W201 & W123 Leaving the Factory
 

I found this pic online. Thought I'd share. There was a comment below the pic that mentioned how weird it is to see the 190E's and W123's leaving the factory at the same, their design looks a decade apart.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2758/...dd9149f1_o.jpg

For a period, the W201 was built at Sindelfigen alongside other chassis because Daimler didn't have production space while the Bremen plant was being renovated and expanded. The W201 in the photo have the single nozzle hoods, indicating that they are pre-85 models.

In 1979, the Daimler Board decided to build a new compact, the Series 201, popularly known as "190s" or "Baby-Benz as it was called. Bremen was selected as the second production site in addition to Sindelfingen. To increase the capacity of the Bremen site Daimler-Benz AG acquired a large parcel north of the existing site.

In September 1982, Bremen first started the assembly of components for the body which was already being done in Sindelfingen. Bremen workers trained in Sindelfingen and later trained their co-workers in Bremen.

In November 1983 the complete building of the 201 series began in Bremen. The new model made an important impact on the market. Five years after the start, the one millionth 190 left the production line in Bremen.

The 11th digit/alpha in the VIN identifies the production plant.

A,B,C,D,E Sindelfingen
F,G,H Bremen
J Rastatt
X Graz (Gwagen)
T Karmann
M Woking, England (McLaren)

{sigh}

I was born much too late for this world

I feel your pain, jt20

Heck, my driveway is starting to look something like that. Just picked up another, so now there are four lined up nose to tail in the driveway plus one in the barn and one at college with the kid. MB parts mamanger says it's a sickness...says he knows because he works next to someone else with the same illness.

That's a sickness I wouldn't mind having. If I had the money and the space, I'd line em up nose to tail like your driveway.

This old man who sold me my current 190E had this sickness, he had, at the very least, 30 benz sitting in his backyard. Not long ago, some condos went up next door to his house. The builders complained about being able to see his benz graveyard from the condos, so the city gave him 6 months to move out all his cars. That's how I ended up getting my 190E. He was selling it for 4K but I got it for half that because he was going crazy! Right place right time :D

I love old photos :)

Amen!

LOL, I remember when the W123 was new at my local car show; they cost about 1.5 times my annual income at the time so I wasn't about to buy one. Having an old one now is much cooler than having a new one (now or then); that's something I didn't understand when I was 20.

I have a feeling those are either 84 or 85 model year 190E's due to the overlap in production years between the w123 and w201.

Thanks for sharing!

My dad was working there when the 190 was first put into production, none of the workers considered it a "Real Mercedes" because it was so small. :D

Not up much on their Benz history were they?

- Peter.

Wow, I'd love to have a poster of this. Especially considering I have both.

Great find.

Dunno, but people didn't like it. I think they are quite sporty and fun, but it is a bit of a tight fit for a 6' + person.

Indeed, it's a tight fit. That's why there's a W124 :D

People like me (5'7") can fit easily in the 190E. My wife (5'2") has no problem parking it (especially with the large glass area).

Kinda wish they did away with the knee bolster, however, and added telescopic steering wheel option.