Back in the ‘70s, what status symbol was more cliché than a two-door Benz? An Eldorado, depending on where you lived? A 12-cyl. Jaguar, or maybe a Rolls? Or something rare and Italian? OK, there were plenty of cliché “look at me, I’ve got bags of dough” type of cars, come to the think of it. But the one that was almost realistic and had the global stamp of approval was made in Stuttgart.
But there were at least two Mercedes coupés to choose from. Up to 1971, the old W111 was at the top of the range, aloof and stuck in the early ‘60s. Though it had a brand new V8. The C107 replaced it after that, bearing the magical SL branding. But there was also the lower-tiered 6-cyl. coupé of the “Stroke-8” model.
Although much cheaper than the W111 or C107, those were still expensive machines, well out of reach of the lowly commoner. Or even said lowly commoner’s bank manager. And yet, for quite a while, what you did not get as part of the package was decent performance.
When the W114 coupé arrived in 1969, the only engine that could be had was a 2.5 litre 6-cyl. – the standard twin carb version delivered 130hp. That was better than the base model 200 saloon (95hp), but only marginally so, and rather feeble compared to the likes of BMW, Opel or Lancia. Or, if you were in the US, any of a dozen much cheaper V8-powered coupes. The price difference between the base 4-cyl. saloon and the high-end 6-cyl. coupé was substantial: the two-door cost 75% more. But it was far from being 75% better in any tangible way.
North American market W114 coupés, which were subject to emissions controls, were so sluggish that Mercedes put the 2778cc M130 engine in place of the 2.5 litre seen elsewhere. They kept calling it the 250 C, though. It was the start of the headache that was Mercedes mathematics, as we discussed with the W109 “300 3.5.”
At least the W114 coupé had a touch of exclusivity, with that roofline. It’s a pity that M-B decided to make the rest of it so similar to the saloon, though. A shorter rear overhang – or a slightly more tapered tail, perhaps – might have improved the car’s looks and added yet more exclusivity, perhaps making up for its somewhat muted performance.
The same could be said about the front end: wouldn’t a bit more character given the coupé a greater sense of occasion? I seem to recall that Paul Bracq had designed several variations of the W114/115 using the Pagoda SL’s front end theme, with a full-width grille sans obligatory stand-up ornament. The more conservative saloon was best suited to stick with the traditional Benz grille, but the coupé could have gone for something a bit more modern. They ended up doing just that with the S-Class in the ‘80s.
What Mercedes did manage to do was to finally address the car’s lacklustre engine. The new M110 motor arrived in late 1972, simultaneously in the W114 and the new W116. It was a DOHC straight-6 displacing 2746cc, but the 280 number looked better, so that’s what M-B went with. In fuel-injected form like our CC, said six produced 185hp, finally enabling the hefty W114 to reach the 200kph barrier.
Reading a few contemporary reviews and tests about the W114, the general impression is that people at the time appreciated how well-built and comfortable these were in their day, but also that they felt a little old-fashioned. That was especially true of the interior / dash, with that instrument binnacle looking rather dated, the column shifter on some cars and oddities such as the dash-mounted handbrake (on RHD cars).
But at least, with the post-1973 facelift, a more modern steering wheel was past of the package. Personally, it’s really not my favourite feature, as it looks from a different decade than the rest of the cabin.
It’s pretty tight back here, but technically it is a genuine four-seater, just about. If you’re not too tall, of course, because that roof is noticeably lower than the saloon’s.
Price and power notwithstanding, Mercedes still managed to sell quite a few W114 coupés between late 1968 and December 1976: close to 67,000 were made. Production dropped precipitously after the 1973 refresh though, and only just under 4000 facelifted coupés with the fuel-injected DOHC engine similar to our feature car came off the assembly line.
A flawed gem, this two-door W114. The saloon’s design was much better balanced and the underwhelming performance was less of an issue. At least, the DOHC engine gave it a bit more spirit. And as a Benz coupé, it is automatically granted a place in most people’s fantasy garage, mine included. Especially now that they’ve become relatively affordable.
Related CC Reading
Curbside Classic: 1976 Mercedes 280C (W114) – Pricey Hardware, by PN
Curbside Outtake: 1969-73 Mercedes-Benz 250CE Diesel – Does This Car Actually Exist?, by Roger Carr
Curbside Classic Outtake: Late ‘60’s/Early ‘70’s Duo; Nissan Skyline GT (C10) and Mercedes 250 CE (W114) – Parking, Tokyo Style, by Jim Brophy
I grew up in the far far west of England in the seventies and the local Mercedes dealer never had more than two cars on display, so discreet was their sales approach. Not that I knew any Merc drivers, or ever saw any, German tourists aside. Even our close, and clever, family friends who owned and farmed many acres and never went near a motorway let alone an autobahn or freeway (just check the map) resolutely stuck to Volvos when the CAP cash came in.
Might have just been me, but I never saw that coupe as prestigious, at least any more than it’s sedan brother. Which was a MB, but not the big SE one. On the other hand, when the big S class 560SEC (or whatever the first displacement was) arrived in the early 80s, now that car made a statement.
I always felt the rear quarter window on these was an awkward shape, resulting in another unsatisfying shape on the pillar behind it. I would have taken the window a bit further back and thinned the pillar, even if the window wouldn’t fully wind down, though that would probably contravene some managerial directive. I’d also do something to minimise the visual impact of the drip rail when viewed from the three-quarter rear.
I understand M-B offering a coupe variant of the sedan, for those who absolutely positively had to have a coupe – but what a whopping price premium for something which really isn’t all that attractive. Were these contracted out, or hand-built off-line or something?
The problem was that these had the same wheelbase as the 4-door sedan, which doesn’t work well with a lowered coupe roof. The W123 coupe resolved that issue by having a shorter wheelbase, and therefore its proportions look much better.
Paul, you beat me to the punch by bringing the C123 into the discussion. I do agree that the C123 makes better work of “converting” a 4-door into a 2-door. However, both cars feel like “neither fish nor fowl” because I feel like they split the difference between “2-door sedan” and “coupe”.
Well, did I ever learn much about this expensive auto! In The States it was quite pricey. I always considered it elegant, but I did not know that its performance was lackluster. I still. I remember that in 1979 a Diesel-powered coupe was offered at a whopping $29,000.00.
The /8 coupes were delivered exclusively with inline-six gasoline engines from the factory. Never as diesels.
I’ve never been able to warm to these cars aesthetically, unlike the sedans and the C123 successor. That hasn’t changed to this day.
Great write up T87, nice info I didn’t know.
I’m indecisive about the styling of these coupes. They have nice proportions (although the C-Pillar could be thinned down a tad) and refined details (even the wheels are carefully designed), and an air of quiet Teutonic elegance and solidity. Despite that though, they’ve never excited me and I can’t put my finger on why not.
The interior is an interesting study of contrasts, with the top half of the dashboard saying mid-60s and the console saying mid-1980s.
Speaking of ’80s design, I just noticed the door window-mounted rear view mirror! That’s a very nice bit of integrated design, maybe one of the first mirrors mounted thus?
I’ve not before noticed the way the side-mirrors were mounted on the face-lifted W114 & W115. Did other manufacturers do this? The R107 & C107 in 1971 had them flush with the A-Pillar in a way which became the industry standard but I don’t recall others attaching them to the vent-window hardware.
I’d never noticed the mirrors until T87’s post either, and initially wondered if they (and the centre console) were retro-mods. A quick google proved me wrong of course. Our old Peugeot 307 had them mounted in the same location, which worked well because the bottom of the A-pillar was so far forward mounting them there would have caused an almighty blind spot.
I’d not realized the post-facelift (08/1973 +) W114 & W115 were this quirky. If no front quarter-glass was fitted, the mirror was flush with the A-Pillar (a la the R107 & W116, top left) and if no mirror was ordered there was a metal blanking-plate where the mirror would have attached (top right). On the coupés, if no mirror was fitted (bottom left), the quarter-vent was opened with a knurled knob while if there was a mirror, the quarter-glass was fixed with the mirror mounted on the frame’s trailing edge (bottom right). That seems a complicated solution to a simple problem but I assume it has something to do with the coupé’s doors having no window frames. On the post-facelift 114 & 115, only the coupés received the front quarter-panes or quarter-vents and thus the unusual mirror placement.
The roofline really reminds me of the Volvo Bertone coupe, which isn’t a compliment. The W114 as a whole never did much for me as a luxury car, the styling is basically Plymouth valiant with a fancy grille and(in the US) stacked headlights. That’s not a critique that extends to its inherent quality or engineering but it’s enough where it is just kind of inert.
The M110 engine wasn’t really all that new, as it was essentially a new DOHC head on the old M180 block. Why they reduced the bore from 86.5 mm to 86.0 mm is a good question, as the stroke stayed the same at 78.8 mm. I can’t hazard a guess.
But yes, that new head did perk it up a fair bit, as long as it wasn’t strangled with emission controls like the US version.
IIRC Paul, the M180 was a stretch too far and they had overheating problems due to head gasket failures. They’d ruined the reliable old 230 and 250 family…
The small increase in cylinder wall thickness likely stabilised the head gasket.
We are so familiar with that in the UK – the Leyland 98 series was named after its bore size. A long-running Diesel that replaced its disastrous100mm-bore predecessor! But that’s what happens when you stretch a 300 to a 350 in Dollar-language. I don’t know the M110’s bore spacing, but I think 8mm cylinder wall was considered about right for reliability back then.
It’s strange how posh the Stuttgarter Taxi was considered in the UK and US – especially this overpriced and under-engined variety.
Ignoring the awkward Coupe, I rather preferred the simple, clean 1968 styling of the Strich Acht to the W123. I found that a bit too Baroque and it reminded me too much of a Humber Sceptre and as dour as a Hillman Hunter inside. The lines worked well enough on the W116, strangely.
“Flawed Gem” is the best description. Family friend, Skip, had one – same color, in Los Angeles. I was 19 and worked at their family company, and Skip was 10 years older. I idolized him. Anything Skip did, I wanted to do. He would let me drive that car quite a lot. Which had prestige in L.A. I had my 1972 Fastback Mustang 351, so there was a huge performance differential. While the Benz was more comfortable and of a quality build, it was too slow for my liking. It also had a clunky trans between first and second that was annoying. Skip then moved up to the 450SL. Now we were talking. That was truly the car for me to be seen in top down!