History of Mercedes-Benz W108
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Mercedes-Benz's fourth-generation S-Class (W108/109 series) In March 1965, Mercedes-Benz launched the most powerful version of its fourth-generation S-Class. Engineers equipped this model directly with the V8 4.5L engine from the Mercedes 600, whose formidable performance on the road even left some Porsche owners in awe. Benefiting from the solid market foundation established by the Mercedes 600, the fourth-generation S-Class remained highly popular worldwide and was adopted as official vehicles in several countries. Over its seven-year production run, the W108/109 series achieved a staggering total sales figure of nearly 400,000 units. As the successor to Mercedes-Benz's third-generation S-Class (W111/112), the birth of the fourth-generation S-Class (W108/109) faced immense pressure. On one hand, the third-generation S-Class had suffered setbacks in the North American market with its "tail fin" design, while on the other hand, the Mercedes 600 (W100), launched two years earlier than the fourth-gen S-Class, had already become a benchmark in the luxury car segment. This positioning inevitably made the fourth-gen S-Class appear somewhat awkward. Although production of the W111/112 series wasn't discontinued with the introduction of the W108/109, this didn't hinder the sales performance of the fourth-gen S-Class at all. A total of 383,341 units were manufactured during its seven-year production span. In September 1972, the highly successful fourth-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class was officially discontinued.
