1974 Mercedes-Benz 240D

The 220 Series of 1973 was powered by either a gasoline or diesel four-cylinder engine. For 1974, the 220 Series was no longer available and was replaced by the W115 240D sedan with a single fuel source. The overhead-cam four-cylinder diesel engine displaced 146.7 cubic-inches and delivered 62 horsepower. It had five main bearings, a fuel injection system, and solid valve lifters. Transmission options included a four-speed manual or four-speed automatic. Disc brakes could be found at all four corners. Pricing began at $8,700 for the four-door sedan.

The Mercedes-Benz W114 and W115 models were introduced in 1968 and remained in production until 1976. The W114 models were powered by six-cylinder engines and sold as the 230, 250, and 280. The W115 models had four-cylinder engines and included the 200, 220, 230, and 240. All wore styling by Paul Bracq.

The W114 and W115 models were the first post-war Mercedes-Benz production cars to be given a newly engineered chassis, rather than one being derived from preceding models. The new chassis consisted of semi-trailing rear arms and ball-joint front end which would be used in all Mercedes passenger car models until the 1980s when they were replaced by the multi-link rear setup.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2019