Car Model History

Four-door rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan · 4.5-liter M117 fuel-injected V8

1973 Mercedes-Benz 450 SE Automatic

The Mercedes-Benz Club of America's U.S. product table places the 450 SE in model year 1973; non-U.S. W116 variants are deliberately excluded.

1973 Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W116) — sedan, front three-quarter view
Exact 1973 S-Class reference photograph; exact configuration not verified ·

Photo: “1973-1980 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL (V 116) sedan (2016-07-07)” by EurovisionNim / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.

Factory configuration

What this model is

Trim
450 SE
Body style
Four-door rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan
Engine
4.5-liter M117 fuel-injected V8
Transmission
3-speed automatic

Configuration-specific ownership

Maintenance for this exact configuration

These items are filtered to the engine, transmission, trim, and model-year applicability recorded for this configuration. Broad Amazon category searches are suppressed here; shopping links appear only beside catalog-backed part numbers.

Service desk

What this car needs & when

Use this as a service-planning checklist for 1973 Mercedes-Benz 450 SE Automatic. Start with the interval, confirm which engine or configuration you have, then use an exact ordering reference when one is verified.

Service topics
5
Factory intervals
4
Fitment-scoped
5
Exact references
1

Before orderingIdentify your engine, options and build date.Part numbers and sizes can change within one model year. Shopping links appear only for catalog-backed references; still verify the listing against your vehicle before ordering.

  • Engine oil and oil filter

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1973 · United States · The factory sheet applies its 1973 passenger-car schedule to all models. Configuration-specific checklist boxes still govern individual operations; the entries below are only the all-model duties printed on the sheet.

    Published interval: 10,000 mi / 16,000 km · At every regular maintenance service.

    Source: Mercedes-Benz of North America — 1972–1973 passenger-car maintenance sheet · page 1 — 10,000-mile regular service includes engine-oil change and oil-filter service · checked

  • Additional maintenance work

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1973 · United States · The factory sheet applies its 1973 passenger-car schedule to all models. Configuration-specific checklist boxes still govern individual operations; the entries below are only the all-model duties printed on the sheet.

    Published interval: 30,000 mi / 48,000 km · Additional work at the printed recurring mileage.

    Source: Mercedes-Benz of North America — 1972–1973 passenger-car maintenance sheet · page 1 — additional maintenance work every 30,000 miles · checked

  • Brake fluid

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1973 · United States · The factory sheet applies its 1973 passenger-car schedule to all models. Configuration-specific checklist boxes still govern individual operations; the entries below are only the all-model duties printed on the sheet.

    Published interval: 12 months · Drain and renew once a year, preferably in spring; use only specified brake fluid.

    Source: Mercedes-Benz of North America — 1972–1973 passenger-car maintenance sheet · page 1 — drain and renew brake fluid once a year · checked

  • Engine coolant / antifreeze

    Sourced interval available

    Applies to: 1973 · United States · The factory sheet applies its 1973 passenger-car schedule to all models. Configuration-specific checklist boxes still govern individual operations; the entries below are only the all-model duties printed on the sheet.

    Published interval: 30,000 mi / 48,000 km · Fill, drain, and check the radiator coolant at the additional-maintenance interval.

    Source: Mercedes-Benz of North America — 1972–1973 passenger-car maintenance sheet · page 1 — radiator-coolant fill/drain/check at 30,000 miles · checked

  • Engine air filter

    Exact reference available

    The part reference below is catalog fitment only; retain the separately sourced factory service interval where one is shown.

    Applies to: 1973

    450 SE — 4.5-liter M117 fuel-injected V8

    K&N E-1650

    Applies to: 1973 · 4.5-liter M117 fuel-injected V8 · 450 SE · Exact 1973 450 SE engine application. Confirm VIN and build date before ordering.

    Source: K&N Engineering — 2017 European Automotive Catalog, S-Class application tables (archived copy) · 1973 Mercedes-Benz 450 SE 4.5L V8 Gas — E-1650 · checked

    Verified ordering references

    450 SEL — 4.5-liter M117 fuel-injected V8

    K&N E-1650

    Applies to: 1973 · 4.5-liter M117 fuel-injected V8 · 450 SEL · Exact 1973 450 SEL engine application. Confirm VIN and build date before ordering.

    Source: K&N Engineering — 2017 European Automotive Catalog, S-Class application tables (archived copy) · 1973 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 4.5L V8 Gas — E-1650 · checked

    Verified ordering references

Sources

  1. Mercedes-Benz Club of America — W116 U.S. product specifications and model-year boundaries
  2. Mercedes-Benz Public Archive — 116-series S-Class model history and production chronology

Other 1973 configurations

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