FWIW...
Ref: Engelen's Vom Barock zur Pagode
Listings of Chassis Numbers and Dates of production with corresponding changes shows Apr 8, '63, Chassis # 8... and the motor numbers stayed synched with Chassis numbers thru at least Chassis #20 with the 1st unsynched Chassis # being 38 with Motor Number 42 built in Jun '63. Things got back in synch again briefly so that Chassis #45 was built with Motor 45.
Production was begun in April '63.... "Development Director Nallinger reported to the Board on 17 April 1963 that the last changes had been implemented on the 230SL: 'The automobile now goes into production'." (p. 142).
The changes he referred to were engine & cooling design changes (due to excessive oil temperatures).. parenthetically, engine changes continued thruout most of the early '63 & '64 production to continue to mitigate the temperature problems and consequent siezure problems.
The pre-production engines were designated with the preface "Z"... whether any of these were then later turned into production engines and new nameplates mounted is another question.
Realize that the 230SL was in mid '63 the only MB being produced with the
M127 2.3L engine... which was actually
Engine Model M127.II, designated
Engine Type 127-981 at start of production in the 230SL.
The only production cars using an M127 at that time were those using the M127.III, Engine Type 127.982 on the 220SEb 4 door sedan (Type 111 014), which was the
2.2L version of the M127.... and then on 220SEb Coupe and Convertable.... 111.021 and 111.023 using Model M127.V and Engine Type 127.984. These were
all lower horsepower 2.2L versions of the M127 engine... 120 HP (DIN) at 4800 rpm, and with lower compression (8.7:1 vs 9.5:1). This engine had a 2 mm smaller diameter bore than the M127.II, but same stroke. The Type 111's were produced with this engine from Aug '59 (4-Dr Sedan) and '61 (Coup & Convertable) thru Aug '65.
By the way, did you know that the
final decision to introduce the W113 with a 2.3L engine wasn't made until late Aug '62... the earlier thoughts and basic development were using the 2.2L engine with a 220SL logo on the rear trunk lid.... and it wasn't until the competition were tossing out 200km/hr as the minimum threshold that work began on the M127.II with a 2 mm larger bore (than the 2.2L).... with the first test stand tests conducted in very early Jan '62.... providing 142 HP.... which, btw,was the norm for the 230SL M127.982 engine... 139 to 143 were the most HP these engines produced in production versions.... despite the 150 HP listed in the spec's.
The 230 & 230S Sedans used a different 2.3L engine, Engine Types 180.945, .947, & .949... all 120 HP (or 105) versions
not produced 'til mid '65, however. These were the same bore & stroke as the M127.II Type 127.981.
The 300SE type 112 used Engine Model M189.III type 189.984... starting in '62 & later using M189.V and type 189.986... a 6 cylinder, 3.0L with 7 mains.
So, the statement that the M127 2.3L engines were going to whichever other production car needed them at the time is not the case, since the only vehicle using the M127 2.3L engine in '63, '64 was the 230SL. It should therefore not be a surprise that the listing of engine numbers and chassis numbers stayed pretty well in sync thru early production in Apr-June '63, and the Motor Number only lagged the Chassis number by 40 or so units thru mid-Dec '63.... i.e. motor # 1431 & 1432 went into Chassis numbers 1472 & 1473 respectively on Dec 13'63.
An Engine number like M127.981-10-000001 and the Car Model "230SL" with a strange (non W113-nnnn Chassis number) with a screwed on engine id plate means only that it wasn't a pre-production engine ("Znnn" designated pre-production engine numbers), and that the chassis was built after the decision and production was establised for the 230SL as opposed to the 220SL. Personally, I find the screwed on engine name plate to be highly suspect... and for no other reason than the fact that there's no reason for the factory or engine development to screw on an engine id plate in production... so it sounds to me like somebody else either removed the original plate (rivets), and screwed it back on (but why remove it in the 1st place?) or it's not the actual Engine ID in fact.
There were at least 47 pre-production SL's discussed in the book Vom Barock zur Pagada--- one of which was called a "pre-production" model used by the mfg'ing group literally as a pre-production model... these are called 113/2... 113/n in the book. These were used for various test runs (average consumption, towing capacity, etc., and on the Nuremburg Ring for time trials, or for trials in distance reliability for example over the Alps to central Italy and back). &/or driven by the directors. Director Nallinger's was #8, with Power Steering and an automatic transmission. Director Wilfert's was #47 with a ZF-5 speed transmission.
The original description in the 1st post's link shows:
quote:
The engine # clearly shows: “Typ: +M127.H� “Motor No - Engine No: 127.981-10-000001�. The cassis tag shows: “Chassis No – 64510 50 820 Model – 230SL�.
The 127.981 indicates it's a 2.3L engine for the 230SL... but with a screwed on id plate I'd hazard a guess that it's actually a M127 used for the 111's (120 HP, 80 mm bore).... and then may have been bored out to 82mm for the 2.3L displacement so that whomever did that (if that's what was done), then had a new plate made up and screwed it on.
The Chassis number makes no sense at all... and it certainly doesn't indicate anything commencing with production numbers of the W113.
Remember that the 230SL designation decision for the W113 wasn't even finalized 'til near end of Aug '62... only about 9 months before actual production began. If the engine ID is legit, then it was a production engine for the 113 which wasn't produced until sometime after the last changes were made to the engine before production commenced... and that wasn't 'til mid-April '63!!!
Furthermore, the W113 designation was made way back in '58 for the follow-on to the 190SL 2-seater. The chassis design didn't get finalized until Nov 14, '61. So following that date any chassis built as a W113 would have had the W113 designation .... but not necessarily the 230SL designation, since the decision to use a 2.3L engine in the W113 wasn't made until late Aug '62.... and the engine issues followed immediately so that by Oct '62 they were adding additional ribs to the block's form to stiffen up the cylinders... and the engines 'til production began were all designated with a Z- for development or experimental.
So here we have an engine with a production series number, but with screwed on id plate, in a chassis that indicates a 230SL but without a production chassis number or even the W113 designation. Doesn't make any sense. If you chose to decide the chassis ID is a pre-production number without any 113 designation, then you have to reconcile this with the use of an production Engine id series number that used a screwed on id plate. Possible I suppose, but deserves a high degree of skepitism...
The only way to resolve the descrepancies is have MB describe the source for the funny non-production Chassis number, and marry it to then engine id.
Longtooth
67 250SL US #113-043-10-002163
'02 SL500 Sport
