
1974-1976 Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0
September 12, 2014What are we without history? Just selfie taking narcissists. So, let us pay homage to the classics that have paved the way before us. The Mercedes-Benz 240 D3.0 was the first ever production car with a five-cylinder engine. The 3-liter, inline-5 diesel engine produced a whopping 80 hp, but it was the fastest diesel car of its day.
Top speed was 92 mph and o-60 time was 19.9 seconds. The 115 series became well-known as the “Stroke/8”, the fastest diesel-powered passenger car in the world.
Another innovation that paved the way for future cars was the turn-key ignition. Back in the day, diesel cars needed to be warmed up and used the ignition key in addition to a lever.
The turn-key ignition simply allowed passengers to turn the key and start their car. Production of the 240 D 3.0 model between 1974 and 1976 totaled 53,690, while overall sales of the W 115 model series stood at 945,206 diesel vehicles.