Please pardon some of the wonky shots – these were taken in motion, at the back of a motorbike. I have just been through a relatively acute Fintail binge (post to be published in the coming days), and was on the way to recovery when this latest manifestation of the CC Effect took place. Lo and behold, a superb ‘70s S-Class land yacht was navigating its chromed prow through the busy streets of my little corner of Asia. And to think I hadn’t caught a W116 yet.
Traffic is murder in this city. Literally. Thailand has one of the worst road safety records in the world. But traffic can make you waste a lot of time, it’s far too hot to walk and very unpleasant to cycle, so the motosai motorbike taxi (usually sans helmet for the customer), combined with public transport, is a solution favoured by many. The motosai (alternative spelling: motocy) is the only way to beat the Bangkok traffic and extremely handy for short distances. It’s also a good way to spot interesting cars in traffic, but it’s usually hard enough to get a single photo. In this case, I was lucky enough to spot that classic Merc shape ahead of us as we slowed down, giving me time to get my smartphone ready to snap away drive-by-style as we caught up with it.
The contrast between the dignified S-Class and that monstrous Toyota Alphard is almost comic
The W116 saloon (Sept. 1972 – Sept. 1980) has been abundantly featured in CC over the years, but there’s been little regard for the lowest-spec 280 S – the 6-cyl. model, which appeared unimpressive in this R&T Vintage Review post by our Editor. It seems the US version, with its thyroid-eye sealed beams, botox bumpers and stifled engine was something of an abomination. Our Thai example, in contrast, looks the part and has 158 hp compared to its American sister’s meagre 120. Still, that didn’t make the “Global spec” 280 S a very agile car – it could barely crack 190 kph – but it’s no slouch.
That’s the motorcycle driver’s orange vest and ID in the mirror, as we overtake the W116. Snap!
I really like this car’s deep blue, which led me to this wonderful W116.org colour chart web page. I think this 280 S is the Blue Metallic #387, but it’s a tough call. I did not know these were exported to Thailand. I initially read that the 280 S was never sold in the UK, so I wondered if this right-hooker might be a rarity. It probably isn’t: it seems the RHD Solex-carbureted 280 S was sold in Australia and Indonesia as well as Thailand, which probably means these were available in other RHD markets in the Asia-Pacific region (such as Japan, Malaysia or New Zealand — hopefully someone in the CCommunity knows more), not to mention East and Southern Africa. In fact, I bet they made the 280 S with those markets in mind: back in the mid-‘70s, there were very few roads in most of these places where a fuel-injected V8 W116 would have been a better mode of transport.
The motosai got what I was up to and slowed up a bit as we passed the Benz. Snap! Oops, cut the tail off…
This seems to be borne out by the overall production data per engine type. At almost 123,000 units made (Wikipedia dixit), our modest 280 S is the second only to its 280 SE sister ship (150,000 made) as the most popular flavour of W116. Pretty impressive since, in some important markets, one or the other was absent. There was also a long wheelbase 280 SEL added to the range in 1974, which only convinced 7000 punters. The three V8 models (normal / LWB 3.5L, 4.5L and LWB-only 6.9L) taken together add up to over 150,000 as well. The 1978-80 North American-only 300 SD (5-cyl. 3.0L, smoky Diesel flavour) adds an extra 28,000 cars, and we’re but a generous rounding error or two away from half a million units. And the 6-cyl. W116s hold a two-thirds majority.
Could it have been otherwise? Base models don’t necessarily always do well, but generally they do. And they did, especially in Europe and Asia, where the 280 S made a lot of sense as a status symbol. It didn’t seem to make much sense in its American form, however. But I have no idea how many were sold there – or, indeed, anywhere in particular. Why these were never sold in the UK is a bit puzzling, but the competition from Jaguar XJ6 was fierce there, so perhaps the 182 hp fuel-injected version was seen as a minimum requirement.
Got this last shot as we sped away. It’s the title pic, but uncropped. I often crop my pics – and I certainly did in this case. But somehow, this one also works pretty well like this. From the Fintail W111/112 to Bracq’s Finless W108/109, this W116 and the subsequent W126, one is spoilt for choice when it comes to Mercedes’ senior saloons. This was the subject of a QOTD by GN last year and the W116 got a lot of votes, including mine. It still does today.
Related posts:
Vintage Review: 1975 Mercedes 280S – “Strictly An Energy Crisis Car”, by PN
Curbside Classic: 1973 Mercedes 450 SE – Hello Darlin’; It’s Nice To See You, by Jason Shafer
COAL: 1978 Mercedes Benz 450SEL – Grey Market Special, by Importamation
Curbside Classic: 1977 Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9 – Plenty Of Power But None For The Seats, by PN
Vintage R&T New Car Intro: Mercedes 450SEL 6.9 – The World’s Best Sedan Is Now The Fastest, by PN
CC Capsule: 1978 Mercedes-Benz 300 SD Turbodiesel – A Curbside Classic for the Thrifty, by Jim Grey
eBay Find: 1973 Mercedes 450SE Custom Estate – A “What If” Come To Life, by Perry Shoar
Automotive History: Paul Bracq – Neither A Knife Nor A Potato; Part One, by Don Andreina
Honestly, the W116 is one of my least favorite Mercedes, but that Toyota Alphard helps put things in perspective. I remember seeing those in the last few years of my business travel to Asia, before I retired. Yuck. Sorry to be negative but I’ll take a Pinto wagon over either of those two, any day. At least to look at …
I daily driver my 1979 280 S with 5spd manual transmission and I enjoy Every second of it bulletproof cars Indeed.
Extra points for capturing a CC from a motorcycle — great on-the-fly photography!
I’ve always held an odd curiosity for base-model S-classes. Like you noted, they were rare here in the US, although last month I saw a 1990s-era 300SE driving around here.
My informal experience is that base S-class appealed to a very small niche of people who were wealthy, yet with a frugal streak. Status-symbol seekers tended to care desperately about those numbers on the decklid, so (again, just in my experience), such folks would opt for the V-8 models by default. But some wealthy Americans who wanted that legendary Mercedes-Benz durability in a big car, and didn’t care much about power or about showing off, would opt for a 6-cyl. S-class.
Of course, in other countries, I’m sure that differed, and with non-US versions being more powerful, I’m sure there was ample incentive to stick with the 6-cyl. models anyway.
I passed one of these the other day and could not summon the enthusiasm to stop and shoot pictures. I generally like W116s (though not as much as W108s) but find that I don’t really have much to say about them that has not already been said hereabouts, and by those who know them better than I do.
Someone like, say, Tatra87. 🙂
Still one of my favourite Mercedes and German saloons. truly a great car in 1973.#
FWIW, the only time I’ve been on a moving motorbike was reading pillion, no helmet, lap top on my back, through the traffic of Mumbai……never been tempted to try again for some reason
Great looking Merc! Taillights – ribbed for her pleasure 😀
Thank you for the great on the move pics. And the link for the paint codes, I’d forgotten about it. I love my code 737 Classic White W123 300D, yes its an “overplayed” hobby car, but it fits my current 80 hour work week as it requires little monitoring to enjoy with the little free time I get and parts are easy to get. The other taxi in the fleet was a 1980 W116 300SD in Astral Silver and I love that car a lot as well. US spec, but such a presence. My former business mate still has it, off the road though for some long term resto-modding.
With all the Benzes in my past I admit I have never driven a MB newer than 1985 or with a gas engine. Need to change that.
Beautiful car pics again, and thanks
Pretty much my favourite mass-Merc, though I’d insist on an engine. A young work aquaintance years ago drove her mumma’s 280S, and occasionally I was her startled passenger, unconsciously but literally leaning forward in the seat whenever merging or side-street take-off had to occur. Now, she was a timid driver, but when I’d involuntarily bark “Bloody hell, step on it, Mahi!” she’d reply calmly that she was, and indeed, she was, even though the leaves were passing us on the breeze faster. A V8 for mine, then.
Very good photos from your action catalogue, and rather fine that the old barge has survived so long in tropical sweatiness and stress. Better aircon than the motosai too, probably.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, Mercedes-Benz offered the carburetted and fuel injected versions of 2.3-litre four-cylinder (230/230E) and 2.8-litre six-cylinder (280/280E) engines for its W123 as well as 2.0-litre engine exclusively for W201 190 and 190E. 250 was never offered with fuel injection system because it would probably match 280’s performance for less price.
The power increase is minimal between carburetted and fuel injected engines to justify the cost, unfortunately: 109 and 136 for 230 and 230E; 156 and 185 for 280 and 280E.
Love the pics and the write-up! I feel like I was on that bike, myself. Very cool five-minute street tour.
(And I, too, am a fan of this deep blue color.)
I’m thinking these Mercedes didn’t do well in the UK in the 70s due to the fact they were German. They were only 25-30 years removed from WWII, and many in the UK still had a big hard-on for anything German. I had a landscape client that survived the Battle of Britain as a teenage girl, and 65 years hence her memories were vivid, and her opinions strong. Margaret Thatcher was deathly afraid of a re-unified Germany in the mid-90s, for the same reasons. There was a big hubbub when Pierce Brosnan used a 7-series BMW in one of his “James Bond” movies. “Bond in a German car?”, were the cries. We Americans don’t seem to hold a grudge the way many other peoples do.