In August 1959, the corporation introduced a very well revised passenger automobile variety. Under the slogan: "The new six-cylinders - in a category in their personal" and as successors to the present six-cylinder fashions got here the subsequent 3 absolutely re-designed fashions - the 220 b, 220 Sb and 220 SEb of the W 111 collection. In addition to diverse variations in system element, the 3 new fashions additionally differed in phrases in their engines. A coupe model of the 220 SEb arrived in February 1961, and a convertible observed in September that identical year.
What the 3 saloons had in common, however, turned into a really spacious and assuredly styled frame, the maximum specific capabilities of which had been its tailfins - a concession to the American impact on modern-day tastes. This feature layout detail might later deliver upward thrust to the call through which the complete version era got here to be acknowledged - these days the commonplace term "fintail" is carried out to a lot of these fashions. The new version collection set new requirements in phrases of passive protection, for those had been the primary manufacturing vehicles to characteristic the Barényi-patented inflexible passenger mobileular with the front and rear fall down zones. Safety turned into additionally given pinnacle precedence withinside the layout of the interior. The new fashions had a padded device panel, for example, with yielding and in component recessed controls, in addition to a guidance wheel with padded boss. Also worth of observe turned into the primary use on this shape of protection door locks, likewise primary members to protection withinside the case of accident.
From the in basic terms outside factor of view, the 220 b differed in 8 capabilities from its sister fashions. The 220 Sb and 220 SEb, which had been same at the out of doors except the version designation, every had an extra chrome strip to both aspect of the radiator grille, a chrome-plated air consumption grille in the front of the windshield, and chrome-plated wheel trim. At the rear the variations had been alternatively greater apparent. The fashions with the "S" of their version designation had a chrome strip above the rear screen, an decorative moulding to spherical off the trunk lid, large rear lighting fixtures with incorporated registration code lamps, in addition to extra bumper horns among the rear lamps and rear bumper. In addition, the tailfins - formally acknowledged as " manual bars" - had decorative mouldings now no longer handiest to the rear give up-piece however additionally to the higher edge.
Tried-and-examined engines
The engines had been to all intents and functions similar to the ones of the predecessor fashions however with minor modifications. All 3 gadgets had changed valve manipulate linkage and a steeper camshaft. The 220 b engine turned into now outfitted with carburettors and brought ninety five hp (70 kW), one hundred ten hp (eighty one kW) withinside the 220 Sb. The direct injection unit for the 220 SEb featured instantly consumption pipes and advanced a hundred and twenty hp (88 kW).
The going for walks tools and brake machine additionally in large part got here from the predecessor fashions, even though the suspension were very well revised in sure respects. At the the front, the subframe layout delivered with the ponton-kind fashions turned into retained, even though the form turned into changed to a easy cross-member layout joined flexibly to the body ground at handiest points. At the rear, the tried-and-examined single-joint swing axle turned into outfitted with a compensating spring, placed horizontally above the pivot factor as a way to distribute axle load similarly to each pressure wheels. The surprise absorbers at the the front and rear wheels had been now placed proper at the out of doors, a degree that now no longer handiest furnished greater powerful vibration damping however additionally stepped forward accessibility.
During the manufacturing length the brake machine underwent modifications. First the 220 Sb and 220 SEb had been prepared with disk brakes to the the front wheels in April 1962. Then in August 1963 the identical change turned into introduced to the 220 b and the version turned into concurrently prepared with a brake booster - a characteristic to be had up till that factor handiest at greater value. As a part of those changes, all 3 fashions had been additionally outfitted with a dual-circuit brake machine, which supplied secure retardation of the automobile even if one of the circuits failed.
"Hydrak" hydraulic-computerized clutch
As with their predecessor fashions, the 3 new W 111 fashions had been additionally optionally to be had with the "Hydrak" hydraulic-computerized clutch, even though handiest till early 1962. After years of in-residence improvement to attain manufacturing standard, a totally fledged computerized transmission turned into prepared to be used from April 1961, first of all withinside the 220 SEb handiest, after which additionally from August 1962 upon order with the 220 b and 220 Sb - at a further value of DM 1,400. Unlike with the Borg-Warner computerized transmission to be had with the three hundred c from 1956 and the three hundred d successor version from 1957, the corporation's personal layout did now no longer use a torque converter, however rather depended on a hydraulic clutch. This had the benefit of decreasing electricity loss. The downstream four-pace planetary tools educate consisted of planetary tools sets, 3 multi-plate clutches and 3 band brakes.
A new pinnacle-of-the-variety version
In August 1961 the three hundred SE turned into delivered as the brand new premium-elegance version, a automobile which in phrases of its outside look and technical layout lent closely at the 220 SEb, however which additionally protected severa technical tidbits as standard. Coupe and convertible made their debut in February 1962. In addition to the four-pace computerized transmission and the likewise newly advanced electricity guidance, fundamental system additionally protected air suspension - a primary for a Mercedes-Benz passenger automobile - which supplied a mixture of sporty coping with with pinnacle-great journey comfort. The brakes represented a similarly innovation withinside the version bearing the inner designation W 112, when you consider that this turned into the primary Mercedes-Benz manufacturing automobile to be prepared with a dual-circuit brake machine in addition to disk brakes on the the front and rear wheels.
The 3.0-liter direct injection engine turned into primarily based totally at the tried-and-examined unit used withinside the three hundred d version, however it featured a light-alloy block with pressed-in cylinder liners and turned into about forty kilograms lighter as a result. As with the predecessor version, combination education turned into performed the usage of timed manifold injection with a Bosch -plunger injection pump. In January 1964, the compression turned into raised very barely and the injection machine transformed to a Bosch six-plunger injection pump. This authorised engine output to be expanded from a hundred and sixty hp (118 kW) to a hundred and seventy hp (a hundred twenty five kW).
The frame of the three hundred SE turned into nearly same to that of the 220 SEb, however it supplied greater withinside the manner of chrome trim. The maximum specific distinction turned into the chrome strip withinside the lateral beading that ran from the headlamps to the rear lighting fixtures; in addition, the three hundred SE featured trim round the front and rear wheel arches in addition to a vast chrome strip underneath the doors. Less striking, perhaps, had been the extra small "three hundred SE" plates incorporated into the decorative mouldings at the C-pillars. The three hundred SE turned into additionally optionally to be had with out those ornamental elements.
The creation of the lengthy model
In July/August 1965 manufacturing got here to an give up for the 2.2-liter and 3.0-liter fashions with "fintail" bodies. The successor fashions had been the 250 S, 250 SE and three hundred SE, which together belonged to a completely one-of-a-kind version era. At the identical time, the 220 b turned into changed through the 230 S. In spite of the uncommon version designation, the brand new version turned into essentially a acquainted face: The 230 S turned into to all intents and functions same to the 220 Sb, aleven though with a revised engine. By uninteresting up the tried-and-examined 2.2-liter unit and growing the compression, output turned into raised through 10 hp (7.four kW) to a hundred and twenty hp (88 kW). Another new characteristic turned into the hydropneumatic compensating spring at the rear axle, which changed the coil spring used as much as that factor and ensured a regular frame peak no matter the dimensions of the load. From the out of doors it turned into not possible to differentiate the 230 S from the 220 Sb - aside from through casting a look on the version designation at the trunk lid.
Even aleven though the 230 S had some thing of the person of an give up-of-line version from the outset, a complete of 41,107 gadgets had been constructed previous to the discontinuation of manufacturing in January 1968, 341 of which had been chassis for unique bodies. One unique model of the 230 S must now no longer cross with out a mention: A station wagon, which turned into constructed on the Belgian company of coachbuilders IMA at the chassis of the 230 S and offered thru the Daimler-Benz income business enterprise from August 1966 onwards below the version designation "230 S Universal".
Between 1959 and 1968 the Sindelfingen plant grew to become out a complete of 344,751 saloons and chassis for the W 111 and 112 version collection.
