For sale: 1958 Hollywood Hardtop Hornet Hudson

There were a limited number of factory fitted wheels, and several AMG wheel options available on the C140 from new. There are also many additional varieties from suppliers such as AMG, Brabus and Lorinser outside of the factory options. Below, we detail the standard factory wheel options which are largely based on the availability confirmed in C140 brochures. Below that, we run through the other wheel options available from AMG, Brabus and Lorinser.

Mercedes 140 coupe standard wheel options:

There were a number of wheels available on the Mercedes 140 coupe. One method to confirm the original factory fitted wheels on a car is to check the sticker on the inside of the door B-pillar. In some markets, the sticker will confirm the tyre size and specifications / air pressure etc. This will at least allow you to coinfirm whether the vehicle was originally fitted with 16 or 18 inch wheels. We note that these stickers may not have been applied to cars in all markets (but certainly were applied to Australian vehicles).¹

1.  “Flat face” 16-inch 15-slot alloy wheels were supposedly fitted as standard to very early C140s, being part number 140 401 05 02. However, we have sighted very few coupes with these wheels fitted, but there is referenced in a 1992 brochure [and the Google Play book] to these being the factory standard on the early coupes.² While there is no doubt these wheels were available at the time, (they were fitted to most early W140 sedans), we have only sighted a couple of coupes in our research fitted with these wheels. customers clearly tended to prefer the Alamak wheel (b) below, and these 15-slotters therefore did not last long on the coupe (probably not past the SEC badging).
2. “Alamak” 16-inch 8-slot alloy wheels appear to be the most common standard wheel fitted to C140 throughout all years (although the Eltanin (c) was very popular from 1994). The Alamak wheel part number is 140 400 09 02. These wheels are 16 x 7.5 ET 51, hub 66.6mm. They were available throughout the car’s entire production run in most markets and is shown on the cover of earlier vehicle log books / service books for 1993 - 1995. Most of these wheels were finished in a standard alloy silver, but some had a chrome finish (which is prone to flaking according to forum discussion). We presume this chrome finish was a dealer or factory option given the number of cars that have had it applied (any clarity / further information on this from readers would be appreciated). Further, forum discussion suggests that from some point in 1995, the finishing process on the clear coat to these wheels was somewhat improved. There is a suggestion that the earlier versions of these wheels had a poor quality clear coat thet degraded / clouded quickly.³ https://www.benzworld.org/threads/w140-buyers-guide.1484464/ In most markets outside of the US, this wheel became optional, with most cars (excluding the USA/Canada) receiving the Eltanin 18 inch wheels as standard from 1994 onward.⁴
3. “Eltanin” 18-inch 5-spoke monobloc alloy wheels made by Ronal in Germany, were fitted to many C140s from 1994 onward, being part number 140 401 13 02. The wheels are 18 x 8.5J ET47. It is suggested by [Google Play book] that these wheels were introduced on the coupe in 1994, and premiered at the Geneva Motor Show that same year.⁵  Note, by observation during our research, these wheels do not appear to have been fitted to any US / Canadian vehicles, and are not documented in US brochures. The wheels do appear in Mercedes brochures from as early as March 1994 in markets outside of the US.⁶
4. “Gildun” 16 X 7.5-inch 6-spoke alloy wheels appear to be fitted mostly to the late model US CL vehicles.⁷ They were available in other markets, such as Australia, on the sedan, and have part number 140 401 14 02, and are again made by Ronal in Germany.  The wheels are 16x7.5 / 7.5J 16 ET 51. Those wheels were mostly finished in a standard silver, but some vehicles again had a chrome finish. Again, we are unsure whether this chrome finish was a dealer or a factory option, and further research is necessary.

Mercedes 140 coupe AMG Wheel options

AMG wheels were available as dealer fitted options in some markets and are shown in several brochures for the C140. From our research, we have identified two wheel designs available (with the names taken from a German brochure):

1. “Styling II AMG Monoblock wheel” – this is a clean 5-spoke wheel, with the spokes further inset into the rim / deeper dish than the Eltanin wheels. "AMG" is embossed in one of the spokes. It is described as the “AMG Monoblock” wheel in the 1998 CL Presentation Guide, which  cover the US market cars. The wheel is also shown fitted to a C140 in a 1998 US brochure, stating “dealer installed accessory 18 inch AMG wheels”. This AMG wheel was a particularly popular option in the US market. It has been sighted on numerous cars from the US and Europe, and is believed to be available in three different sizes confirmed by a 1998 German brochure:
   1. 8.5JX18 ET47 on 255/45 R18
   2. 8.5J X 19 ET46 on 255/40 R19
   3. 9.5J X 19 ET46 on HA 285/35 R19
2. “Design IV Multi-part AMG wheel” - 8.5J X 18 ET 44 on 255/45 R18. This is a 5 spoke wheel, but with a very flat centre face with sharper edges, and a thick rim incorporating 20 rivets fixing the wheel face to the rim. It is referred to in the German 1996 CL Brochure, directly translated as the “Multi-part AMG wheel”. This wheel also appeared in the UK 1996 brochure as an option, and it appears alongside the Eltanin 18 inch wheel as a standard option in the 1996 and 1997 German brochures. We have observed this wheel applied to several C140s, many of them US market cars.

Mercedes 140 coupe Brabus wheel options

There are a few "Brabus" wheels we've seen commonly fitted to teh C140. We are undertaking further research to confirm which of those were available for Brabus enhanced cars at the time. As with Lorinser wheels, there are a number of aftermarket immitation wheels that have been created. 

Mercedes 140 coupe Lorinser wheel options

Lorinser enhanced cars had 5-spoke 19 or 20 inch wheels, available with a chrome or standard alloy finish. These are the most accentric of all the wheel options available. Several immitations have been produced by aftermarket suppliers. We are still researching the original offset specifications for these wheels. We attach an image of the wheels as fitted to Michael Jordan's Lorinser C140, and another for reference.