Acropolis Rally Giant 1980s Mercedes 280CE seen parading in Dublin | Season 4 – Episode 3
Wheels Jan 26, 2024
We recently encountered this stylish 1980s Mercedes-Benz 280CE (W123) parked on a Dublin Street.
The Mercedes-Benz 280CE (W123), produced between 1975 and 1986, is widely acknowledged as the most successful range from Mercedes, with a remarkable 2.7 million units sold by the time production concluded.
Introduced to widespread acclaim, the car was impeccably constructed and featured elegantly understated styling. The W123 series was built with a steel unibody construction and was available in a four-door saloon 280S. The most visually appealing models in the line-up were the 230CE and 280CE coupés, built on a shortened W123 saloon platform and featuring elegant pillarless design side windows.
The car we encountered in Dublin has a silky smooth 182 hp fuel-injected, 2.8-liter straight-six engine, with a cast-iron block and an aluminium head. This car comes standard with a four-speed automatic gearbox, along with disc brakes both in the front and rear.
Common specification includes, automatic transmission, electric sliding sunroof, wood trim, electrically operated front windows, heated rear screen, adjustable headlights, front armrest, “Mexican hat” alloy wheels and headlight wipers.
Following a slow production build-up in 1975, customers who placed their orders faced a lengthy waiting period of nine to twelve months. Incredibly a car-dealer black market emerged in Germany for the customers who were willing to pay more for immediate delivery and who wanted to bypass the 12-month waiting list.
From 1987 until 1988 the Chinese FAW (First Automobile Works) built a low numbers production run of the W123 saloon at their Changchun factory. The Chinese car employed the 2.4-liter BJ492 pushrod inline-four engine sourced from the BJ212 and only 828 cars were built.
Despite 2.7 million cars built in the W123 range, it was very rare to see a Mercedes-Benz 280CE coupe rallying. Notwithstanding having 230 hp the car’s high weight of 1460 Kg sapped performance and it had a limited career in Group 2. Only one 280CE was driven in the Acropolis rally of 1980 by Swede, Ingvar Carlsson and his German co-driver, Hanspeter Brömmer.
As we can see on our video a 1984 Mercedes-Benz 280CE Coupé can still hold its own on the German Autobhan. Completely stable at 140 km/h so that only thumbs are required to steer and 210 km/h is easily achieved.
Sources of Information & Photo Credits:
Conceptcarz/ Historics.co.uk
Motorvision International
TopSpeedGermany
