A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MERCEDES 111 CHASSIS
W111 was the chassis code given by Mercedes for a series of cars built between 1959 and 1971. These included four door saloons (1959-1968), and two door coupès and cabriolets (1961-1971.)
Originally launched as inline six- cylinder cars equipped with 2.2-litre engines, the first four- door saloon made its debut at the 1959 Frankfurt Auto Show. The range consisted of three models with different trims and equipped with the evergreen 2195 cc M127 straight-six that was carried over from the previous model.
In 1961 the W111 chassis was used in two types of variants. Entry-level models with four- cylinder engines were designated the W110, while the W112 was a luxury version using a fuel-injected 3.0-litre M189 big block six- cylinder engine. Early coupés were based on the W111/ W112 sedans, with exterior styling designed by engineer Paul Bracq. Production had begun in late 1960, and the coupé made its debut at the Mercedes- Benz museum in Stuttgart the following spring. The convertible was introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show later that year. Unlike the previous generation of two- door Ponton cars, both types shared the designation 220SE and the same M127 engine.
In March 1962 Mercedes released the exclusive two- door 300SE. The 220SE was eventually superseded in the autumn of 1965 by the 250SE, featuring the new M129 150hp engine. The four- cylinder W110 model 230 was also relaunched that year using the 2.3 cylinder twin carb M180 engine out of the W111 and re- designated the 230S. The car could deliver 120hp at 5400rpm and had a top speed of 109mph. There were also replacements for the W111 and W112 saloons, codenamed the W108 and W109. By this stage the ‘Fintail’ styling was a thing of the past and both cars were given conventional rear ends.
Further changes were made in 1967 with the 280SE replacing the 250SE. The final coupé model, the 280SE 3.5 was added to the range in August 1969. The car was fitted with the latest M116 3499 cc V8 delivering 200hp at 5800rpm and a top speed of 130mph. This model was eventually withdrawn in 1971.
Over the W111’s ten- year career span a total of 337,803 cars left the production line. These included 41,000 of the model 230S. Excluding 3127 W112 300 SE models, the total of two- door W111 models was 32,804 including 7456 convertibles.