Mercedes-Benz 240D

The Mercedes-Benz 240D was introduced in 1973 in Europe (1974 in North America) as a new diesel-powered variant of the W115 chassis, outranking the 220D as Mercedes' most powerful diesel car. Introduced in 1973 at a price of 19,913.40 Marks, the cost was four times the typical car of the time. It had many available luxuries, such as heated seats, cruise control, leather seats, and a manual or power-operated sunroof. It was at the time the fastest diesel engine available, though its OM616 4-cylinder, 2.4 liter engine only produced 65 hp (48 kW). Along with a curb weight of roughly 3050 lb (1380 kg), this gave the 240D a relatively poor power to weight ratio, and thus acceleration was unimpressive and top speeds 154 km/h (~96 mph).
In 1976, production of the W115 chassis ended and the 240D became part of the W123 chassis family along with a more powerful version of the Mercedes-Benz OM616 with 72hp, and the new updated 77hp in-line 5 OM617, found in the Mercedes-Benz 300D. Though the 240D got a bump in power, it also added weight, and so it remained a very reliable, but slow car. The OM616/617 engine received a mild update in 1981. Updates included: new pistons cast with a "star shape" top, revised prechambers for the indirect injection, and more efficient glow plugs. The 240D was last imported to North America in 1983 by MBUSA while production continued until 1985.
Many 240Ds remain on the road today some 30+ years later, a testament to the quality and durability of the original design and robust mechanical bits and famously overengineered OM616.
Minor changes to the car's exterior design were introduced over the course of production, most notable were the bumper changes and tail lights. US models adopted the new bulky DOT bumpers for the 1973 model year.
Both 4 speed automatic and manual transmissions were available for the 240D. However, automatic versions were much more common in North America, the manual ones being somewhat of a rarity. In later models, the turbo diesel option only came equipped with an automatic option. Unfortunately, the car came lacking a tachometer, which occasionally proved to be an issue with the 4 speed manual. Although there were marks on the speedometer (at about 21mph, 37mph, and 60mph) indicating redlining, they proved to be almost useless once the operator became accustomed to shift patterns.
Reliability
Both the W115 and the W123 versions of the 240D are still considered some of Mercedes-Benz's most reliable models due to their low-tech, easy-maintenance design, relatively thick metal sheets and sturdy, robust parts. The engine's low power output compared to its volume is another contributing factor in the car's exceptional lifespan.
The 240D is renowned for often traveling several hundred thousand kilometers or more in its life. The record holder, a W115 240D acknowledged by Daimler-Benz and on display in their Stuttgart museum, clocked 4.6 million kilometers (2,858,307 miles) across 3 engines between 1976 to 2004, mostly working as a taxi based in Thessaloniki. During this time the owner, Gregorios Sachinidis, was able to call upon the original engine and two spare units, deploying them on a rotational basis 11 times in total. Mercedes made badges available for their cars to mark each 250,000 kilometers the car had traveled. 240Ds are often seen in West Africa as taxis and bush taxis covering hundreds of kilometres daily. In some parts of northwestern Africa, notably Mauritania and Morocco, they make up over half the cars on the road.

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