What Chassis Does This Center Console Cushion Fit?

[Squiggle Dog]

Does anyone know what this center console cushion fits? I was thinking W100 600, as an armrest on the storage compartment between the front seats, because it clips in so it doesn't just fall off when the compartment is opened. Thoughts?

The dimensions of the metal bottom pan are 18" (458mm) long and 6 1/2" (165mm) wide at the narrow end and 7 1/2" (191mm) wide at the wide end. I don't think this is for a W108, W109, W110, W111, or W112, because I have never seen them with one that mounts this way. Maybe it's not even from a Mercedes?

[Squiggle Dog]

Apparently the previous owner went through this same ordeal 6 years ago: Help identify this center seat adapter

[Squiggle Dog]

It appears that this might fit early W111 and W112 coupes which don't have a tray between the seats.

[Idle]

That is the optional 'third front seat' which is what it was sold as. It is too low to be used as an armrest. (The armrests were built into the sides of the front seats and pulled down or moved up to be out of the way. This design was used on luxury cars of the early 60s and is still in use today on vans and trucks with captains chair seating.)

Since almost all 111 and 110 cars came to the US with bucket seats some buyers didn't want to get something as sporty as anything with bucket seats. Why, a good old straight across bench was good enough for.... Well, you know how that goes.

Plus a lot of Pontons did have straight across seats so buyers who were returning for a new car wanted them. So Mercedes offered this as an option.

No seat belt came with it, but seat belts were not required in the US until 1966 so that was no big deal. This did require the optional center console be installed because this pillow was made to fit into the console.

This option was not available with a floor shift car, of which there were few so it was not a big deal to the dealers.

[Squiggle Dog]

Originally Posted by Idle

That is the optional 'third front seat' which is what it was sold as. It is too low to be used as an armrest. (The armrests were built into the sides of the front seats and pulled down or moved up to be out of the way. This design was used on luxury cars of the early 60s and is still in use today on vans and trucks with captains chair seating.)

Since almost all 111 and 110 cars came to the US with bucket seats some buyers didn't want to get something as sporty as anything with bucket seats. Why, a good old straight across bench was good enough for.... Well, you know how that goes.

Plus a lot of Pontons did have straight across seats so buyers who were returning for a new car wanted them. So Mercedes offered this as an option.

No seat belt came with it, but seat belts were not required in the US until 1966 so that was no big deal. This did require the optional center console be installed because this pillow was made to fit into the console.

This option was not available with a floor shift car, of which there were few so it was not a big deal to the dealers.

The center cushion in a 600 is often high enough to be used as an armrest. However, I am confident now this is not for a 600. This cushion does not fit into a center console or tray. It's a stand-alone unit, and apparently very uncommon. I had never seen one like this before, and I would dare to call myself a near expert on fintails. This is different than the kind that fits in a tray (if you look at the W112 coupe pictured in my last post, you'll see there is no tray under it). And actually, there were middle seat cushions for floor shift cars; they were just shorter.

[meltedpanda]

I had one like that , or very similar, in my 62 220 W114/5

[Frank Reiner]

Originally Posted by meltedpanda

I had one like that , or very similar, in my 62 220 W114/5

62 220 = W110
'68-'76 = W114/115 ("slash" 8, or "stroke" 8)

Pick one please, Ron!

[meltedpanda]

lol so many to choose from, my W110 was used to make the front buckets so to speak a bench

[Squiggle Dog]

Actually, a 1962 220 would be a W111 chassis.

[Idle]

Originally Posted by Squiggle Dog

The center cushion in a 600 is often high enough to be used as an armrest. However, I am confident now this is not for a 600. This cushion does not fit into a center console or tray. It's a stand-alone unit, and apparently very uncommon. I had never seen one like this before, and I would dare to call myself a near expert on fintails. This is different than the kind that fits in a tray (if you look at the W112 coupe pictured in my last post, you'll see there is no tray under it). And actually, there were middle seat cushions for floor shift cars; they were just shorter.

Regardless.... It is the center seat option.

I doubt that many of these survived since if you have ever tried to fit anyone in there you would know anyone larger than a chid would not fit.

But then, in the pre seatbelt and pre carseat era that's what this area was used for.

Mercedes normally went to conservative customers, business people, successful lawyers, etc. At least the 111s did. There was the SL for all those wild and crazy guys.

Anyway, there had to be some styling carryover for the customer to feel they were not going radical with unproven tech. Remember: Very few customers then understood these cars the way we do. They wanted the best but they also wanted to feel like they were making a safe purchase.

Rolls Royce did the same thing when they went from the car that they built during the 50s to the 60s Silver Shadow. The parts that the driver and owner touched felt the same as the older cars and this was important as it made them feel right at home and like Royce had not abandoned them.

And.... Could it be this item is not from a Mercedes but a Jaguar Mark VII? Or a Royce? As I recall these seat things didn't have a part number stamped on them, but I could be wrong about that.

[Squiggle Dog]

Originally Posted by Idle

Regardless.... It is the center seat option.

I doubt that many of these survived since if you have ever tried to fit anyone in there you would know anyone larger than a chid would not fit.

But then, in the pre seatbelt and pre carseat era that's what this area was used for.

Mercedes normally went to conservative customers, business people, successful lawyers, etc. At least the 111s did. There was the SL for all those wild and crazy guys.

Anyway, there had to be some styling carryover for the customer to feel they were not going radical with unproven tech. Remember: Very few customers then understood these cars the way we do. They wanted the best but they also wanted to feel like they were making a safe purchase.

Rolls Royce did the same thing when they went from the car that they built during the 50s to the 60s Silver Shadow. The parts that the driver and owner touched felt the same as the older cars and this was important as it made them feel right at home and like Royce had not abandoned them.

And.... Could it be this item is not from a Mercedes but a Jaguar Mark VII? Or a Royce? As I recall these seat things didn't have a part number stamped on them, but I could be wrong about that.

I've known about the center seat cushions for many years, and have a few of the center seat cushions that fit in the tray of the W108/W109/W110/W111/W112 chassis, but had never seen anything like this one before.

I think I've determined now that this is for a W108/W109/W110/W111/W112 chassis WITHOUT the tray in between the seats. This is a permanent standalone center seat which does not use a tray--it locks directly into the transmission tunnel. I had no idea such a thing existed.

[Squiggle Dog]

Someone just confirmed these fit W108/109, too. I am missing the mounting bracket, but have a piece of wood from the tray of a coupe that could probably be strengthened with box tubing. From their W108: