Long durability
From model years 1977 to 1985, the W123 will be remembered as a real quality car. The cars endured many hundreds of thousands of problem-free kilometers and were popular as taxis almost all over the world. Not only was the cars' construction very solid and robust, - they were also assembled under strict quality control. Then it is perhaps not so strange that you find the occasional W123 in daily operation. If you were to point to something negative, it would have to be rust. Mercedes-Benz rusted as much as other cars. I have photographed a couple of cars in the French part of the Pyrenees, - places where cars don't rust so easily.
Variants
In addition to sedan and coupe, the W123 also came as a station wagon. Station wagons received a T after the engine size, for example "200D T". Mercedes-Benz had previously not made very many station wagons. The T model was to be a great success. The engines in the W123 were the same as in the W114 and W115, but several of them were upgraded during the model's lifetime. The petrol engine options were 200, 230, 230E, 250, 280 and 280E. The E variants had electronic injection from Bosch. The 230 had 109 HP, while the 230E had 136. The 280 had 156 HP, while the 280E had 185 HP. The diesel engines consisted of 200D, 220D, 240D, 300D and 300TD – turbo diesel. A concept that would later become very popular. The 300TD had 5 cylinders and produced 125 HP, while the 300D - which was identical to the 240D 3,0 from the W115 produced 80 HP. A Mercedes-Benz 300TDT was one of the best-selling family cars.
The T edition
About the pictures (sedan)
The main photo was taken in Bordeaux, France. A classic that many still use for daily transport. The grey, French car with black plates is photographed in Oms, a mountain village in the French Pyrenees. The French car in Englisch Rot, is photographed in Montbolo, France. The autumnal 300D was photographed on Oksenøya outside Oslo. It is probably in the color SignalRot. The Norwegian car in Englisch-Rot is a 200D and was photographed at a Cars & coffee event in Øvrevoll. The maroon-coloured car is photographed in a residential area in Copenhagen. The blue, street-parked car was photographed at St. Hanshaugen, Oslo. It is a 1984 Mercedes-Benz 240 D. The light yellow car is photographed in Céret, France, 2024. The black car is photographed at Kringsjå in Oslo.
About the pictures (T edition)
The car in the large picture was photographed in connection with a motor show at Sjøterrassen in Bamble. The white station wagon (T) is photographed outside the Norwegian Vehicle History Museum at Hunderfossen. It is often there. The beige, street-parked station wagon is pictured at Marienlyst in Oslo.
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