The W108 sold well enough in Southeast Asia and North America to rack up 383,072 built by 1972.
Median 100 hp across 350 similar cars
Lead trim: 250 S (W 108) · up to 197 hp
Mercedes-Benz S-ClassW108 · 1965–1972
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FactThe W108 sold well enough in Southeast Asia and North America to rack up 383,072 built by 1972.
The four-door W 108 and its long-wheelbase W 109 sister, which Mercedes-Benz produced from September 1965 to November 1972 and introduced as a newly created "Upper Middle Class" range. They replaced the W 111 and W 112 "fintail" sedans with a squarer, simpler body from a design finalised in 1963 under Paul Bracq, on the W 111/W 112 platform, and sold well in West Germany and in export markets including North America and Southeast Asia. A total of 383,072 were built, 359,522 of them W 108s and 23,550 W 109s, all at Stuttgart. Engines were straight-six 2.5, 2.8 and 3.0-litre units, and, from 1969, a 3.5-litre V8 and, for the United States, a 4.5-litre V8. The suspension is double wishbones at the front with a low-pivot swing axle at the rear, on coil springs, or on air and additional rubber springs in the W 109, with power-assisted disc brakes all round. Europe got a four-speed manual as standard with a four-speed automatic as an option, and a five-speed manual was offered on the 2.8 and 3.0-litre sixes. The similar-looking two-door W 111 and W 112 coupés and cabriolets filled the two-door niche.
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Trims & Figures
14 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250 S (W 108) | 1965–1969 | 2.5 L Inline-6 | 128 hp | 143 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 250 SE (W 108) | 1965–1968 | 2.5 L Inline-6 | 148 hp | 159 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 280 S (W 108) | 1968–1972 | 2.8 L Inline-6 | 138 hp | 165 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 280 SE (W 108) | 1968–1972 | 2.8 L Inline-6 | 158 hp | 177 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 280 SE 3.5 (W 108) | 1971–1972 | 3.5 L V8 | 197 hp | 211 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 280 SE 4.5 (W 108) | 1971–1972 | 4.5 L V8 | 195 hp | 264 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 280 SEL (W 108) | 1968–1971 | 2.8 L Inline-6 | 158 hp | 177 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 280 SEL 3.5 (W 108) | 1971–1972 | 3.5 L V8 | 197 hp | 211 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 280 SEL 4.5 (W 108) | 1971–1972 | 4.5 L V8 | 195 hp | 264 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 300 SEL (W 109, M 189) | 1966–1967 | 3.0 L Inline-6 | 168 hp | 184 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 300 SEL 2.8 (W 109, M 130) | 1968–1970 | 2.8 L Inline-6 | 168 hp | 177 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 300 SEL 3.5 (W 109) | 1969–1972 | 3.5 L V8 | 197 hp | 211 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 300 SEL 4.5 (W 109) | 1971–1972 | 4.5 L V8 | 195 hp | 264 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 300 SEb (W 108) | 1965–1967 | 3.0 L Inline-6 | 168 hp | 184 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
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Photographs
This S63 drops the S-Class's century-old hood ornament for a Panamericana grille with a giant badge up front — a first for the S-Class sedan.
This S-Class pioneered a new kind of rear airbag: instead of being gas-inflated, it deploys by inflating a supporting structure and letting ordinary ambient air fill the bag - a world first.
The Z223 Maybach S-Class is 18 cm longer than the car it replaced, and the first Mercedes with rear-passenger frontal airbags.
The V12 AMG S-Class went out on a high note: a 130-unit S 65 Final Edition unveiled at the 2019 Geneva show before the engine was retired for good.
The W222 S63 AMG's battery wasn't a bespoke part — Mercedes borrowed a lightweight 78 Ah lithium-ion unit straight from the SLS AMG Black Series supercar.
The W222 S-Class got a suspension with 'eyes': a stereo camera reads the road up to 15 meters ahead at speeds up to 130 km/h, softening each damper before the car even hits the bump.
Mercedes built this S65 with a 5-speed automatic while rivals had moved to seven gears, saving the V12's torque from a gearbox it would have broken.
The S63 AMG's tail lights hide a tiny detail: 52 individual LEDs arranged into a glowing "C" shape on each side.
The W221 was the first S-Class offered with Mercedes' Active Body Control-based Magic Body Control successor tech groundwork and the first to include a night-vision assist system as an option in the US.
AMG's own V12 for the S65 reportedly made 1,200 N·m of torque in testing — Mercedes had to electronically cap it because the transmission behind it couldn't survive the real number.
The sportier S 55 AMG and the flagship S 600 made identical horsepower — Mercedes simply aimed one at drivers and the other at passengers.
The W220 dropped nearly 200 kg compared to its W140 predecessor despite growing in interior space, a weight-reduction goal set directly in response to criticism of the older car's bulk.
The W140's development cost roughly one billion dollars, making it one of the most expensive car programs of its era.
The W126 S-Class pioneered seat belt pretensioners that automatically cinched tight the instant the car sensed a crash coming — years ahead of the rest of the industry.
China quietly cloned this S-Class in 1974: the Shanghai SH771, a reverse-engineered copy meant to replace a 1950s sedan, built only as prototypes.
Mercedes dropped its flagship 600 limousine's 6.3-litre V8 into an ordinary-looking sedan body. It's the car historians credit as the first true Mercedes sleeper.
The W108 sold well enough in Southeast Asia and North America to rack up 383,072 built by 1972.
The 300 SE sedan raced European Touring Car events despite costing nearly double the top W111 model it was based on.
Every W111 sedan wore the pointed "Heckflosse" fintail that gave the whole line its nickname — except these two-door coupes and cabriolets, which designer Paul Bracq deliberately gave a cleaner, more modern rear years ahead of its time.
The "Fintail" quietly rewrote car safety: Mercedes built in front and rear crumple zones and patented retractable seatbelts, years before either was ever required by law.
The 220 SE cabriolet cost ten percent more than a Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, with no power steering on offer at any price.
The 219 is a 220's front end welded to a 180's rear doors, a factory mix-and-match of two different cars.
The 220 a exists because Mercedes stretched a four-cylinder W120 170mm to squeeze in a straight-six.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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The GS/E coupe earned the nickname "German Charger" for its long hood, short deck stance borrowed from Detroit muscle cars.
This DeVille/Fleetwood was the first production car anywhere to mount its V8 sideways, Cadillac's front-drive gamble on the new C-body.