Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim B.
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.
|
I think I read somewhere that like 80% of MBs sold in the US in 1983 were diesel powered. The reason MB sold so many diesels was to avoid exhaust emission regulations in the US. The total emissions figure for all cars sold had to stay below a certain treshold. Rather than modify their gas engines, MB just sold a load of diesels which were not subject to emissions testing. It worked alright.
For the record, the last gasoline powered W123s offered in the states were the 1981 280E and 280CE. Any gasoline powered W123 after 1981, or
any gasoline powered W123 wagon in the states is a grey market Euro.