1973 production number question

[davidcwhitney]

This site's production number table says there was one and only one 1973 280 SEL.

Was that on the 116.025 chassis (shown for model years 1974+) or 116.024 (the 280 SE chassis)?  Do we know if the 1 of 1 in 1973 was a 4.5l engine?  Do we know where the car is?

Thanks,

David

[s class]

All production 280SEL's have chassis code 116.025.  I know the library says the 280SEL was available from April 1974, but that would be to the general public.  The first 116.025's produced in 1973 would have been prototypes, and one may have eventually found its way into the market.  I doubt it would have been on a 116.024 chassis, but its just possible the first few were modified 116.033's or 116.029's. 

I would be quite confident that the first 280SEL would have had a 2.8 engine, as by that time the 116.033 450SEL was an established model. 

[s class]

Its worth pointing out that the VIN numbers work thus :

116.xxx - LT - yyyyyy

where xxx is the submodel variant
L = 1 for LHD German build
L = 2 for RHD German build
L = 6 for RHD South African build
T = 0 for manual transmission
T = 1 for Hydrak transmission (obsolete)
T = 2 for auto transmission
yyyyyy = production sequence number.

Now 280SE and 280SEL share the same productiuon sequence number, so the first 280SE would have been 116.024-2?-000001, but the first 280SEL would NOT be 116.029-2?-000001, as the 280SE had been in production for some time when the 280SEL arrived. 

Likewise 350SE and 350SEL share production sequence numbers
Likewise 450SE and 450SEL share production sequence numbers

280S, 300SD and 6.9 have unique sequence numbers. 

[ptashek]

This site's production number table says there was one and only one 1973 280 SEL.

Was that on the 116.025 chassis (shown for model years 1974+) or 116.024 (the 280 SE chassis)?  Do we know if the 1 of 1 in 1973 was a 4.5l engine?  Do we know where the car is?

Thanks,

David

Pre-production units were made between October 1973 and production start, but unlikely prototypes at this stage. If my experience with GM/Opel is anything to go by, those were more than likely media/car show/testing/training units, and (very close to) a final version of the product and I would seriously doubt there was only a single unit made.

Maybe there was a special-order 280SEL with a 4.5l engine - but why would there be if, as s class pointed out, the 450SEL was an established model already, and mechanically nearly identical?

[s class]

I'm quite sure there were more than 1 280SEL's constructed in 1973.  I believe the production numbers indicate that only one of those constructed in 1973 made its way to retail sale. 

And yes, I would find it very hard to believe that this one car had anything other than a 2.8 engine. 

[oversize]

Likewise 450SE and 450SEL share production sequence numbers

Now things are starting to make sense!