I had a chance to "race" a W124 diesel last night. We met at a light and we gazed over each others car. I signaled over to the driver of the W124 to roll down his window and I asked him, want to see who's MB is faster. He gave me the thumbs up and said let's go for it. The light changed to green and we hit it. My car lunged further in the start and as we got going faster my lead lgot longer and longer. His headlights we just glowing beams in my diesel smoke. I didn't wait for him to catch up but I was curious as to what year the W124 was. It looked really nice and I really couldn't hear his engine while at the light. I did notice the headlamps and the looked the newer type that slant.
This is the only diesel MB I've ever raced but I feel the mods (no more smog crap and improved intake manifold) I've made to it, a W123 turbo diesel can be made to go faster than a W124.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

Had the same experience once, I just assumed the w124 was in poor repair despite being pretty and new(ish).

Sad thing is two diesels can be racing like that and have traffic driveing normally passing them on both sides..

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One more Radar Lover gone...
1982 VW Caddy diesel 406K 1.9L AAZ
1994 E320 195K

You guys are lucky those particular 124's were either 1) driven by some conservative driver who was afraid of over-revving his OM603 or 2) the particular W124 was in bad shape or 3) the other driver knew there was a speedtrap up ahead. Ha!

My W124 will beat any W123 diesel I've ever encountered (including my own 300TD w/ newly rebuilt engine, K&N, new tranny, tweaked ALDA, 2.82 differential, etc.)

At least the W124 doesn't need any valve lashings:p

Dieseldiehard
1971 220 (gas) 4-spd manual 106441
1979 300TD w/ ’85 turbo engine 295530
1983 300D 243280
1985 300TD 217300
1987 300D 258230

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

I cannot fathom how any 123 can beat a 124 with the 603. The only possibility is that he had no boost. My SDL will just blow the doors off the SD. I think it is about two seconds faster in 0-60.

I don't think he identified the particular W124 he was racing - It could have been a 2.5 turbo or an 95 E300D. Either of these two W124's have about the same amount of power as an turbo W123.

Most W123's are in dire need of an ALDA tweak - a well running OM61X with a correctly adjusted wastegate and ALDA is pretty quick.

Yep...just cylinder heads, head gaskets, etc

My 123 used to be able to beat my truck in a drag...but that was before I turbo'ed the truck; I imagine the truck would win.

My 123 can also win, hands-down, against a Euro n/a 300D 4 speed

Raced a 300CD once and I had him from the begining. Althought not a landslide, but I was ahead from the beggining and kept pulling harder ther faster we went. Maybe it's the 5-speed tranny in mine?

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#dieselFLEET
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'97 E300
'99 E300

Maybe the W124 didn't know he was racing! Or maybe you have a very fast W123, now find a CDI and give it a go.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

LOL, my friend.

10 years from now, you will be saying the same thing about the E320 CDI.

0-60 mph in a W123 300D should be nearly exact to a '90 - '93 W124 300D 2.5 Turbo(about 12 - 13 seconds). You had the faster, better tuned diesel. Or he picked up some low grade diesel.

BTW, the narrow nosed W124 came in from '90. Yes, MB DID narrow the nose, and lowered the stance of the W124. Most likely a 2.5 turbo. But I wasn't there anyways, so I am not saying it was.

ROTFLMAO

Sad thing is thats true.......

Well in the case of two 240D owners having a race and causing a trafic jam behind them at the same time anyway.

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Now there's and oxymoron if I ever heard one.

Just how slow is the 240D... especially in automatic form. Would I be looking at 20 second sprints to 60 or something like that?
~D.J.~

if it were two 240's i would agree

my 300sd keeps up with most of the cars on the road.

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have no worries.....President Obama swears "If you like your gun, you can keep it

I acutally think it's 24 seconds 0-60 on an auto 240D.