1981 Mercedes-Benz 240 D: Clean Interior, Runs and Drives

TheMercedes-Benz W123is a range ofexecutive carsproduced by German manufacturerMercedes-Benzfrom November 1975 to January 1986. The W123 models surpassed their predecessor, theMercedes-Benz W114models, as the most successful Mercedes, selling 2.7 million units before the production ended in the autumn 1985 for saloon/sedan and January 1986 for coupé and estate/station wagon.

The W123 became a hit with the public due to its modern look. Following the slow build-up during the first year of production as to ensure the high and consistent quality, the customers who placed their orders faced a lengthy waiting period of nine to twelve months. A black market emerged for the customers who were willing to pay more for immediate delivery. The slightly used W123 commanded about 5,000Deutsche Markpremium over its original sale price.[4]

Like its predecessors, W123 gained the reputation of being over-engineered, well-built, durable, and reliable. Many taxi companies chose W123 for this reason, and they were common sight in Germany. Reaching 500,000 or 1,000,000 km with minor mechanical issues was common with W123 used as taxicabs. Once the W123 reached the end of service life, they were often shipped to Africa and third world countries where they were highly esteemed for ability to travel on rough roads and further without frequent maintenance.

TheOM616engine family is adieselautomobileInline-four enginefromMercedes-Benzused in the 1970s and 1980s, and produced byForce Motorsin India from the 1980s to the present.[1][2]

This engine was used in various cars, vans andUnimogsover its production lifetime, and still finds use in Force MotorsSUVs.

The abbreviation ¨OM¨ stands for ¨Oel-Motor¨ (Oil Motor), which refers to the fact that it runs on oil. This method of naming is still used on Mercedes-Benz diesel engines today.