W123 1978

[Petrol Pete]

I watched a episode of Chasing Classic Cars today Wayne Carini bought a low mileage 1978 240d W123, an unusual car for the USA I thought. Obviously bought during the 'fuel crisis'.

It had the usual ugly big bumper bars and 4 circular headlamps common in the USA but it was 'poverty' spec with wind up windows, an odd thing considering .

But one thing about the car struck me. It did not have a passenger side rear view mirror, Carini said that was 'normal' on this spec of car for the time.

Can it be true that at a time when MB were using safety as a selling tool they would omit a passenger side rear view mirror. Was Wayne wrong making that statement ? (Noooooooo!) Anyone ?

 

[219]

No , he wasn't , my original W115 220/8 had two wing mounted mirrors , but only because my dad specced them when he bought the car new ; when I replaced it with my 1975 W114 280E ( top of the range model at the time ) and it was the facelift , so it had a single door mirror ( internally adjustable - just like the ones on the W123 , W116 and R107 ) ; I actually went to Merc and bought the matching passenger door mirror , which back when I bought the car in 1982 was a whopping £125 , just for the part - I fitted it myself . Oh , and although that car was the run out version , with 5 speed manual box , it did have central locking , but still had wind up windows . My dad , when he gave me the 220 , in 1977 , treated himself to a Maple Yellow W123 250 automatic , and that car also had only one external mirror , because the other one was an expensive option . His one had electric front windows , a sunroof , but wind up back windows , and a factory towbar .

One mirror was by no means unusual , and I remember even W116 S Class cars having only one .

My similar aged Audi 100 had just the one mirror , and a friend's BMW 2002 was the same ; not all that many cars had two external mirrors back then .

Also remember back then you didn't get a radio unless you specced one , and my dad's car just had an AM mono Blaupunkt radio - in fact I can remember taking it out and putting in a Pioneer cassette radio which was top end in its day !

 

[slade1]

My BMW NK 4 door saloon (for runner of 5 series) only had 1 door mirror. I think it's was the first car I owned with an exterior mirror.

 

[Bellow]

''When a steering wheel was an optional extra on a German car'' says a friend of mine.
Others weren't a whole lot better. Until the Japanese forced them to rethink. From that point on, gadgets, gadgets, gadgets have been selling cars in the showroom.

 

[219]

''When a steering wheel was an optional extra on a German car'' says a friend of mine.
Others weren't a whole lot better. Until the Japanese forced them to rethink. From that point on, gadgets, gadgets, gadgets have been selling cars in the showroom.

To some buyers perhaps, but I can hark back to the 70s and 80s when all these cars started coming out and we would comment that some people were more bothered about cup holders , coin trays and such rather than good engineering, build quality , handling , safety , performance, comfort or longevity.

When did you last see a Datsun Sunny or Cherry ; but there are still plenty of air cooled VWs , W115s , Minis and other comparable cars about .

 

[roviw1]

A friend of mine has just bought a 1977 BMW 3.0L , it was a South African import , I have been helping him with various things on it. There was no passenger door mirror on it so we found one in America on ebay and I fitted it for him a few weeks ago.,

 

[slade1]

BMW E3s are cracking cars, drive better than MB 108s

 

[roviw1]

BMW E3s are cracking cars, drive better than MB 108s

The one he found is amazing, however to get it up to a very high standard has been a challenge. We have sourced parts from Australia, USA, Holland, France, Germany, UK and even Indonesia !
Most of the parts have been for cosmetic reasons but a few mechanical items have been difficult to find, I think there were only 2 E3 3.0L on the DVLA database on the road, and now there are 3 of them.
We templated and had new over carpets made for inside the car and also the boot, I also made a new rear parcel shelf and we had that covered in carpet as well.
The car is now put away for the winter and will come out in the Spring ready for the first time to actually drive it as it went into the workshop as soon as we collected it from the chap that imported it.

 

[alabbasi]

i had a 77 US spec 240D and it was basically optioned like a European 240D with no extras other than A/C. They were and still are quite common in the US, mostly because you can't kill the damn things. It only had a drivers side mirror.
People love them because you can run just about anything through the fuel tank (veggie oil, motor oil etc) and they just keep going.

 

[slade1]

roviw1 Being the LWB model is probably 3 speed auto, strong box but bit reluctant to do anything. If it's a manual would try and find a 5 speed overdrive gearbox, makes a huge difference in the way it drives. 4 speed auto boxes fit but would have to spend £2-300 extra on new electric speedo with all the art work to make look original.
Both my E3s were 2500, auto and manual and next model E23 drive the same.

 

[roviw1]

roviw1 Being the LWB model is probably 3 speed auto, strong box but bit reluctant to do anything. If it's a manual would try and find a 5 speed overdrive gearbox, makes a huge difference in the way it drives. 4 speed auto boxes fit but would have to spend £2-300 extra on new electric speedo with all the art work to make look original.
Both my E3s were 2500, auto and manual and next model E23 drive the same.

You are correct, it is the 3 speed auto, it had a KM speedo and we managed to find an MPH one which is now fitted. He had one as a company car in the late 70's when he worked at BMW,so this is a nostalig purchase, he also had a several 5 series cars years ago, we managed to find a 1981 superb 520i a couple of years ago as well.
One of his favourite cars is his amazing silver 1976 Mercedes 230ce, that is a 9 3/4 out of 10 car !

 

[219]

The one he found is amazing, however to get it up to a very high standard has been a challenge. We have sourced parts from Australia, USA, Holland, France, Germany, UK and even Indonesia !
Most of the parts have been for cosmetic reasons but a few mechanical items have been difficult to find, I think there were only 2 E3 3.0L on the DVLA database on the road, and now there are 3 of them.
We templated and had new over carpets made for inside the car and also the boot, I also made a new rear parcel shelf and we had that covered in carpet as well.
The car is now put away for the winter and will come out in the Spring ready for the first time to actually drive it as it went into the workshop as soon as we collected it from the chap that imported it.

KHM do carpet sets for the E3 , and a whole lot more

1500-2000, E3 Limousine

 

[slade1]

KHM do carpet sets for the E3 , and a whole lot more

1500-2000, E3 Limousine

It would appear they are for L/H drive only

 

[roviw1]

Hi, thanks for the mention, I made the templates and we had them done by " coverdaleuk", they did a very good job and we were very pleased with the choices and end results.
We first found them when we did a carpet set for the earlier 520i car.