http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=141878

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91 350SD
14 F150 Eco
19 Fusion Hybrid
11 GT500

Pretty much the way is was Jim. There are some oddballs- like the early 70's 350 SL with a 450 engine among others. What is clear is that you cannot state that there are hard and fast rules which apply to the MB history without footnotes, which is what I was stating previously but got blasted for by "colleged".

Actually that model designation was a result of US market, European Delivery 450SL models in Germany that were expected to cause an uproar. The domestic German SL of the time came with the 350SL designation for the largest displacement engine of the time, a 3.5 liter V-8. The US model was encumbered with emissions controls and the 3.5 liter output was so poor in this set up it was deemed too weak to be marketable in the US. So we got the 450SL with a 4.5 liter V-8 before the German market did. To make this fact less obvious it came out as a 350SL with the unmarked and, without looking under the hood "undetectable" larger displacement 4.5 liter V-8.

You are correct, there were a good number of oddballs. But in general the designations made sense. Jim

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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)