W108/W109 S-Class Sedan

The W108/W109 was produced in 1965-1972. This was the successor of the W111 S-Class also known as the 220 series. W108 stood for short wheelbase. W109 was the chassis for the long wheelbase version. The exterior was refined. No longer were fins attached. The rear was cleanly shaped into an elegant, angular design. Again, a strip of chrome running on the side of the body enhances elegance. Instead of the one-piece headlamp used by the W111, Mercedes-Benz decided to use 3 on each side, not including the turning signal lamp. Some models retained the single-piece headlamp. However, the W108/W109 still does not resemble the current S-Class sedans.
The interior was stunning at it's time. It's still very nice nowadays. It had a sweeping dashboard of wood trim. In the centre of the console are the controls for the audio/radio system and the air conditioning. Beneath that are the air conditioning vents. To the right is a glove box, nicely fitting into the interior. Then, a round air vent to the right also releases a stream of warm or cool air. To enhance elegance, another sweeping piece of wood, close to the windscreen was fitted. A straight, long piece of wood, highlighted with chrome is inserted on the door panel. Glove soft leather or silky velvet can be felt all over the car. Bench style seats are chosen for the rear. A very rare luxury has been added on the first time on any car, powered windows.
Various engines were offered on the W108/W109. Reading this chart will help you understand the Chassis, the engine and the corresponding name.

W108
250S 2.5Litre Inline-6
250SE 2.5Litre Inline-6
300SEB 3Litre Inline-6
280S 2.8Litre Inline-6
280SEL 2.8Litre Inline-6
280SE 3.5 3.5Litre V8
280SEL 3.5 3.5Litre V8
280SE 4.5 4.5Litre V8
280SEL 4.5 4.5Litre V8

W109
300SEL 3Litre V8
300SEL 3.5 3.5Litre V8
300SEL 4.5 4.5Litre V8
300SEL 6.3 6.3Litre V8

The W108/W109 were the S-Class sedans that really brought up the name of Mercedes-Benz. Many competitors at it's time such as Lancia, Rover and Vauxhall would eventually die out. Others, such as BMW had not even joined the fight yet. However, Mercedes would always stay strong. It's next successor, the W116 is the S-Class sedan where the design starts to resemble the more recent generations.