rear-wheel drive not ideal in winter

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1968) - Stroke eight in winter

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1968) - W114/115 in winter

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1967) - plenty of space in the trunk, despite the spare wheel

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1968) - production at the Sindelfingen plant, in parallel with the last tail fins

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1970) - Final assembly at the Sindelfingen plant

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Mercedes Benz 200 (1967) - the finished car leaves the production line

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1970) - Police patrol car

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1971) - Advertisement emphasizing the safety of the W114/115 model series

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1973) - rear of the model-maintained variant

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1973) - Stroke eight after the facelift

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1974) - after the facelift

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1974) - after the facelift

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1974) - W114/115 after the facelift

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Mercedes-Benz 230/6 (1973) - interior after the facelift, note the four-spoke safety steering wheel

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Mercedes-Benz 250 (1973) - the 2.5-liter was still available after the facelift

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1971) - as coupé and saloon

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1972) - the six-cylinder with two overhead camshafts

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1971) - longitudinally mounted in-line six-cylinder engine with 185 hp

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1971) - View into the engine compartment

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1971) - with light-alloy cylinder head and two overhead camshafts

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1971) - certainly a rare color for the six-cylinder engine

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1971) - often ordered in dark paint finishes

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1971) - with six-cylinder engine

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1973) - interior after the facelift, note the four-spoke safety steering wheel

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1973) - all Mercedes passenger cars now have the padded steering wheel from the S-Class - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1973) - the new folding exterior mirror

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1971) - the mid-size sedan

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Mercedes-Benz 250 C (1969) - at the special show for the Barcelona Motor Show

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Mercedes-Benz 250 C (1971) - the coupé of the W114 model series

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Mercedes Benz 200 (1976) - bodyshell for coachbuilders who built ambulances or racing cars on this basis

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1968) - Advertising - Model change

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Mercedes-Benz 280 E (1972) - in advertising - new temperaments

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Mercedes-Benz 200 (1976) - W 123 saloon in yellow

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Summary

People had actually expected a small Benz from Mercedes; the magazines were full of speculation at the end of the sixties. But then came the Stroke Eight, which replaced the small tail fin and looked completely different from its predecessor. And it was also available with a really powerful engine, the 2.8-liter inline six-cylinder with two overhead camshafts. A predecessor of the AMG sports saloons? This report tells the story of the Stroke Eight and the most powerful model and shows the cars in many historical and modern photos.

This article contains the following chapters

Simple body
Just not a revolution
Progress under the sheet metal
Top dog
With a sports engine
Wide spread
Long runner?
Careful model maintenance
Still a fast touring car
Further information

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

At the end of the 1960s, the magazines were full of speculation to this effect, fueled by Erlkönig photos of the forthcoming saloon. However, although the Stroke Eight, so unofficially named because of its date of birth in 1968, was smaller than the W108/109 presented two and a half years earlier, it replaced the mid-range W110, known as the "small tail fin". Compared to the latter, however, it looked like something from another planet. As with the luxury sedan, Paul Bracq was responsible for the lines. Compared to the luxury-class saloon, also designed by Bracq, the body was even more straightforward, the headlights at the front were more angular and slimmer, the rear lights more geometric. The beltline was low and the windows were large. There were only minimal differences between the various engine versions on the body side.

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