240

This Mercedes-Benz nameplate has appeared on more than one unrelated vehicle line, rather than representing a single uninterrupted model run. The earliest use was on the diesel sedan introduced in 1974 as the 240 D 3.0, a landmark car noted by Mercedes-Benz as the world’s first production passenger car with a five-cylinder diesel engine. A later diesel sedan carrying the 240 designation followed in the mid-1970s and remained in production through the 1980s, helping define the brand’s reputation for durable, long-lived executive diesels. The designation also later appeared on the G-Class as a diesel off-roader, broadening the badge beyond passenger-car saloons. Because the same nameplate was reused across separate production periods and vehicle families, it should not be treated as one continuous run.