Mercedes-Benz Series 123

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The 123 series is the most popular model from Mercedes-Benz to date. It belongs to the upper middle class, at Mercedes-Benz today called E-Class. Its predecessors are the W 114 (six-cylinder models) and the W 115 (four-cylinder and diesel models), also called “Strike 8” (/8). Both the predecessor and the successor ran for about a year in parallel with the W 123 from the line. The 123 series set standards in vehicle safety and was one of the first station wagons in this class as well as the first Mercedes-Benz passenger car with turbodiesel engine.

From the start of series production in November 1975 to September 1986, a total of almost 2.7 million vehicles rolled off the assembly line. The series is considered the epitome of solidity. It was replaced from autumn 1984 by the 124 series.

Model history

Development
The development of the 123 series originated in the early 1970s. The overall concept was to be strongly influenced by the 1972 published S-Class. The final design was established in 1973, with emphasis on a continuous but moderate advancement of the classic design language. The leaders were Friedrich Geiger and Bruno Sacco. Important in the development was passive safety, great comfort and service friendliness. The introduction of the airbag was already planned at the beginning of production in 1976, but the development and protection was not yet completed, which is why the airbags were only available from 1981. In 1975, the production of the pre-series began. Until the end of 1976, W 123 and /8 were manufactured side by side for some time.

Market launch

In January 1976, the W 123 was presented to the press in southern France. The new model series impressed with a large number of technical innovations. Initially, the limousine was available. A year later followed the coupé and the first offered T-model. The 123 series was produced over its running time in four body variants: as a sedan with a notchback, as a long sedan with eight seats, as a coupé with a slightly shortened wheelbase and as a station wagon, which is named in the Mercedes T model. In addition, there were chassis with normal and extended wheelbase as a basis for special bodies such as ambulances or hearses.

Delivery times for the new W 123 grew to up to three years, which led to the purchase contracts for new cars sometimes more than 5000 DM over list price paid to get to the model faster. Even annual cars were often resold with price surcharges. This has not been repeated in West German automotive history with large-scale production vehicles to this day. The manufacturer’s decision to keep the line 8 in the program for about eleven months after the introduction of the successor had several reasons. On the one hand, the proven model was still very popular especially in the taxi industry and sold well. On the other hand, the newly introduced W 123 came so well