The Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 4.5 was a variant of the W108/W109 S-Class that was introduced for the 1972 model year. The 300 SEL 4.5 was built on the W109 platform and was powered by Mercedes' M117 engine. This 4.5L V8 was introduced in large part due to emissions regulations in the United States, and generated 195hp. This was less power than the 300SEL 3.5, but the engine made up for it with its increase in torque. All of this power was sent to the rear wheels via a 3 speed automatic transmission, although a manual gearbox was offered as a reduced price option. Production of the Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 4.5 ended in 1973, with a total of 2,533 examples built.