What is the total # of W113's with ZF-5 speed tranny

[67 Panzer]

Hello All,
My name is Diego.  I'm a new member, I think.

Back in the 1990s I had a 230SL Pagoda, but I was dumb and young and sold it.   
NOW 27 years later I bought my 2nd PAGODA.  But this time I bought a 1967 230SL with a 5-spd manual Tranny.  In the YouTube below,
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDvDK7UmwfU

around 2:40minutes into this video, he mentions the ZF-5 tranny was put into a GRAND TOTAL of 882 W113's /Pagodas...   Is this true?   Can someone tell me where to get that information? Pic Attached.
Many Thanks to all that can Help.
Dee.

[AdelaidePagoda]

Congratulations and welcome!

Yes, the original factory optioned 5 speed is super rare, particularly in the 230SL and even more so in US delivered cars.

I do not know how rare, although according to Wiki, “ From May 1966, the ZF S5-20 5-speed manual transmission was available as an additional option, which was particularly popular in Italy”.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W113

There are a few ZF experts here who will be able to narrow it down further.

 

[BobH]

Hello Dee, the exact figures may be published somewhere, perhaps someone will know

In the tech manual is a registry of members vehicles, past and present.  Last time i counted (sad i know!) there were roughly 800 cars registered, and out of the 800, where the 5 speed gearbox option was listed against their car, these are the numbers:

230's - 6 cars
250's - 6 cars
280's - 7 cars

It's only a very, very rough approximation, based on the details the owners provided for their cars, and some of these may have had 5 speed's retrofitted, but it shows that less then 2.5% of cars had the 5 speed box

[MikeSimon]

Accessible Daimler Benz records are notoriously bad for unveiling such data. Considering that the ZF 5-speed was one of the most expensive W113 options, right here with the hard-top and more expensive than the automatic transmission, it is easy to understand, that it is rare.
There is another issue which explains the low number: the W113 in any of the 3 variations was never considered a "performance sports car" like a contemporary Porsche, for example. It was, what we called back then, a "boulevard cruiser". It was bought in most cases as a 2nd or 3rd car, in many cases for the use of a lady driver. No 5-speed desired. Automatic preferred.
My car's original owner - the wife of a furrier, running a business in Frankfurt - received the car as a Christmas present. Automatic.

[Cees Klumper]

Interesting is that, if you do a search of European sixties cars, you will find very few automatics. Pagodas being one of the rare exceptions. Where in the US automatics were already commonplace, in Europe it was a typically expensive option. Even today a large proportion of cars are manual.
In my native The Netherlands, our only domestic auto brand, DAF, pioneered the variomatic, a CVT, that made it popular as one of the only affordable automatic cars. Most everything else was manual.

[Jonny B]

There is an article in the old "Mercedes Collector" magazine (published by Frank Mallory) that has an article written by Michael Egan detailing the breakdown of the ZF tranny installations. I am traveling and not able to look this up right now, but will when I get back home.

[MikeSimon]

Interesting is that, if you do a search of European sixties cars, you will find very few automatics.

This ties into what I said before. In Europe, 2nd and 3rd cars in a household in the 60s/70s - and still today - are rare. The SL was bought mainly as an additional "leisure" vehicle, mostly driven by the wife. Automatics on these were preferred.

[Jonny B]

According to Michael Egan's article "The Elusive ZF 5-Speed Transmission" printed in Mercedes Collector No.2, March 1992:

He indicated that the 5-speed was contracted through ZF from 1965 through May 1969. Additionally he noted that the 5-speed was not available for US delivery on the 1968 250 SL nor any 280 SL . This due to modifications to the manual transmission linkage to be able to actuate the fuel cutoff switch required for US vehicle emissions regulations that took effect then. But notes that some Euro cars may have been brought in under an exemption to the US standards, or American cars were converted after the fact.

230/250 SL - ZF Type 1025 000 032, -057 (replaced the 032) - 533 transmissions produced (no breakdown between 230 SL and 250 SL noted)

280 SL - ZF Type 1025 000 064, - 350 transmission produced

He indicated that there were five 1025 000 068 units which had lower numeric gears for first, second and third.

 

[neelyrc]

Has anyone tried getting a reading from ZF on this subject.  Their website indicates their interest in serving the collector car community.

I have sent an email to the Head of the ZF Tradition Group which falls under their Race Engineering Section to see if they can provide any details. Their site does mention their supply of the S5-20 box to MB for the W113 without going into detail.

If I get a reply from ZF I will post information received here.

[114015]

According to Michael Egan's article "The Elusive ZF 5-Speed Transmission" printed in Mercedes Collector No.2, March 1992:

Michael Egan's article is among the most detailed info you can get anywhere on this "elusive" gear box. There is not much more information out there, and I have been collecting info on the ZF S-5-20 for almost 30 years (which doesn't mean anything).
I try to remember some info .... that only a few 230ies were fitted with the ZF, less than 200, and most of the "other 533's" mentioned above were delivered with the 250 SL.
But this info is also vague....


Achim

[mauro12]

I have a 250sl with zf 5 speed gearbox . Italian version