When production of the E 10 or class 110 came to an end, there was a further need for similar locomotives. However, one did not want to ignore the technical advances since the 1950s and thus developed a new model using some of the parts of the E 10. The result was the class 111, of which a total of 227 were built between 1974 and 1984.

An important point in the development was smooth running at higher speeds, which is why the bogies were newly developed according to the latest findings. However, since the complicated power transmission via quill, as in the class 103, only paid off at higher speeds, the rubber ring spring drive was retained and the tried-and-tested traction motors of the class 110 were also retained. The 111 was the first locomotive to receive the new DB standard cab, which was developed from an ergonomic point of view and is still used today in a further developed form in new vehicles.

With a top speed of initially 150 and 160 km/h from 1980, they were used almost exclusively in front of passenger trains. The trains pulled ranged from Intercity trains (sometimes double-headed) to S-Bahn trains. For the latter, a larger number received a different color scheme ex works and push-pull train controls, which was later retrofitted to others.

At the time of the DB AG, the 111 was increasingly used for regional trains, where, however, it was still a frequently seen sight together with double-deck coaches well after the turn of the millennium. After the widespread introduction of locomotives such as the class 146, there were fewer and fewer possibilities for use, which is why decommissioning began in 2013.