The Legacy
The 108 and 109 Chassis Mercedes Benz vehicles are the last truly hand-built S-Class Mercedes vehicles (aside from some current AMG models). Starting with the 116-chassis, production was moved from a team, responsible for the entire vehicle from inception to the final touches, to an assembly line for efficiency. This allowed Mercedes to produce more vehicles in the same amount of time. The 108 and 109 vehicles were also the last vehicles with the infamous "Mercedes look" - stacked headlamps (on NA versions), curvy hoodlines, and a very large front grille. To this day, many people can still recognize a 108 or a 109's lines as distinctively Mercedes, even if they were not even born when the model was still in production.
The two major chassis variations of this body style - 108 and 109 - referred to the vehicle's suspension system. 109 vehicles were mostly air-suspension vehicles (with a few early exceptions), and 108 vehicles had coil springs on all 4 wheels. The smallest engine available was the 2.5L inline 6 in the 250S and 250SE models, and the largest was the 6.3L V8 in the legendary 300SEL 6.3. The variations were S, SE and SEL: Saloon, Saloon Einspritz, and Saloon Einspritz Lang. The S versions were carbureted, the SE versions fuel injected, and SEL versions fuel injected with longer wheelbases. All 108 and 109 vehicles had overhead cam engines.
