I'm not surprised to see the W123 Diesels in the lead. Except for a handful of 280 sedans and coupes, practically EVERY new W123 in the USA from 1977-85 was a 240 or 300 diesel.

And they sold quite a few of them. There was a huge gas crisis in the early 80s and they were especially popular, even despite the GM diesel catastrophe that began in 1978.

I went W123 shopping in 1980, and in the Northern California area then all you could find were diesels- I wasn't sure whether I wanted a diesel or gas one or not.

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)