ccooper,
Re:
" differences between that and the '80 "
"Also, the A/C is not as good as the '81 + W123s. It uses a York piston compressor, and the system as a whole is not that cool . "

I looked closely at the one picture of the engine compartment... and I have owned a 1980 pre Aug 240 manual for three years...

My car does not have the York... and I really think looking at the picture that that car does not either... I think the upright York sits pretty high on the engine ( I have a York and it's mount off a 1979 wagon ...5 cyl non turbo.. which I removed ).
I think that you can not see the Delco sitting low on the driver's side of the engine... but you can see the top of the alternator on the passenger side in that one picture...


" leave dimples in your legs. On a hot summer day, the older stuff sticks to your legs much more than the newer stuff. "

You are IN a LUXURY CAR... you are not supposed to be sweating AT ANY TIME.....NEVER !!!!!

1. Put your CLOTHES ON ....
2. Turn ON the Air conditioner.....

For those in the know... that is about the most perfect car configuration in existance... and looks amazingly well cared for...